Getting A Notarization Authenticated

According to the U.S. Department of State, documents that may require authentication for use abroad include: affidavits, agreements, articles of incorporation, company bylaws, deeds of assignment, diplomas, home study, income verification, powers of attorney, single status, transcripts, trademarks, warrants, extraditions, certificates of good standing, and other general business documents. Also, parents wanting to adopt a child living in another country must have their adoption dossiers properly authenticated.

But your client is responsible for requesting the authentication — not the Notary.

The Notary Public, only responsibility is to notarize the document itself. Because the document is destined for another country, the notarization must be performed perfectly to ensure that there aren’t any problems on the receiving end. For example, some judges presiding over adoption cases in other countries may reject documents not properly notarized.

Keep in mind that with any notarized documents passing through a Notary regulator’s office, the paperwork will be closely scrutinized.