Georgia Apostille, Authentication & Legalization Service

Georgia Apostille, Authentication & Embassy Legalization Experts in Atlanta

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Are We There Yet? Travelling Internationally With Children

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Apostille children travelTravelling abroad with children can get complicated because governments want to do their best to prevent parents from taking their children out of the country and not coming back, which is also known as international child abduction.

If you are vacationing with your children out of the country and are married, some countries (such as Mexico), may require you to obtain your spouse’s permission in order to take your children out of the country without him/her. If you are divorced this is not necessary, although you will need to produce a certified copy of your custody order in order to travel to and from Mexico.

Be aware that certain countries, such as Australia, Canada, Israel, Lebanon, and Mexico, will not admit children travelling without parents or with only one parent unless they have notarized permission from the absent parent(s) to do so.

If you are travelling with your children to one of the aforementioned countries, you will need to have your custody order certified with an apostille.  Atlanta Apostille will help you get the certification you need quickly and efficiently so you can travel without delay or worry.

How to: Certify Documents for Eastern European Wedding

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Eastern European WeddingWith destination weddings in Prague and Vienna becoming increasingly more popular, it is important to familiarize yourself with the laws of Austria and the Czech Republic well before the wedding date. Be aware that both countries require you and your future spouse to submit various documents two to four weeks in advance.  These documents include passports, birth certificates, drivers’ licenses, proof of residence, and proof of marital status (such as divorce or death certificates for previous marriages).

Your documents must receive an apostille stamp in America, and they need to be translated into the respective country’s local language.  The translations must also be certified, which is usually done in the country in which the wedding will take place. Normally you have to submit your documents and marriage application in person to the appropriate government offices (such as the town hall in Prague or the Office of Vital Statistics in Vienna) at least two weeks before the wedding. For this reason it is advised that either you or your spouse arrive in the city two weeks prior to the wedding.

Each government embassy charges different fees for these procedures, which you can verify either by phone or on the appropriate embassy’s website.

Korea Joins the Hague Convention

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Korea Hague ConventionLegal documents from Korea will now be recognized for use overseas without an apostille or certification from foreign embassies, said the Ministry of Justice.

Before Korea joined the Hague Convention, in order for documents to be used outside the country they had to be certified by the respective government embassies, either the Korean embassies abroad or foreign countries’ embassies in Korea.

Now, Korean documents are essentially equal to documents of all other countries participating in the Hague Convention and do not require further certification.

This greatly simplifies the process of sending documents abroad and eliminates the inconvenience of having to visit multiple government embassies.

Apostille in the Electronic Age for New Zealand

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New Zealand electronic ApostilleCitizens of New Zealand who need documents to be certified for use overseas can now get them verified electronically, thanks to the new e-Apostille service from the Internal Affairs Authentication Unit.

E-Apostille can be used to certify marriage certificates, travel documents, letters from attorneys, and more. The system is expected to cut submission and processing times dramatically because it creates secure versions of paper documents that can be emailed overseas, instead of relying on mail or courier.

The e-Apostille makes getting an apostille quick and easy.  It saves customers both time and money, and can make the difference between a customer making or missing an important deadline.

As of December 2012, New Zealand was one of only four countries in the Asia-Pacific region using e-Apostilles, though the success of this program could pave the way for other members of the Hague Apostille Convention to expand into electronic apostilles.

Scam Artists Trick Homebuyers with Fake Apostille

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HomebuyerA disturbing trend has emerged in home buying in Indiana and all over the country: scam artists tricking people into illegitimate home sales by using authentications from the Secretary of State to create the illusion that they own vacant property.

The scammers call themselves “sovereign citizens.”  They refuse to follow the law, do not accept the American government as legitimate, and are recognized by the government as domestic terrorists.

They use apostilles and authentications that are meant to be used solely for international business or other transactions that have absolutely nothing to do with property.  Many people are not even aware that they have been targeted until they try to buy and sell property, at which point they have already fallen victim to the scheme.

Although previously the Secretary of State did not have the authority to reject financing statements or liens, it is now able to reject fraudulent filings.  This new power will protect home buyers, civic leaders, and members of law enforcement from being conned by criminals.