Alaska Hague Apostille

Foreign countries that joined the Hague Apostille Convention sometimes require that signatures of State of Alaska officials, employees, or notaries on your documents be formally validated by a Hague apostille before they will accept them. In Alaska this service is provided by the Office of Lieutenant Governor. An apostille is a seal that will make your document valid outside the United States.

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We provide FAST and RELIABLE apostille services in the State of Alaska for all kinds of documents originating from Alaska, both personal and corporate. We can also obtain many kinds of documents from Alaska state agencies, including certified copies of vital records, court judgments, corporate documents, etc. Please contact us.

Alaska apostille guidelines:

Alaska apostilles for documents notarized by a commissioned Alaska Notary Public:

Unless you are sending official certified copies of Vital Records, Court or other official State issued documents, your documents must be notarized. A properly notarized document in Alaska has:

1. The Principal’s original signature (the Principal is the person whose signature is notarized)
2. A notarial certificate
3. The notary’s original signature
4. The expiration date of the notary’s commission
5. The notary’s seal (embossed seals must be shaded over with pencil or ink to comply with Alaska law)

Notarized documents must contain all of these elements. Improperly notarized documents cannot be apostilled. You will have to return them to the notary for correction before you present them for an apostille.

Here is a sample notarial certificate. It usually appears on the document following the Principal’s signature or it can be on a separate page attached to the document. No specific wording is required by Alaska law, but the law requires a notarial certificate on all notarizations.

Commissioned notaries vs. Noncommissioned notaries:

Alaska statutes grant U.S. Postmasters, commissioned Military Officers, Alaskan Justices, Judges, Magistrates and Clerks of Court the power to perform notarial acts as noncommissioned notaries.  The Lieutenant Governor does not keep signature files for noncommissioned notaries, so their notarizations usually can’t be authenticated.

The majority of notaries in Alaska are commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor. The easiest way to locate a commissioned notary is to visit your bank. 

Alaska apostilles for official certified copies of Vital Records:

The Lt. Governor authenticates official certified copies of Vital Records  (birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates) issued by Alaska Vital Statistics office in Juneau. Notarized copies of vital records cannot be apostille. In fact, it is against the law to make photocopies of  Alaska Vital Statistics documents.

Alaska apostilles for documents certified by a court officers:

Hague apostilles can be issued for official certified copies of Court documents and documents that have been properly notarized by Court officials provided that their signatures are on file with the Lt. Governor's Office.

Alaska apostilles for photocopies of documents:

Alaska apostilles for school diplomas and transcripts:

If you work with the registrar of your school in advance, they may be able to incorporate a notarial certificate into their normal copy certification process and provide you with a notarized original. These notarized originals are always preferable since it is the real document custodian’s signature that is being notarized. 

The sample Copy Certification By Document Custodian below is a template. Insert the appropriate information into the blanks as you write or type it onto your document. Most official certified copies (i.e. school transcripts) will already have a similar statement stamped or printed on the document. In that instance all that is required is to add a notarial certificate below the normal copy certification statement and signature.

More Alaska apostille tips:

Make sure your document has an original signature

Please note: In case of notarized documents (powers of attorney, letters, consents, resolutions, etc), make sure it is notarized by a commissioned notary.

If you require a formal certification of a notarization for use within the United States instead of a foreign country, Alaska also provides a Certificate of Good Standing that is only valid for use within the U.S.   The requirements for obtaining a Certificate of Good Standing are identical to the foreign certificates – just indicate as part of your order that the certificate is for use within the United States.

A properly executed Copy Certification By Document Custodian will meet the Lt. Governor’s requirements for obtaining an Apostille, but the finished product may not meet the requirements of the government to which you will be submitting your documents. Please contact the appropriate consulate and verify that a copy certified by this method will be acceptable. Failure to do so may result in the rejection of your Copy Certification By Document Custodian by the country that will be receiving your document, even if the notarization has been apostilled.