nc secretary of state apostille cover letter

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North Carolina Apostille

The North Carolina Secretary of State - Business Registration Division issues two types of authentications of public documents: apostilles and certifications. Apostilles are used by countries participating in the Hague Convention. Certifications are used by countries that do not participate.

You can request an apostille with the North Carolina Secretary of State in person or by mail. Submit the original notarized or certified document, contact information, and the foreign country in which the apostille will be used, and the state will issue the apostille.

The state fee is $10 per authentication.

North Carolina, and every other state, only authenticates signatures on documents that have been issued in North Carolina. If you have a document, such as Articles of Incorporation, which have been issued in another state, you must contact that Secretary of State .

Do I need a certified copy of the document before I can obtain an apostille?

North Carolina requires the original certified or notarized document to issue the apostille.

Frequently Asked Questions

When doing business in many countries abroad, you may be required to obtain an apostille of company documents. An apostille is a type of certification that will be used in countries participating in the Hague Convention. A state will issue an apostille of a notarized signature on a document, and lists the specific country in which the document will be used. Apostilles and certifications can be obtained for public and private documents, including corporate filings, diplomas, degrees, and job applications, marital and adoption documents, and deeds and contracts.

Which countries accept apostille documents?

For a list of the countries that accept apostilles, please visit the Status Table provided by the Hague Conference on Private International Law .

Do I need an apostille or a certification?

Apostilles are used for those countries that participate in the Hague Convention. For those countries that do not participate, a certification will be used instead of an apostille. Certification often requires additional review by the United States Department of State or by the embassy of the destination country.

How to obtain certified copies

In order to obtain an apostille of a corporate document in most states, you must submit a certified copy of the corporate document. In many states, this occurs in a different division from where apostilles are issued.

Notarization of documents

Nearly every state requires your documents to be notarized before submitting the apostille application. Pay careful attention to which body has the authority to notarize these documents, as it can take place at the city, county, or state level.

What is the contact information for the state in North Carolina?

North Carolina Secretary of State - Business Registration Division Physical Address: 2 South Salisbury Street Raleigh, NC 27601-2903 Mailing Address: PO Box 29622 Raleigh, NC 27626-0622 Phone: (919) 814-5400 Fax: (919) 807-2039 Website: https://www.sosnc.gov/divisions/Business_Registration Name Search: https://www.sosnc.gov/online_services/search/by_title/_Business_Registration Forms: https://www.sosnc.gov/forms/by_title/_Business_Registration_Business_Entities_Common Online Filing: https://www.sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registration/online_business_services

North Carolina Apostille, North Carolina Authentication

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Do-It-Yourself Guide to Apostille North Carolina Documents

Department of the secretary of state apostille.

How to prepare your document for Apostille in North Carolina?

1- document signed by an individual examples include.

A private document that is signed by an individual, such as a company owner, a school registrar or any regular person. It requires to be signed by a(n) North Carolina notary public. All signatures must be original, no photocopies.

• Power of Attorney
• Minutes of Organizational Meeting of directors
• Shareholder certificate of Interest
• Shareholder Contribution Schedule
• Agreement to Form a Corporation
• Stock Purchase Agreement
• Agency Agreement
• Business Letter
• Letter of Authorization
• Company Bylaws
• Letter of Resignation
• Distributor Agreement
• ISO Certificate
• Technical Data Sheet
• Stock Certificate
• Shareholder List
• Letter of Intent
• Operating Agreement
• Asset purchases Agreement
• Change of Agent
• Commercial Invoice
• Certificate of Origin
• Packing List
• Copy of US Passport
• School/ University Transcript
• School/ University Diploma
• Bachelor degree
• Graduate Record Examination GRE
• Doctorate Certificate
• Master Degree
• Associate Degree
• Doctorate Degree
• Teaching Credentials
• TESOL Certificate
• Insurance Certificate
• Halal Certificate
• Kosher Certificate
• Health Certificate
• Dangerous Goods Certificate
• Consular Invoice
• Pro Forma Invoice
• Letter of Credit
• Export Declaration
• Shipper Letter of Instruction
• Certificate of Analysis
• Pre-Shipment Inspection
• Veterinary certificate
• Sales certificate
• Weight Certificate
• Fumigation Certificate

2- Document Signed by North Carolina State officials Examples include

A document that bears the signature/ stamp of North Carolina State departments such as: Health Department, Corporation Division or state court official...etc. All documents must be original or certified copies issued by the governmental department. No prior notarization is required.

• Birth Certificate
• Death Certificate
• Marriage Certificate
• Divorce Certificate
• Divorce decree
• Driver License
• Police Clearance
• Adoption Certificate
• Export License
• Restated Certificate of Incorporation
• Foreign Certificate of Registration
• Termination of Foreign Corporation
• Articles of Incorporation
• Certificate of Merger
• Corporate Resolution
• Business License
• Certificate of Formation
• Corporate Consolidation
• Consolidation Certificate
• Certificate of Incumbency
• Certificate of existence
• Statement of Dissolution
• Certificate of Good Standing.

3- Federal Documnets Examples include

If you want to Apostille one of the following documents, it will require to be authenticated from the US Department of State in Washington DC.

• Sanitation Certificate
• Certificate of Free Sale (CFS).
• Certificate of Exportability.
• Certificate to Foreign Government (CFG).
• Non-Clinical Research Use Only.
• Certificate of Pharmaceutical products (COPP).
• Certificate of Pharmaceutical product- Foreign Manufacturer
• Specified Risk Material of Bovine Origin Materials.
• Plant certificate.
• Animal Health Certificate.
• Phytosanitary Certificate.
• Sanitation certificate.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Certificates.
• Form 6166‐ US Tax Residency.
• Naturalization Certificate.
• Social Security Benefit Letter.
• Criminal Background Check.

International Certification from Department of the Secretary of State Office

There are two different certificates for international use, “Apostille” and “Certification”, depending on your destination country. You can obtain North Carolina Apostille either by visiting the Department of the Secretary of State ’s office or by mailing your documents.

Contact Mail Service

Contact walk-in service, north carolina apostille for hague countries.

In case you want to use your document in one of the Hague Convention Participating countries, you will only need Department of the Secretary of State Apostille Stamp. No need for Embassy legalization

North Carolina Certification for Non-Hague Countries

In case your destination country is not a member to the Hague Apostille Convention. You will need additional attestations from the US Department of State and from the Embassy of your destination country in Washington DC. Choose your country here.

Choose County

Student Legal Services

Notary services.

•  Your available weekdays.  We will schedule accordingly and notify you thereafter.
• A PDF of the document(s) that you want to be notarized.  
• A PDF of the non-expired photo ID (i.e. driver license, passport) that you intend to present to the Notary for verification purposes.  A student/faculty ID or a non-U.S. issued driver license are not acceptable forms of ID for Notary purposes.  

and  c an find an e-notary using the NC Secretary of State’s online search tool .  

Things To Remember When Having a Document Notarized

• Do not sign the document before you come to the office.  The Notary must see you sign and date the document.
• You cannot bring in a document that  someone else has already signed  and ask that it be notarized. The Notary must see the person sign the document. For example, when an apartment complex asks that a parent sign as a co-signer/guarantor on a lease, the parent must sign the document in front of the Notary. They cannot sign it, mail it to you, and have you get their signature notarized.
• When having a document notarized, you will need a government issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or a passport. A student ID is not sufficient.
• If we are unavailable, any bank also has a Notary. You may have to go to a branch of the bank with which you have an account. Most banks now refuse to notarize a document unless you have an account with them.

Process For Obtaining An Apostille

• If the document is in a language other than English, you will need to have a certified or notarized translation of the document into English.
• Register of Deeds
• Clerk of Superior Court
• NC Department of Agriculture
• NC Department of Health and Human Services
• NC Vital Records
• NC Department of Motor Vehicles (Raleigh, NC office ONLY)
• NC Attorney General’s Office
• NC Legislative Services
• Authentication Office      NC Secretary of State      PO Box 29622      Raleigh, NC 27626-0622
• For cover letters, see  https://www.sosnc.gov/authen/cover.aspx
• The processing fee is $10.00 (US currency) per document. For adoptions only, the processing fee for a duplicate original is $5.00 (US currency) when requested at the same time.
• Make payment to the “NC Secretary of State.”
• For additional information view the Secretary of State’s Authentication Information page .
• The document requires no further authentication by the US Department of State and may be submitted to the country of intended use.

Notarizing Diplomas (Apostille)

• A copy of the diploma
• A check made payable to the Secretary of State in the amount of $10.00 for the apostille
• A self-addressed stamped envelope to mail the documents from the Secretary of State.

If additional information is needed contact  Registration and Records .

Additional Information

• Contact NC Vital Records to obtain marriage, birth, or death certificates: Vital Records Contact page . They will accept credit/charge cards. You may also be able to order the document online at North Carolina Vital Records Expedited Online Orders.
• For certified copies of NC Statutes contact the Reviser of Statutes at 919-733-2578.

• Apostille Services
• Legalization Services
• Document Services
• State Services
• Federal Documents
• Corporate Documents
• Commercial Documents
• Educational Documents
• Personal Documents
• Hague & Non-Hague Countries
• Apostille conference
• US Department of State
• States Secretaries or Departments
• US Government Departments
• FDA Certificates (CFG)
• Pay invoice
• suggestion & report

Please choose your country

North Carolina Apostille

Apostille from north carolina secretary of state.

North Carolina apostille certificates can only be issued in the state of North Carolina, by the office of the secretary of state of North Carolina.  We advise that you call the apostille office, describe your document to make sure that they are ready for apostille.

Prepare an envelope and include all the following items:-

• The document(s) that need certification.
• The completed request form.
• Check or Money Order or Credit Card Payble to: "North Carolina Secretary of State"
• Prepaid return envelope.

Prepare an envelope and include all the following items:

• All documents required apostille.
• The completed request form must be included with your document.
• Check or Money Order  Payable to: "North Carolina Secretary of State" (You may also pay by credit Card)

Send the package to the following address:

Contact North Carolina Secretary of State

North Carolina Apostille form is required

• Albania is a member of the Hague Convention.
• Your document requires only an apostille from North Carolina to be valid for use in Albania
• There is no need for your document to be legalized from the embassy of Albania in the United States.

North Carolina Important Links

• Business Division
• Notry Record
• Search Corporation

An Apostille may be affixed to original documents issued in the State of North Carolina and bearing an official signature and seal of a valid commissioned notary  public, current North Carolina State Registrar, probate judge, or any document issued by one of the  departments of the State of North Carolina. Please find below a list of all the different departments of the State of North Carolina.

• North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
• North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
• North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles
• North Carolina Division of Forest Resources
• North Carolina Forest Service
• North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
• North Carolina Board of Law Examiners
• North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
• North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
• North Carolina Safety and Emission Vehicle Inspection
• North Carolina North Carolina State Bar
• North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners
• North Carolina Utilities Commission
• North Carolina State Archives of North Carolina
• North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
• North Carolina

The Apostille certification only certify the capacity of the person who has signed the public document, and the authenticity of the signature. An Apostille certification does not certify the content of the public document to which it relates.

Documents issued by a different state can not be apostilled by the State of North Carolina. They must be apostilled from the same issuing state. Documents issued by the Federal government for individuals or companies located in North Carolina must obtain the Apostille from the U.S. Department of State.

To order an Apostille, you must include a "Submittal Form" with your request. To download the State of North Carolina form please click here. Complete the form and attach it with your document (s).

Apostille services for federal documents..

The Secretary of State of North Carolina will only issue an Apostille strictly for use in Hague Participating Countries. All documents issued for  Non-Hague Participating Countries will be certified, not apostilled. 

Apostille services are not necessary within the United States or any of its territories or possessions; Therefore the Secretary of State of North Carolina will not issue an Apostille for use in  American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. North Carolina Secretary of State charges $10 per document. A document may have multiple pages.

Apostille service processing time is 5 business days.

Frequently Asked Questions about North Carolina Apostille

1. which documents are eligible for apostille north carolina services.

North Carolina corporate and federal documents are acceptable for the apostille service from US apostille. We may provide expedited authentication services for North Carolina certifications from the MD Secretary of State within just One Business Day. Please, contact our customer service for confirmation first.

Certificate of existence.

Agency agreement., business letter., letter of authorization., articles of incorporation., certificate of merger., corporate resolution, company bylaws., statement of dissolution, business license., assignment., power of attorney., certificate of analysis., letter of resignation., distributor agreement., foreign certificate of registration., stock purchase agreement., certificate of incumbency., iso certificate., technical data sheet., 2. does us apostille authenticate any other north carolina documents.

US apostille authenticates federal documents issued in North Carolina from the US Department of State in Washington DC. Examples of Federal agencies are:

The Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) Certificates.

The federal bureau of investigations (the fbi) certificates., the us patent and trademark office (the uspto) certificates., the us department of agriculture (the usda) certificates., the environmental protection agency (the epa) certificates., the internal revenue service (the irs) certificates., the homeland security certificates., the social security agency certificates., 3. where do i obtain certified copies of vital records such as certificates of birth, death and marriage from the state of north carolina .

Vital Records can be obtained by contacting your Town Clerk or the  Department of Public Health, Vital Records Unit .

4. In which country may I use an  Apostille issued by the state North Carolina?

North Carolina Apostille is acceptable for all types of North Carolina documents destined for use in one of the Hague Convention Participating Countries . Click here to see a list of all Apostille countries

6. Do I need to obtain an Embassy Legalization for a document issued in the state of North Carolina?

All Non-Hague Convention Participating Countries   require a regular certification for all documents issued in the state of North Carolina. Furthermore, these documents must be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State and legalized by the embassy of the destination foreign country.

7. How will the state of North Carolina return the apostille  back to me?

If you provide a prepaid shipping label for FedEx, UPS, or the US Postal Service, the State of North Carolina will return it using that method. 

8. What documents can I have  apostille? 

The State of North Carolina can only apostille documents signed by an North Carolina state public official. Such as:

• Apostille for North Carolina Notaries Public documents.
• Apostille for Town Clerks documents.
• Apostille for Local Registrars of Vital Statistics documents.
• Apostille for Clerks and Assistant Clerks of the Superior and Probate Courts documents.
• Apostille for Commissioners of North Carolina State Agencies documents.

9. What documents CANNOT be apostilled?

• Apostille for documents signed by an out-of-state notary.
• Apostille for documents issued by the federal government. These documents need to be submitted to the U.S. State Department.
• Out-of-state vital records or court documents Apostille. These documents need to be submitted to the issuing state. 
• Out-of-state school transcripts Apostille. These documents must be apostilled by the state in which the school is located.

Our job is to help you prevent claims.

Happy trails to you, apostille we meet again.

For those of us “of a certain age,” we have fond memories of spending Saturday mornings with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, as well as Bullet, Trigger, and Nellebelle.  It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what historical time Roy and Dale inhabited, but I have distinct memories of horse and buggies, as well as cars and trucks.  I think I even remember an airplane or two. 

The writers of the Roy Rogers television series didn’t allow themselves to be restricted to a particular time in telling a good story and took advantage of available technology to mete out justice to the black-hatted bad guys.  In our own time, we are called upon to serve buyers and sellers who travel a great deal more than in “those thrilling days of yesteryear.”  If you have not already been called upon to secure the signature of a participant in a real estate closing who is in another country, it is only a matter of time.

We at LM Title field calls regularly asking for advice on getting documents properly notarized in foreign countries or for recording in other nations. To assist you in making the necessary perspective shift, here is a review of some basic law and helpful practice pointers regarding preparing documents for international acknowledgment for recording here or for recording in another country.

For a document that will need to be recorded in North Carolina : N.C.G.S. §47-2 provides that any “instruments and writings as are permitted or required by law to be registered may be proved or acknowledged before any one of the following officials . . .of foreign countries: Any judge of a court of record, any clerk of a court of record, any notary public, any commissioner of deeds, any commissioner of oaths, any mayor or chief magistrate of an incorporated town or city, any ambassador, minister, consul, vice-consul, consul general, vice-consul general, associate consul, or any other person authorized by federal law to acknowledge documents as consular officers.”

That sounds simple enough, but of course, the notarization is just the first step.  Remember that notaries and even judges and clerks of court in foreign nations can have wildly different educational backgrounds and job descriptions, depending on the country. 

To assist with the varied individuals who may be asked to acknowledge a signature in a foreign country, a system has been developed to certify that the official had the power to take the acknowledgement at the time the instrument was signed.  This is called an “ apostille ”. The US State Department has an Office of Authentication which will answer specific questions. Their website is US Department of State—Bureau of Consular Affairs—Office of Authentications . You can also reach them by phone: 202-485-8000 .

There is no statutory requirement that you must get an apostille for every “foreign” acknowledgment, but the presence of an apostille will go a long way to avoiding any disputes as to the validity of the “foreign” acknowledgment.  If you are faced with recording a document which has been acknowledged by a foreign official, you should check with your title insurance company to be sure the proposed acknowledgment will be acceptable.  You may also need to have the Register of Deeds who will record the document to review the proposed “foreign” acknowledgment.

Another possible solution to getting your document acknowledged in another country is to rely on the consular services of the US State Department. A US Consul acts as a Notary Public abroad, notarizing affidavits, acknowledgments and other legal documents to be used in the U.S. only . The signature of a US Consul is not recognized in most foreign countries on documents to be used and recorded in a foreign country. You can locate the offices of US Consuls by looking at https://www.usembassy.gov/ . There is a fee associated with having a US Consular official notarize a document, and the fee varies from country to country.  You also should be aware that most consular offices require a prior appointment in order to provide an acknowledgment for a US Citizen and there could be a wait to get an appointment at a consular office.  For specific questions regarding getting foreign documents authenticated for use in the United States by a US Consular official, visit this website .

If your client is overseas with the military, you are in luck. Military personnel have access to the Judge Advocate General’s staff in their location. The JAG Corps is very familiar with the necessities for getting a document acknowledged and should provide the necessary assistance to you and your client.

For a document executed in North Carolina that will need to be recorded in a foreign country : Article 34 of N.C.G.S. Chapter 66 is your guide. Only a document with an original seal and signature may be authenticated. Prepare the acknowledgement as you would normally for the transaction, (in English) using the Section 10B-41(a) notary form, (as the statute specifically refers to a Chapter 10B notary certificate). Be sure the local notary uses his or her name exactly as is shown on the notary seal and as it is on record at the Secretary of State’s office (as that office will be comparing signatures, etc. to their records).

Once everything is correct, send the document to: NC Authentication Office NC Secretary of State PO Box 29622 Raleigh NC 27626-0622

Include a cover letter, money order or check, and the original documents with all certifications attached. Here is a sample cover letter posted by the NC Secretary of State’s office . The processing fee is currently $10.00 (in US dollars) per document to be processed.  Once you get the paperwork back from the NC Secretary of State, it is ready to send to the foreign country—you don’t have to involve the US State Department.

For more detailed information, look at the NC Secretary of State’s website , especially the FAQ section.

If all else fails, feel free to contact LM Title Agency.  We will work with you to resolve your particular problem.

About the Author

919.585.5642 | [email protected]

Nick is a former Vice President of Underwriting for LM Title Agency, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lawyers Mutual.  Prior to joining LM Title, Nick worked for a national underwriter as their NC State Counsel.  Since 2003, Nick has worked for a number of different NC title companies.  Before that, Nick spent 23 years in private practice handling residential and commercial transactions and real estate litigation.  Nick has served as Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Real Property Section Council and was a founding board member for LiensNC,LLC.  He is currently on the Executive Board of the NC Land Title Association and has been recognized by the NCBA as a Citizen Lawyer. Contact Nick directly at 919-585-5642 or [email protected].

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