Send the document facts
Share the document, issuing office or notary state, destination country, deadline, and recipient instructions.
Does your apostille need wet ink or original paper?
Send the document or recipient instructions. We will confirm whether it needs in-person signing, eligible online notarization, original or certified paper, a paper apostille, or physical return delivery.
No payment before scope review.
We confirm paper and signing needs
We separate the original, notarial act, correct government office, apostille format, and delivery path.
You approve the route
Once the scope is clear, choose handling, scan-back, and return shipping before payment.
Translate the requirement first
“Wet ink” can mean signing in person, keeping the original paper, or receiving a paper apostille.
Those are different requirements. The document source, public official or notary signature, correct government office, destination country, and written recipient instructions determine the route. We check those facts before recommending online, local, or physical handling.
Start with what you have
Three document situations lead to different next steps.
Choose the closest description. We will confirm the exact route after reviewing the document and recipient instructions.
You have a wet-ink or already-notarized paper original
A scan or photo normally is not the original for apostille handling. We check the notary’s commission state, certificate, apostille or authentication office, destination, and whether the original must be shipped.
The document still needs a signature or notarization
We check whether the recipient requires in-person signing or accepts an eligible online-notary route. For signer-created documents, the notary state generally determines the state apostille path.
You have or need an official or certified record
Birth, marriage, court, school, agency, and company records usually follow the issuing public official or office. A notarized photocopy does not replace the certified record the authority requires.
Paper, scan-back, and shipping
A copy can arrive quickly without becoming the original.
A scan-back can give you or the recipient a digital copy before the paper packet arrives. It does not turn a wet-ink original into an electronic original, and it does not replace paper when the recipient or government office requires physical documents.
Tell us where the completed packet must go and whether the recipient wants a scan-back first. We will include domestic or international tracked delivery in the scope.
What to send
A clear copy of the document or record-order details.
The issuing office or notary state.
The destination country and written recipient instructions.
The deadline, shipping destination, and scan-back need.
Before you send the original
Common wet-ink and paper apostille questions
Is a scan or photo of wet-ink paper the original?
No. A scan or photo is a copy. Some reviews can begin from that copy, but the apostille or authentication office—or the recipient—may still require the physical original or a certified record.
Does online notarization create an electronic apostille?
No. Online notarization is a notarial act. An electronic apostille exists only when the correct government office issues the apostille electronically. A notarized PDF or scan-back is not automatically an electronic apostille.
What does a title, escrow, lender, or foreign recipient mean by “wet ink”?
It may mean in-person notarization, original ink signatures, witnesses, original paper delivery, or a paper apostille packet. Send the written instructions so we can confirm which requirement applies.
Can Notary Geek handle physical originals?
Yes, for accepted U.S. apostille and authentication routes. We review the document, authority, destination, deadline, and shipping plan before asking you to send an original.
Start without guessing
Let us confirm the paper and apostille route before you ship.
Send the document facts and recipient instructions. We will explain whether the route needs original paper, notarization, a certified record, a paper apostille, scan-back, or tracked return delivery.