Make your US documents work abroad.
An apostille certifies that your US business documents, your Articles, a Certificate of Good Standing, an Operating Agreement, an IRS EIN letter, are genuine, so a foreign bank, government, or partner will accept them. For countries in the Hague Convention it is an apostille; for the rest, a consular legalization. We notarize, route to the right authority, and deliver.
A foreign bank wants proof your US company is real.
You are opening an account overseas, signing with a partner abroad, or registering a subsidiary in another country, and they ask for authenticated copies of your formation documents. A plain PDF will not do. They want a government-certified stamp that vouches for the paperwork, so a stranger's official can trust a document issued thousands of miles away. In the US, that stamp is an apostille, or, for some countries, a consular legalization.
Which stamp you need comes down to one thing: the destination country.
One certificate, or a longer chain.
An apostille is a single, standardized certificate that authenticates a public document for use in another country. It works because both countries belong to the Hague Apostille Convention and have agreed to accept each other's apostilles without further steps. If the destination country is not a member, the document instead goes through consular legalization, the older, longer process. Which path you take is decided entirely by where the document is going.
- A single certificate is attached by the issuing US authority.
- The destination country accepts it directly, with no embassy step.
- Turnaround is typically a matter of business days.
- This covers the large majority of countries US businesses deal with.
- A longer chain: notarization, then state or federal authentication.
- Then a final step at the destination country's embassy or consulate.
- It takes longer and varies by country's specific requirements.
- We manage the full chain so it is not attempted in the wrong order.
The detail that decides the route: the right authority depends on the document, not only the country. State-issued documents, your Certificate of Good Standing or Articles, are apostilled by the Secretary of State that issued them. Federal documents, like an IRS EIN letter or an FBI background check, go through the US Department of State. Membership also changes over time, as countries join the Convention, so we confirm the destination's current status before routing rather than relying on an old list.
Route decided, the process is quick. Here's the timeline.
Most documents come back in 5 to 15 business days.
The pace depends on the authority and the route. Here is the real order from your request to a document that will be accepted abroad.
Tell us the country
We confirm whether the destination is a Hague Convention member, which decides between an apostille and consular legalization before anything is filed.
Pick the documents
Articles, a Certificate of Good Standing, an Operating Agreement, an EIN letter, whatever the foreign party asked for. We obtain fresh copies where needed.
Notarize and prepare
Documents that must be notarized or certified first are handled up front, so each one is in the exact form its authority requires before it is submitted.
Routed to the right authority
State documents go to the Secretary of State, federal documents to the US Department of State, and non-Hague documents on to the consulate. Each takes the route that fits.
Ready to use abroad
Your authenticated documents arrive with the apostille or legalization attached, and a copy is stored in your vault for the next time a country asks.
That's the route. Here's the part you hand off.
You name the country and the documents. We authenticate them.
Four moves take a US document from your files to one a foreign authority will accept. You point; we notarize, route, and deliver.
Confirm the route
Hague member or not, which decides between an apostille and consular legalization.
Gather the set
We pull fresh copies of the documents the foreign party asked for.
Notarize and file
State documents to the Secretary of State, federal to the US Department of State.
Authenticated and stored
Documents arrive ready to use abroad, with a copy kept in your vault.
One document, or the full set a foreign bank will ask for.
A single document, or the whole set at once.
One document, authenticated
- Destination and route confirmed
- Notarized and certified where required
- Routed to state or federal authority
- Delivered and stored in your vault
Everything the bank asks for
- Articles and Certificate of Good Standing
- Operating Agreement and EIN letter
- State and federal routes handled together
- Fewer trips through the process, one delivery
State and federal authentication fees vary and are passed through at cost. See what an apostille costs →
Authenticated and delivered. Now they'll take your documents.
A US document a foreign official will trust.
With the apostille or legalization attached, your document carries a certification the destination country has agreed to accept. The foreign bank opens the account, the registry accepts the filing, the partner signs. We keep authenticated copies in your vault, so the next country that asks is a reprint, not a restart.
Meridian Holdings, LLC
Certificate of Good Standing, authenticated for use in a Hague Convention country.
Sofia needed a European account.
The bank asked for an apostilled Good Standing and an authenticated EIN letter before they would open it. We pulled fresh copies, sent the state document to the Secretary of State and the EIN letter to the Department of State, and delivered both in under two weeks. The account opened on the first try.
The documents people usually authenticate.
Certificate of Status
The good-standing certificate foreign banks and registries most often ask for.
Learn more →Get an EIN
The IRS EIN letter, a federal document authenticated through Washington.
Learn more →Federal Apostille
For IRS, FBI, and other federal documents, routed through the Department of State.
Learn more →Document Authentication
The consular legalization route for countries outside the Hague Convention.
Learn more →Documents ready for the world. Here's the whole road they sit on.
An apostille is how a US company goes global.
Authenticating your documents for another country is one move on a much longer road. Every stage around it lives on one platform, so taking the business international never means chasing paperwork across a dozen offices.
Form it, run it, and take it across borders, all inside File.Business. One platform for the whole life of the company, at home and abroad.
The questions founders ask about going abroad.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a standardized certificate that authenticates a public document for use in another country that belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention, issued by a designated US authority, so the receiving country accepts the document without further legalization. It is the international equivalent of a notary's seal for documents crossing borders. We help you get your entity documents apostilled for use abroad.
When do I need one?
When a foreign bank, government, registry, or partner in a Hague Convention country requires proof that a US document, your formation papers, a certificate of good standing, an EIN letter, or a power of attorney, is genuine. It is common when opening an overseas account, registering a foreign subsidiary, or signing an international contract. We flag when your dealings will need one so you can prepare ahead of the deadline.
What documents can be apostilled?
Public documents such as formation papers, certificates of good standing, notarized agreements, and powers of attorney can generally be authenticated, though many must be notarized or certified first. Federal documents like an IRS EIN letter follow a separate federal route. We flag which of your documents the foreign party actually needs and get the right ones authenticated, rather than the whole drawer.
What is the difference between an apostille and legalization?
An apostille is enough for countries in the Hague Convention, while countries outside it require the longer consular legalization, which adds an embassy or consulate step. The destination country decides which path applies. Membership also changes as countries join the Convention over time, so we confirm the current status of your destination and take the correct route the first time rather than relying on an outdated list.
Do my documents need to be notarized first?
Some do. State-issued records like a certificate of good standing are already public documents and can be authenticated directly, while private documents such as an operating agreement or a power of attorney usually need to be notarized before they can be apostilled. We handle the notarization and certification up front, so each document is in the exact form its authority requires before it is submitted.
Who issues the apostille, the state or the federal government?
It depends on the document. State-issued documents, like your Articles or a certificate of good standing, are apostilled by the Secretary of State that issued them. Federal documents, such as an IRS EIN letter or an FBI background check, go through the US Department of State. Sending one to the wrong office is the most common delay, so we route each document to the authority that can actually certify it.
How long does it take?
Most documents come back in about 5 to 15 business days, depending on the authority and whether the destination requires an apostille or full consular legalization. Legalization for a non-Hague country takes longer because of the added embassy step. We give you a realistic window for your specific documents and destination up front, and store authenticated copies so future requests are faster.
Can File.Business handle the whole thing?
Yes: we confirm the destination's route, obtain fresh copies of the documents, notarize or certify what needs it, route each to the correct state or federal authority, manage the consulate step for non-Hague countries, and deliver the authenticated documents with copies stored in your vault. You point us at the country and the request, and the paperwork comes back ready to use.