Are your documents written in a foreign language and need an apostille? The most common foreign documents (written in another language) we apostille are Power of Attorney documents, Contracts, Authorization of Agent and Affidavits. In most States, you can notarize a document written in a foreign as long as the notarial wording is written in English and notarized in English in accordance with State law.
Vital record documents (birth, death, marriage) and documents issued by the Court, County, or State will need to be first apostilled and then translated. We cannot apostille the translation of these documents because the State will not accept them. Another words, the document must be apostilled in English and in it’s original form. Also, we cannot apostille documents issued from another country and translated to English (Example: Russian birth certificate).
In some States, documents written in a foreign language will require a certified translation to English (Highlighted in Green). Some of these states may request that the translation to also be notarized in the same-state.
Updated: October 2022
|
State: |
Does Your Document |
Does the Translation Requires Notarization? |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes | Yes |
| Alaska | No | No |
| Arizona | No | No |
| Arkansas | Yes | Yes |
| California | No | No |
| Colorado | No | No |
| Connecticut | No | No |
| Delaware | Yes | Yes |
| Florida | No | No |
| Georgia | No | No |
| Hawaii* | Yes | Yes |
| Idaho | No | No |
| Illinois | No | No |
| Indiana | No | No |
| Iowa | No | No |
| Kansas | No | No |
| Kentucky* | Yes | Yes |
| Louisiana | No | No |
| Maine | No | No |
| Maryland* | No | No |
| Massachusetts | No | No |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes |
| Minnesota | No | No |
| Mississippi | No | No |
| Missouri | No | No |
| Montana | No | No |
| Nebraska | No | No |
| Nevada | No | No |
| New Hampshire | No | No |
| New Jersey | No | No |
| New Mexico | No | No |
| New York* | No | No |
| North Carolina | Yes | Yes |
| North Dakota | Yes | Yes |
| Ohio | No | No |
| Oklahoma | Yes | Yes |
| Oregon | No | No |
| Pennsylvania | No | No |
| Rhode Island | No | No |
| South Carolina | Yes | Yes |
| South Dakota | No | No |
| Tennessee* | No | No |
| Texas | No | No |
| U.S. Department of State* | Yes | No |
| Utah | No | No |
| Vermont | No | No |
| Virginia | No | No |
| Washington State | No | No |
| Washington, D.C. Secretary of D.C. |
No | No |
| West Virginia | No | No |
| Wisconsin | No | No |
| Wyoming | No | No |
Need a certified translator? Visit this link: https://nationalapostille.com/translation-services/
* The following States require county or court authentication for notarized documents before the State will attach the Apostille: Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, and Tennessee.
Documents from the following States have additional requirements:
Hawaii – Notary’s seal and signature must be authenticated by the District Court.
Kentucky – County Clerk must certify the notaries seal and signature.
Maryland – Notary’s seal and signature must be certified by the Circuit Court/County Clerk.
Virginia – Documents cannot be older than 12 months.
Wisconsin – Documents cannot be older than 12 months.
Note: The information contained on this page is as accurate as possible. Last Updated: February 2019
The U.S. Department of State requests all documents that are in a foreign language must be accompanied with a certified English translation.
If you need to find a certified translator, we recommend visiting the American Translator’s Association website.
