Do I Need a Notary, an Apostille—or Both?

Do I Need a Notary, an Apostille—or Both?

They're not the same thing, and depending on your document, you may need one or you may need both.

A notary performs a specific notarial act on your document.

An apostille is an authentication issued by the Florida Secretary of State for an eligible document that will be used in another country. It verifies the authenticity of the signature of the issuing official or notary.

For example, a document may first need to be properly notarized before it can be submitted for apostille processing. Florida's Department of State requires notarized documents submitted for authentication to contain the required notarial statement and the original notary's signature, stamp, and seal.

So before you start, ask:

📄 What type of document do I have?

🌎 Where will it be used?

🖋️ Does it need to be notarized first?

If you're not sure what your document needs, Magnolia Signature Services can help you understand the next step. 

Sometimes knowing which service you need is the first step. Magnolia Signature Services can help you understand where your document fits in the process.