Terms of Service and Conditions

National Apostille

This site is owned and operated by National Apostille

Please read the Terms of Service and Conditions before you mail in your documents for processing. We reserve the right to update our Terms of Service and Conditions at any time with or without notice.

National Apostille, Inc. (TM) is the leader in US document apostille, certification, and Embassy or Consulate Legalization. We can authenticate documents issued from all 50 U.S States and the U.S. Federal Government in Washington, D.C.

Your information: We physically store your personal information (Example: order form, credit card authorization form, supporting documentation, copies of your documents, etc..) for up to three year. After three year, they are picked-up by a professional shredding company (Example: Shred-it Company). Information emailed to us may be stored for a longer period of time. We are very careful with information received and take strict precautions to protect your sensitive information. Information shared with third parties, independent contractors, and affiliates are also held to the highest security standards. Your information will never be sold.
Tracking Software (Cookies): When you provide us your information, you agree to allow us to contact you by email, phone, and text messages. You also agree that we may add you to our monthly newsletter. When you visit our web site, you agree that tracking software may be placed on your computer (Cookies) from third party companies (Example: Google, Live Chat Software) and our company which will allow us to provide you relevant and helpful information, advertising, and videos on our site and others. Note: Your general location may be visible to us when you chat with us online.
Acceptance of Your Documents by Another Country: National Apostille, Inc. cannot guarantee that another country will accept your documents even if the Secretary of State has attached an apostille. An apostille authenticates the official who has signed your documents and not the content of the documents. We also cannot guarantee that another country will accept your documents once they have been certified by the Secretary of State, the US Department of State (if required), and the Embassy or Consulate office. When you mail in your documents to our office, you agree that you have verified them with the country requesting it. As long as the State attaches the apostille or certificate (Non-Hague Country) to your documents, we have fulfilled our obligation of service. We recommend that you check with the people requesting your documents in order to confirm that they will accept the documents that you plan to mail in to our office for processing. Even though an apostille does not have an expiration date, some countries may request your documents to be no older than a specific period of time (Example: three months or less). Please, double check with the country requesting your documents in order to avoid any delays or additional costs. Does an apostille expire?
Return Shipping (Domestic and International): The return shipping time is estimated and not guaranteed. Our current shipping carrier of choice is FedEx, but we may use a comparable service at our discretion. We provide FREE FedEx return shipping for completed orders in its entirety within the United States. If you choose to have some of your documents returned before the entire order is complete, there will be an addition FedEx return shipping fee of $35 for each shipment. If your return address is a business address, you can elect to have your documents delivered without a signature. Orders of $500 will require a signature. Once your order has been completed and dropped off at the FedEx shipping center, we cannot be held responsible on how long FedEx will take to deliver the documents back to your return address nor can we make a promise that FedEx will deliver on time. Thus, the time frame is estimated and not guaranteed. The shipping fees charged are non-refundable even if FedEx does not deliver on time. Be sure to include your email address on the order form so FedEx can provide you an update by e-mail regarding your shipping. Due to company policy, we are unable to change the return address listed on the order form. Also, please note that FedEx do not deliver to a P.O. Box address or to an APO address. Please, double check your return address on the order form for accuracy. If your package is undeliverable for any reason and returned to our office, you agree to pay $35 for the FedEx return fee and $35 for the FedEx return shipping fee back to your return address (US Addresses). Documents returned internationally will incur a $200 FedEx return fee in addition to another $100 FedEx international shipping fee to ship the document back to you. Cancelled orders are returned by regular USPS first-class mail to any address within the United States. Return shipping to Alaska and Hawaii is by USPS Priority mail only. Puerto Rico is considered international shipping. The cost for FedEx international priority shipping to most countries is $100. Some international countries may cost more. If you should have any questions regarding your FedEx shipment, please call FedEx Customer Care at: 1-800-463-3339. UPS can be reached at 1-800-742-5877.
Saturday delivery fee: If you choose to have your documents delivered on a Saturday, the additional cost is $75. Once your order is dropped off at the FedEx/UPS shipping center, we cannot be held responsible on how long FedEx/UPS will take to deliver the documents back to your return address nor can we make a promise or guarantee that FedEx/UPS will deliver on time and on a Saturday. Their is no refund for this service even if FedEx/UPS is not able to deliver your documents on-time. If you should have any questions regarding your FedEx shipment, please call FedEx Customer Care at: 1-800-463-3339. UPS can be reached at 1-800-742-5877.
International shipping: See #4 above.
Inter-office Shipping fee: There is an additional FedEx/UPS overnight shipping fee of $35 to ship your documents to the correct office if you originally mail in your documents to the wrong office. For example, if you mail in a California document to our New York office. Also, some orders may require additional processing (Example: US Department of State, Embassy, Consulate etc…) and can incur additional shipping fees.
Charge-backs: If you believe you are a victim of fraud or if you are having trouble with your order, please email: support@nationalapostille.com You can also contact our Customer Service department at 1-800-903-2470. For international callers, please call 1-202-897-4070. Our customer service department is open Monday – Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions. You can also complete our order status or our billing inquiry form and one of our agents will contact you within asap. If you do contact your credit card company an initiate a charge-back, please note that we will submit all documentation to the merchant processor/bank including a copy of your order form, credit card authorization form, translation request form, copy of all of your documents, copy of the apostille or state certificates, the FedEx/UPS delivery confirmation, all e-mail communications, and any other documents we deem necessary in order to justify the charge. Furthermore, your case will be handed to our corporate attorney for review if we are unsuccessful in collecting amounts owed. We may also send your file to a collection company or further our collection efforts through small claims court.
Bounced Checks – If your check bounces, you agree to pay a penalty fee of $45 for each check.
Processing of Documents: Please mail in the documents you want us to process. Do not mail in documents you don’t want us to process. You are responsible to pay for all the documents that you mail in for processing. We are unable to obtain originals or certified copies and can only process what you mail in. Please mail in the originals issued by the County, Court, State, or US Federal Government. Do not mail in Xerox copies of your documents. If for some reason we are unable to process your documents, we will contact you with instructions. Please note that during the Holiday season (November 15 to January 15) there can be further delays in processing your documents. Our most up-to-date processing time can be found here: https://nationalapostille.com/apostille-processing-time/
Fraud: Do not attempt to defraud us. If we suspect we are victim of fraud, we will void your documents with the Secretary of State, the US Department of State in Washington, DC, and report the fraud to the local Consulate or Embassy office. We will also report the fraud to the FBI, the Department of Justice from the State your documents originate from, and the local police department near you. Another words, we will invalidate your apostille and report it to the Country that requested it. Furthermore, your case will be handed to our corporate attorney for review and we will seek damages in State or Federal court.
Cancellations: There is no refund or cancellations once we receive your order. If you decide to cancel before your order is delivered to our office, please contact the shipping company and request that your documents be rerouted back to you. We cannot cancel orders we have not received. You are responsible to pay for every order that you mail in for processing. Also, orders we are unable to process will be returned by regular USPS first class mail. You can also provide us a prepaid and pre-printed UPS/FedEx airbill and we will drop off your documents at the shipping center.
Apostille Fees: The cost to apostille your documents is listed on our Schedule of State and US Federal Fees.
Incorrect Certification/Apostille by the State: Apostille and State certificates are attached by the State office (Secretary of State) or the US Department of State. If the State makes an error and attaches a certificate instead of an apostille or vice-versa or if the state makes an error, you agree to mail back your documents to our office for correction at your expense. There are no refunds or credits issued for this error. We will correct the mistake with the State at our expense and return the documents back to you by FedEx/UPS at no additional cost. Note: You will be responsible to ship the documents back to our office at your expense.
Embassy and Consulate Fees: Please note that there are no refunds once we begin to process your order. If we are unable to legalize your documents, we will refund you the Embassy and/or Consulate fees paid for each document (document fee). All of the other fees outlined in the email (breakdown in cost) are non-refundable. Please contact our office so we can email you the breakdown in cost and estimated processing time. The cost to certify and legalize your documents is listed under our Schedule of Embassy and Consulate Fees. Please note that we cannot be held responsible if another country does not accept your documents for any reason. You agree to provide the Embassy or Consulate all documentation they request in a timely manner to complete your order including a translation of your document. The fees quoted are estimated and can increase at any time. If the Embassy or Consulate charges more than what we quoted you in the estimate, you agree to pay the difference. A credit card authorization form is requires for all orders that require Embassy or Consulate legalization. For some countries, we may ask you to include a money order or cashiers check.
Estimated Processing Time: Our processing time is estimated and is not guaranteed. We cannot be held responsible if the State, US Federal Government, Embassy, Consulate or the shipping company takes longer to process or ship your documents than we estimated nor will we issue a discount or refund. Once your order is complete, it will be dropped off at the local FedEx/UPS shipping center. Note: The amount of time needed to process your documents is listed under the number of business days on our Schedule of State and US Federal Fees. Please note that this number is a good faith estimate and may change depending on the volume of work received at our offices and the resources available at the Secretary of State’s offices. The number of business days does not take into consideration the FedEx/UPS shipping to and from the State and the FedEx/UPS shipping back to your return address. We recommend that you do not book any appointments or make any reservations until your documents are complete and delivered back to your return address. Please note that during the Summer season (June through September) there can be additional delays in processing your documents. During the Holiday season (November 15 to January 15) there can be delays in processing your documents. The most up-to-date processing time are listed here: https://nationalapostille.com/apostille-processing-time/
U.S. Federal Court and State Court Documents: In order to process your U.S. Federal Court (Bankruptcy, U.S. Federal Court, Department of Justice, Petition for Name Change, etc..) you will need to mail in these certified documents to our Washington DC Apostille office. Please note that documents originating from the U.S. Federal Court requires Department of Justice authentication and US Department of State apostille (two steps). Documents issued by the U.S. Federal Court cannot be processed through any State office nor can it be notarized. State Court issued documents can only be processed from the State your documents originate from (Example: California State Court name change can only be processed through the State of California). It’s your responsible to know if your documents originate from a State Court or U.S. Federal Court. If you mail in your documents to the wrong office with the wrong order forms, there will be additional fees and processing time.
Oversized documents: Please contact us if your documents are larger than 8.5 x 14 and or weigh more than 0.50 lbs. Please note that all documents returned to you that are larger than 8.5 x 14 will be folded in order to fit the FedEx/UPS legal size envelope. This includes diplomas larger than 8.5 x 11.5 Documents heavier than 0.50 lbs. may incur additional return shipping fees.
Diplomas: All diplomas larger than 8.5 x 11 will be folded in order to fit the FedEx/UPS return priority envelope. Please, do not mail in the glass frame or the leatherette cover that your diploma is placed in by the High School, College, trade school, or University. Do not mail in a laminated diploma. Please note that your diploma will be folded, stapled, stamped, and handled by several people. We recommend that you contact the school and order a fresh new copy so you can display it on your wall. Your diploma will need to be notarized by the school’s registrar before you mail it in for processing. More information here: https://nationalapostille.com/apostille-diploma-high-school-college-university-trade-school/
Order of Documents: Please staple your documents together before you ship them to our office. If your documents arrive unstapled, they will be stapled together before they are processed. The Secretary of State will not accept unstapled documents.
Money Back Guarantee: If we are unable to obtain an apostille for your document(s), we will refund you 100%. Please note that if your documents are rejected because of improper notarization, you agree to pay us $125 non-refundable fee for each State/County office. *Note: Documents improperly notarized and returned by the State/County office are assessed a $125 non-refundable fee. We will do our best to check your documents with the State/County before we process them. If your documents require notarization, please be sure to find an experienced notary public with a minimum of 5 years of service and one who fill follow the notarial laws of their State. If the notary makes a mistake, your documents will be rejected by the State/County and you will have to start over costing you time and money. We recommend that you find a notary who is a member of the National Notary Association and one who will follow the notarial laws of their State. If your document(s) are rejected by the U.S. Department of State for any reason, a fee of $75 will be assessed for each rejected document. We will contact you by phone/email once we have received notification and will provide you a scan of the rejection letter provided by the U.S. Department of State (if available).
Lost Documents: You agree to hold us harmless for documents which are lost beyond our control. We only have control when documents are in our physical possession. Documents in the possession of an affiliate, virtual office, shipping company (UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS, etc…), the Secretary of State’s office, US Federal Government office, Embassy office, and/or Consulate office is beyond our control and we cannot be held responsible if they lose, damage, keep, alter or destroy your documents. We recommend that you have a second set of each original or certified copy in case there is an issue with the first set.
Missing Documents: If you have been charged for the service and your documents have gone missing from the Secretary of State’s office or with UPS/FedEx, you agree to allow us 21 calendar days to locate your documents after we have discovered they are missing. If after 21 calendar days we are unable to locate your documents, we will issue you a full refund. 99% percent of the time, missing documents are returned within two weeks. This refund does not apply to documents that are marked as delivered to the return address listed on the order forms you complete (Your return address).
Translation of Documents: In order to translate your completed documents, please download and complete our Translation Request Form. The translation processing time is 1-3 business days (excluding: Saturday, Sunday, & Major Holidays). If translating your documents takes longer than three business days, we will contact you with an update. Your documents will be submitted for translation once we have authenticated your original documents through the State or Government office. We will then ship your original authenticated documents back to you by FedEx or UPS before we submit them for translation. Once your translation has been completed, it will be e-mailed to you. The cost is $95 for up to 250 words or less, one-sided, and on a standard 8.5″ x 11″ dimension page or smaller. Each page is counted individually and it is not based on a cumulative total. Any excess over 250 words per page (one-sided), will be billed an additional $95 per 250 words per page one-sided. The cost for the translation service will be billed separately from the apostille or document certification service. Please note that all certificates/apostilles attached by the County, Court, State, and Government will also be translated. We can only translate documents we apostille or certify. Note: Documents you obtain from the County, Court, State or U.S. Federal Government office must first be apostilled or certified through the State or Federal Government office before they can be translated. Our translators are not international lawyers or representatives of other countries. They do not know the laws of other countries or the specific requirements of the Embassy or Consulate offices. The translator’s responsibility is to only translate your documents into the language you choose. The translation will not be notarized nor will it be printed on any special paper. Difficult to read documents cannot be translated. Once the translation is complete, it will be e-mailed to you. The translation will not delay the processing of your original documents as they will be shipped back to you by FedEx/UPS once done. There are no refunds for the translation service but we will do our best to fix your translation if any errors are found.
Improper Notarization Fee: Documents improperly notarized and returned by the State are assessed a $125 non-refundable fee. We will do our best to check your documents with the State before we process them. If your documents require notarization, please be sure to find an experienced notary public with a minimum of 5 years of service. If the notary makes a mistake, your documents will be rejected by the State and you will have to start over costing you time and money. We recommend that you find a notary who is a member of the National Notary Association and one who will follow the State’s notarial laws. Note: All notarized documents must have original wet signatures (pen to paper). We do not accept digital online notarizations. The signer of the documents must physically appear before the notary public.
US Department of State Document Rejection Fee: If your document(s) are rejected by the U.S. Department of State for any reason, a fee of $75 will be assessed for each rejected document. We will contact you by phone/email once we have received notification and will provide you a scan of the rejection letter provided by the U.S. Department of State (if available).
County Clerk Authentication: In certain situations, your documents may require additional authentication (County, Court, Health Department, etc…) before it can be apostilled. The cost to authenticate a document from the County, Court, or Health Department is $150 for the first document and $75 for each additional. Call or email us for a good-faith estimate in cost and processing time.
Jurisdiction: The jurisdiction of any and all lawsuits filed against National Apostille, Inc. is in Los Angeles, CA. National Apostille, Inc. is a California corporation.
Independent Contractors: We reserve the right to hire independent contractors and third parties to assist us in our day-to-day operations at any time.
Company Holiday’s Observed: Our offices are closed on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday (Day after Thanksgiving), Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Our staff is available Monday – Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions and provide you easy to follow step-by-step instructions. Please call 1-800-903-2470 or e-mail: support@nationalapostille.com

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We can process documents issued from all 50 U.S. States and the U.S. Federal Government.