How do you prepare a power of attorney, a consent, an affidavit for foreign use? Does it have to be original? Does it have to be notarized? Can it be notarized remotely? Is an apostille required? Here are the general guidelines...
Your document must have an original signature. Your document must have a date. There must be no corrections or blanks. The signature(s) must be properly notarized by a New York notary public. The document may be in a foreign language, no translation is required. The notary's statement must be in English.If your document was singed and notarized in a different state, an apostille should be obtained from that state. For example, if you signed the power of attorney in California, it can only be apostilled in California.
In order to get an apostille for your power of attorney, you will need to mail the original notarized power of attorney to our office for processing. Emailed copies are not eligible for New York apostilles.
Remotely notarized powers of attorneys cannot be apostilled because the original signatures of both the signer and the notary are required for apostille purposes.
New York apostille: price, processing time, order form
New York apostille: $175
Processing time: currently 1,5-2 weeks + mail
Please complete the Order Form and mail it with your original document(s) to
If you are sending your document(s) from a foreign country, please use FedEx, DHL or TNT, and email the tracking number so that we can watch for your package.
No hidden fees.
Our guarantee: If we are unable to get your documents apostilled or legalized, we issue a 100% refund, we do not keep any service fees.
Free document evaluation
Want to double check? Email a copy of your notarized document for a free evaluation
For apostille purposes the contents of the document is not important. What's important is the notarization: we will check if the notary is in good standing and if the notarization has all required elements (venue, jurat, acknowledgment, etc.)
What does a New York apostille look like?
Request a sample POA from the country of intended use
We strongly recommend to obtain a sample power of attorney from the country of intended use, tailor it to your needs, and then sign, have it notarized and apostilled. For example, if your power of attorney is intended for Mexico, a Mexican attorney should draft the document for you (either in Spanish or in English, or both). For apostille purposes, the State of New York allows documents in foreign languages, provided that the notarial statement (acknowledgment or jurat) (see below) is in English. Please note that, for apostille purposes, in a Spanish document the words "notario publico" are not allowed by most County Clerks in the State of New York.
Email a copy of your notarized power of attorney for a free evaluation.
What does a "proper notarization" mean?
Please note that for apostille purposes the contents of the document is not important. What is important is the way the document is notarized. We will check if the notary public who notarized your power of attoney, authorization, affidavit or consent is active (in good standing) and whether the document was notarized properly.
Make sure the notary follows the requirements:
The signature of the notary public must be original. It must exactly match the sample signature filed with the office of the County Clerk in the county where the notary public is qualified. This is important because if the notary's signature on the document does not match the sample signature on file with the County Clerk's office, the document will be rejected.
The notary's stamp must indicate the notary's name, license number, the name of the county where the notary is qualified, and the expiration date of the notary's license. If the notary does not have an ink stamp, the above information must be printed or typed in black ink.
The notary must include a Certificate of acknowledgment or Jurat basically of the following form:
Acknowledgment:
State of New York )
) ss.:
County of . . . . . . . )
On the . . . . . . day of . . . . . . in the year 20 . . . . before me, the undersigned, personally appeared . . . . . ., personally known to me or proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the individual(s) whose name(s) is (are) subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their capacity(ies),
_______________ [Notary stamp]
Notary Signature
[Notary's name] Date:
Notary Public, State of New York
Registration.....
Qualified in ....... County
My commission expires ...
Jurat:
State of New York )
) ss.:
County of . . . . . . . )
Subscribed and sworn to before me this ........ day of ........, 20 ......
_______________ [Notary stamp]
Notary Signature
[Notary's name] Date:
Notary Public, State of New York
Registration.....
Qualified in ....... County
My commission expires ...
Frequently asked questions about New York apostilles for POAs and other notarized documents
Are electronically notarized powers of attorney eligible for apostilles?
No. The State of New York does not apostille remotely (electronically) notarized powers of attorney. The signatures of the signer and the notary need to be original.
Can a notarized copy of a power of attorney be apostilled?
No. The signature of the signer and the notary public must be original.
Is it possible to check if the notary public who notarized the document is in good standing?
Yes. Here is the link to the website of the New York Secretary of State where you can check the notary (external link).
Can a power of attorney be in a foreign language? Or is the translation required?
The document can be in a foreign language. The notary's statement (acknowledgment or jurat) must be in English.