May 24, 2025

Apostille For Military Records

Occasionally, individuals may need to present documents to government agencies in another country. In order to do so, they must first get those documents authenticated by the Department of State. This is done through a process known as an Apostille. Apostilles are internationally recognized proofs of authenticity for public (including notarized) documents. They are issued pursuant to the Hague Convention of 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Source

Apostille from the U.S. Department of State: Federal Docs Only

Apostilles and authentication certificates verify the seal or stamp on a document as well as the signature on that document. When to use an apostille or certificate of authentication is determined by the country where the document will be presented. The Division of the Secretary of State authenticates only documents that are public records, e.g., birth, marriage, death and other vital records. Documents that originated with a local government such as the city or town and were signed by a notary public or County Clerk can also be authenticated by this office. Documents that were originally signed by a federal or US state government official will need to be authenticated at the appropriate department in that government.

The County Clerk authenticates the signature of notary publics commissioned in Orange County and of Registrars/Clerks who sign off on Marriage/Birth/Death certificates. This is done in preparation for applying for an Apostille to the document. This service can be requested online through this website and processed by mail or in person. For mail requests, please complete the Authentication Request Form. For walk-ins, please see the ‘Walk-In Services’ section below for details.