HOW TO EXPEDITE YOUR DOCUMENT(S) THROUGH THE APOSTILLE/AUTHENTICATION PROCESS

Updated Apostille/Authentication Information: June 26, 2024

AZ Roving Notary offers two levels of Expedited Services to the AZ Secretary of State for Apostille/Authentication: Premium and Mail-In Service.

The US Dept of State Office is still closed as of AUGUST 1, 2024 and only accepts drop off or mail-in applications for apostille/authentication expediting services. The US Dept of State website states the expected turnaround for apostille/authentications is 4-6 weeks. In some cases we can expedite faster, check with us to see if your documents are eligible. Many countries are allowing authentications to skip this step and go directly to the Embassy or Consulate from the state's Secretary of State's office. Check with us to see if you can skip this step for your apostille/authentication expediting with the US Dept of State.

When docs are hand delivered or sent to an embassy or consulate for authentication processing, we cannot guarantee how long the process will take. Some embassies and consulates allow for an expediter to wait for the documents. Others require a mail in process. Depending on the embassy or country, we estimate 2 days to 6 months depending on the embassy's or consulate office's process.

Are Your U.S. Documents Going To Be Used In A Country Outside the United States?

If your answer to this question is yes, then you might find our Apostille or Authentication expediting services to be exactly what you need to accomplish the process correctly. Regardless of your location, documents notarized by a state-specific commissioned notary must be apostilled or authenticated by the corresponding state's Apostille office. Moreover, if the intended destination of the documents is a country that doesn't participate in the Hague Convention, the documents may need to go through two additional steps involving the US Department of State and the specific country's Embassy or Consulate.

Navigating the requirements and process for obtaining an apostille and/or authentication can be complex and confusing. That's why many of our clients opt for our expediting services for the apostille/authentication process. We can handle everything from notarization (whether it's traditional mobile notarization, electronic notarization, or remote online notarization) to expediting the apostille/authentication with all the necessary governing authorities. We diligently track every step of the process on your behalf, ensuring accuracy and giving you peace of mind.

Depending on the agency responsible for the apostille or authentication, we either submit your documents in person or through mail-in service. However, please note that many government offices, as well as embassies/consulates, currently do not offer in-person transactions. Mail-in processing times can vary widely, ranging from 10 days to 6 months, depending on the agency. Although processing times are subject to change, it's advisable to initiate the process as soon as you learn that an apostille or authentication is required.

Is my Apostilled or authenticated document accepted worldwide if the notarization or certification was completed with a Remote Online Notarization?

If your document is correctly notarized by a currently commissioned Arizona notary using online communication technology known as RON (Remote Online Notarization), the Arizona Secretary of State's office will Apostille or Authenticate the document.

Disclaimer: It is always up to the signer to determine if the document receiving party will accept the apostille or authentication completed with a remote online notary process. This is not the responsibility of the notary or of AZ Roving Notary to make this determination.

How Much Does It Cost to Expedite The State Apostille Process?

AZ Roving Notary expedites your documents through the Apostille or Authentication process with the Arizona Secretary of State and/or the Montana Secretary of State

First Document: $300.00
Additional Documents: $150.00 Each

Do you provide legal advice or answer questions that might have legal implications?

At AZ Roving Notary we employ notaries and lay persons who specialize in document expediting.

Our staff and contracted personnel are not attorneys, paralegals or doc preparers.

We cannot create, alter or add to any document.

We cannot give any legal advice or answer questions other than explaining the process.

All questions should be referred back to the document issuing agency, company or law firm that created the documents, or to the Arizona Secretary of State or proper government agency.

How do I get my Documents to AZ Roving Notary?

You have a choice of four methods to get your documents to us.

1. You can meet us at our pickup point in downtown Scottsdale. We will notarize your documents if required and take them to the AZ Secretary of State for Apostille/Authentication expediting. (Included in Base Price)

2. If we are notarizing the documents via remote online notarization, you can upload the documents in a pdf format to our secure server link. (Included in Base Price)

3. If you need us to come to your home or other Arizona location, we will notarize and take your documents to the AZ Secretary of State for Apostille/Authentication expediting. The notarization cost is included in the base price, but the mileage is charged at $0.655/mile round trip plus a $25 pickup fee.

4 You can send the documents at your expense via US Postal Service or Federal with tracking. We will provide you with an address once the invoice for the apostille/authentication has been paid. (No additional charges).

5. If any of the above do not work for you - we can customize a solution for an additional fee.

How do I get my Documents back from AZ Roving Notary once the apostille/authentication process has been completed?

1. We will send your finalized document to you at a US address via US Priority Mail with Tracking. (This is included in the price of the apostille/authentication.)

2. We will ship your finalized documents to you at a foreign address via Federal Express. (This is an extra charge of 150.00).

3. We will meet you at drop off point in downtown Scottsdale. (This is included in the price)

4. We will drop off your documents at your location in Maricopa County for a $25.00 drop off charge plus mileage.

Is notarization included in the price of expediting the process?

In most cases - the answer is yes.

If the notarization is part of the document pickup or server upload, then the traditional "wet", iPEN (In Person Electronic Notarization) or RON (Remote Online-Virtual Notarization) is included in the price of the apostille/authentication at the state regulated rate of $10.00 per notarial act. All mileage is charged additionally at the state regulated rate of $0.655 per mile round trip.

Sometimes a document is from another state and requires that a notarization and apostille/authentication is provided by a commissioned notary from that state. AZ Roving Notary provides these services throughout the 48 contiguous United States and in most cases this is included in the document fee.

What if my document needs to be retrieved from a government agency?

Some documents need to be retrieved from a government agency. The charge for this service depends on if an AZ Roving Notary team member needs to pick up the document from the agency or if the document can be mailed or downloaded to our office. We add into the charge any fees/charges imposed by that government agency.

In some cases, only the authorized person will have the ability to retrieve the document and send it to us. If this is the case, we will give you specific instructions.

What do we do for you when you choose to put your trust in our services?

Our concierge Apostille and Authentication Services

What is the most popular document we Apostille?

Believe it or not, a majority of our Apostille business comes from ex-pats who are looking to get permanent residency in the European Union. We do a Remote Online Notarization with the American living abroad and then print the documents out and expedite the Apostille process. An example of this would be a 5 Year Certified Motor Vehicle Record from the AZ Dept of Motor Vehicles. The client uses an Affidavit w/Jurat to certify the truth and correctness of the document. As Commissioned Remote Online Notaries, we can notarize the Affidavit w/Jurat, print out the document, fill in the proper paperwork for the Apostille and send it off to the AZ Secretary of State for processing. All in one stop.

At the AZ Roving Notary Agency, we do a lot of work for Corporate Legal Departments who have intellectual property being used all over the world. We help the corporation remotely notarize the Power of Attorney, send it to the AZ Secretary of State for Authentication, forward the authenticated document to the US Department of State for their authentication and finally, obtain legalization of the documents from the various embassies. We can even send the final legalized documents to the end user in a foreign country if that is required.

And, we retrieve a lot of documents for clients from the AZ Corporate Commission such as Certificate of Good Standing and a Certified copy of the Articles of Organization. We even send our agents to the courthouses to pick up certified copies of recorded documents. Other states and documents are also downloaded and notarized with you, then sent for an Apostille or Authentication based on the country of destination.