Apostille vs. Certificate
Put simply, member nations of the Hague Convention only require an Apostille. Non-member nations require further signature verification by means of a Certificate and possible authentication by the United States Department of State.
How do I obtain an Apostille in Los Angeles?
There are two ways of obtaining an Apostille in Los Angeles. You can follow the steps on your own or you can hire a mobile service to take care of the entire process for you. Getting an Apostille can be a daunting and complicated process, especially if you are not used to working within the parameters of what is required, but it can be done.
If you want to obtain an Apostille in Los Angeles on your own, you will need to contact the office of the California Secretary of State and ask what steps are required for the particular document you have in your hand. This may take quite some time on hold. You will also spend time on the phone as the employees advise you of the steps you need to take in order to complete the process successfully. The requirements vary by document. Once you have discerned what steps you need to take, you will spend most of the day following and fulfilling them. As long as you follow the steps correctly, it can, however, be done. It will simply take time and effort on your part. Whether you have that time or not is up to you.
As you can see, obtaining an Apostille is a daunting and complicated process. The steps listed in the example above are guidelines for one type of document. Each type of document carries with it a different set of rules. If you do not want or need to become an expert in the Apostille process and what it entails for each type of document and, if you do not have an extravagant amount of time to spend driving around Los Angeles in order to meet the various requirements that need to be met before the California Secretary of State office in Los Angeles will affix an Apostille to your document, it is more cost-effective, time saving, and better all around to contact a reputable and professional mobile Apostille and notary service in Los Angeles. You can find reviews on Yelp! and Google that will assist you in selecting the best service for your needs.

