A power of attorney is a legal instrument that gives someone else the authority to act on your behalf in specified circumstances. An apostille is a type of certification typically used for international documents. It is a document from a competent authority that certifies the authenticity of a document's origin and is typically used for official, legal, or business purposes.

A notarized or certified copy of a power of attorney may be apostilled if it is going to be used outside of the issuing country. An apostille on a power of attorney demonstrates to foreign officials that the document is legitimate and has been properly notarized or certified. . An apostille can be affixed to documents issued by a public authority, including:

• birth, marriage, and death certificates

• powers of attorney

• educational documents

• notarized documents

What is the turnaround time for document authentication/apostille service?

The authentication process may take from several days to several weeks. It is not possible to guarantee a specific turnaround time, as each document must be submitted to the Secretary of State for certification. If a document is issued by a county recorder or registrar, it may have to be sent to the California Department of Public Health-Vital Records (CDPH-VR) for certification before it can be apostilled.

What is the cost?

There is no fee to obtain an apostille; however, you will be responsible for the cost of mailing your documents to us and the cost of mailing us the completed certification. The cart will charge an additional $45 for return shipping and handling via UPS overnight delivery. The cart does not include expedited processing fees, which are listed separately. The standard overnight shipping and handling cost for returning orders for 2 or more apostilles/authentications is $100.

In order to get an apostille for a power of attorney in North Dakota, you must first have the power of attorney notarized by a notary public. After the power of attorney is notarized, you must then submit it to the North Dakota Secretary of State's Office for certification. The North Dakota Secretary of State's Office will then issue an apostille for the power of attorney.

"Apostille" is a French word meaning "to certify." An Apostille is a certificate issued by the Secretary of State's office authenticating the signatures of public officials on certain documents. Apostilles are commonly used to authenticate such documents as birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates, court judgments, and notarized documents for use in foreign countries. .