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An apostille authenticates a public document for use in a Hague Convention country. If the destination country is not a Hague member, embassy or consulate legalization may be needed instead. The correct answer depends on the destination country and document source.

Not always. Birth, marriage, death, court, county, and company records usually need the issuing office or a certified copy. Affidavits, letters, powers of attorney, operating agreements, authorization letters, and similar signed documents may need a notary act first.

The apostille usually comes from the state connected to the document source or notarization. A California company status document generally stays with California apostille handling. A Wyoming, Delaware, or New York official record stays with the issuing state. If the same order includes a signer-created document such as an operating agreement, POA, affidavit, authorization letter, or UBO letter, that document may need online notarization first and commonly follows Florida online notary and apostille handling.

That can happen in a legitimate combined package. The state site handles the official record, such as a California or Wyoming company document. A separate signer-created document in the same package may need a remote online notary act before it can be authenticated, and the Notary Geek online notary service commonly uses Florida commissioned online notaries. Support explains both parts before final billing.

That may be possible depending on the document. Use the request form and say certified copy only. Certified-copy work usually stays with the issuing office and may avoid the state apostille fee.

Apostille is used for Hague Convention destination countries. Embassy legalization is used for non-Hague countries and may involve state, federal, embassy, and consulate steps. Send the destination country and consulate instructions if you have them.

Yes, but the best results usually come when customers start with Notary Geek first. If another provider already touched the document, send the current document set, the destination country, and why it was rejected or why you want it reviewed. We review the existing work first so the next service is matched to the document.

Yes. The workflow is built for international clients and foreign signers. Signers outside the U.S. are fully supported with a non-U.S. passport and no Social Security Number. Florida online notarizations can be performed for signers outside Florida when Florida online-notary requirements are met. Under Florida law, a Florida online notary physically located in Florida may perform online notarizations regardless of where the principal or witnesses are located, and the act is governed by Florida law. Apostille or legalization handling depends on the document type, issuing office, and destination country.

No. You never need a Social Security Number for the Notary Geek online notary workflow. Signers outside the U.S. are fully supported with a non-U.S. passport. We do not use KBA quiz questions on the Notary Geek platform. Our workflow uses your government-issued identity document and free ID validation instead. Read the focused explanation here: why no SSN is required.

Yes. ID validation is free and required before scheduling. It can be completed before upload or before your final document is ready. That is often the best move when you expect to need notarization soon.

Remote online notarization lets a signer appear before a commissioned online notary using secure audio-video technology. The usual flow is document upload, identity verification, booking, live audio-video session, and completion of the notarial act.

You need a device with camera and microphone, a stable internet connection, and an accepted government-issued photo ID. Signers outside the U.S. can use a non-U.S. passport and do not need a Social Security Number. Use a modern browser and allow camera access.

Use a mobile browser, allow camera permissions, turn off private browsing if permissions are blocked, and refresh once. If it still fails, try a different browser family. For example, if Firefox fails, try Chrome or Safari; if Chrome, Edge, Brave, or Opera fails, try Firefox or Safari. Switching between Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Opera usually does not help much because they are all Chromium-based. If you contact support, mention the device and browser you used.

Usually yes. Upload all documents together so support can review the session scope. Pricing and timing may depend on the document count, signer count, witness needs, and notarial acts required.

Some sensitive documents can be handled by Florida online notaries when legal requirements are met, but they may require additional safeguards, witnesses, or review. Contact support before booking if the document is a will, trust, health care directive, power of attorney, or similar legal document.

We cannot proceed with blank or incomplete documents, documents where identity verification fails, prohibited family notarizations, conflicts where the notary has a financial interest, or requests that the notary is not allowed to handle. Florida online notarization also excludes solemnizing marriage ceremonies. Some official records, vital records, and public records need the issuing office rather than a notarized copy.

Often yes, if the notary can complete the required notarial certificate and communicate with the signer. The notary does not translate or certify the content. If a certified translation is needed, support can help coordinate that separately.

Your session is commonly handled by a Florida commissioned online notary working through Notary Geek. When a document genuinely needs an unusual outside service, such as remote wet ink or a state-specific notary arrangement, support can coordinate partner notaries while still taking care of the customer. A Florida online notary step does not change the issuing-state handling for official records in the same package.

The platform is available around the clock for request intake, document upload, public resources, and free ID validation. You can register or re-register with ID validation before you have a document ready. Live audio-video notarization is different: live notary sessions are not guaranteed 24/7 and depend on online notary availability. You may send a WhatsApp message or call anytime; AI voice or automated intake may handle the first contact before human follow-up. If your case is urgent and ID validation is complete for every signer, contact support because we can often meet sooner than the public schedule shows.

Rush handling may be available depending on the state, document type, issuing office, courier timing, and whether notarization is needed first. Florida apostilles handled through the online service are usually back on the 3rd business day, sometimes sooner. In-person Florida handling usually needs an extra business day for FedEx transit. California handled apostille turnaround is usually 1-2 business days for eligible requests because Notary Geek uses the in-person California handling method when the document must go through California. Federal authentication handled through our in-person runner route is usually 11-14 days; federal processing itself currently takes about 10 business days, and the practical estimate allows for shipping both ways and the fact that we do not currently make daily federal runs. New York handled company-record apostilles are often 1-2 business days when Notary Geek can obtain the company record online and the route is clean; New York vital records and other physical originals or certified copies may need to be shipped to us first. Ohio state processing is currently about 1 business day, with practical Notary Geek round-trip turnaround usually about 3 days. Wyoming handled turnaround is usually around 4 days or less, but it can vary when the state queue slows down or the person processing requests at the state is out of the office. Delaware handled work is generally limited to the 24-hour rush tier or higher and usually works out to about three days in the common rush lane. New Mexico is a semi-manual process and usually takes about a week. Contact support with the deadline and destination country before assuming a timeline.

Processing time varies by document type, state, issuing office, shipping method, and destination country. For Florida apostilles handled online, we usually have the apostille back on the 3rd business day, sometimes sooner. In-person Florida handling usually needs an extra business day for FedEx transit. California handled apostille turnaround is usually 1-2 business days for eligible requests because Notary Geek uses the in-person California handling method when the document must go through California. Federal authentication handled through our in-person runner route is usually 11-14 days; federal processing itself currently takes about 10 business days, and the practical estimate allows for shipping both ways and the fact that we do not currently make daily federal runs. New York handled company-record apostilles are often 1-2 business days when Notary Geek can obtain the company record online and the route is clean; New York vital records and other physical originals or certified copies may need to be shipped to us first. Ohio state processing is currently about 1 business day, with practical Notary Geek round-trip turnaround usually about 3 days. Wyoming handled turnaround is usually around 4 days or less, but it can vary when the state queue slows down or the person processing requests at the state is out of the office. Delaware handled work is generally limited to the 24-hour rush tier or higher and usually works out to about three days in the common rush lane. New Mexico is a semi-manual process and usually takes about a week. After we review your document details, support can give a more specific estimate.

Yes. We can scan completed documents back and we can ship internationally. Tell us the destination country, deadline, and whether you need scan-back, courier delivery, or original documents shipped. We confirm the shipping plan before payment.

Yes, when major carriers are serving the destination. International delivery is commonly handled through DHL, FedEx, or other tracked carriers depending on destination and service needs. Some countries may be temporarily unavailable through well-known vendors. Russia is an example where we do not currently ship until DHL or another suitable carrier returns service. Other countries may have similar restrictions, and shipment options are confirmed before billing.

No separate customs or duty charge is passed on to you by Notary Geek for handled international document shipments. Legal documents are prepared as documents rather than commercial merchandise, and if a carrier charge is applied to our account, we absorb it instead of billing you separately. Some high-risk FedEx or DHL delivery zones, including areas affected by war or carrier risk surcharges, may require a flat $60 shipping surcharge. Saudi Arabia and Israel are examples, but not the only possible risk zones. If that surcharge applies, we disclose it before the final bill.

Send original documents to the Clearwater handling address:

Notary Geek
100 South Belcher Road #5148
Clearwater, FL 33758

If you send a package to another Notary Geek address, we can still receive it, but Clearwater is preferred because handling is coordinated from there. Include a cover sheet with your name, email, phone number, destination country, and deadline so we can match the package quickly. For U.S. documents that do not need notarization first, we can often provide a FedEx label so you can drop the package off at FedEx and send it to us.

Yes. USPS 1583 cases often involve identity requirements, accepted IDs, mailbox-provider instructions, and address details. Tell us which provider gave the instructions, what address you plan to use, and what step is blocking the form.

Yes. For Florida online notarization, use both official Florida state lookups: the Florida online notary lookup to verify online-notary registration and the Notary Geek provider record, and the Florida notary public lookup to verify the underlying notary commission. We also link to BBB, Notary Depot, Trustpilot, Google, Trustindex, and official government resources. Third-party profile details can change, so always verify current information at the linked source.

Notary Geek is designed around controlled backend access. Request, verification, payment, support, messaging, and file-reference records can be kept in private backend systems controlled by Notary Geek. Internal backend access is limited to Greg Lirette and people he specifically authorizes for the work. Service providers such as Microsoft, Persona, Jotform, Stripe, Google and advertising or analytics providers, telecom providers, carriers, scheduling tools, support tools, security tools, and operations software may process data only as needed for the requested workflow and related operations. Read the Privacy Policy for the current public disclosure.

Yes. Businesses, law firms, schools, and organizations with recurring or high-volume needs should contact support for custom pricing and handling.

For apostille, certified-copy, or legalization help, use the request form. For documents that need notarization first, complete ID validation for each signer and upload the document when it is ready. You can register with ID validation before scheduling; notary session charges apply after the completed video session.