Can You Apostille a Copy of a Document?
A plain photocopy cannot be apostilled, but a notarized true copy can. Here is exactly which kind of copy works for each document.
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A plain photocopy cannot receive an apostille. But a notarized true copy (copia fiel certificada, a copy certified by a notary or the document custodian) can, and that is exactly what our service produces from your uploaded scan. The apostille is placed on the notary's certification of the copy, which is a valid public act under the Hague Convention.
The Three Kinds of "Copy"
The word copy means three very different things in apostille work. Knowing which one you have is the difference between approval and rejection.
Plain photocopy
Cannot be apostilledA photocopy or scan with nothing attached to it carries no signature or seal for the state to authenticate. An apostille certifies the act of a public official, and a bare copy contains no such act, so there is nothing to authenticate. This is the most common reason a do-it-yourself apostille request is bounced back: the applicant mails in a copy expecting the state to stamp it, and the office returns it untouched. On its own, a plain photocopy is always rejected.
Certified copy from the issuing authority
Apostille-readyA copy issued and stamped by the office that holds the record, such as a state vital records office or county clerk for birth, marriage, and death certificates. The office attests that the copy matches its records and signs it under seal, which is the public act the apostille authenticates. If a certified copy is what you already have, a scan of it works in our process just like any other document.
Notarized true copy
Apostille-readyA copy that a notary certifies, under their commission, as a true and complete reproduction of the document you provided. The apostille then authenticates the notary's signature and seal. This works for diplomas, transcripts, powers of attorney, affidavits, corporate documents, FBI background checks, and many more, and it is what we produce from your uploaded scan so your original never leaves your hands.
Which Kind of Copy Does Your Document Need?
Match your document to the column that applies. When the right path is a notarized true copy, you can do the whole thing online with us from a scan.
| Document type | What kind of copy works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Birth, marriage, or death certificate | Notarized true copy from your scan | Upload a scan of the certificate you have and we print, notarize a true copy, and apostille it. No copy at all? Order a replacement from the records office (or use our document retrieval service) and upload that scan. |
| Diploma or transcript | Notarized true copy from your scan | Upload the scan; we print, notarize a true copy, and apostille it. No need to risk mailing the only copy of a foreign or older diploma. |
| FBI background check | The PDF itself, federal apostille | The FBI Identity History Summary is issued electronically and apostilled by the U.S. Department of State on the federal path. Upload the PDF; nothing is mailed. |
| Power of attorney or affidavit | Notarize, then apostille | These are signed before a notary, then the notarized document is apostilled. We can coordinate remote online notarization if you have not signed yet. |
| Corporate or business document | Notarized true copy from your scan | Articles of incorporation, certificates of good standing, and similar documents are commonly processed as notarized true copies from your upload. |
The one case that requires mailing your physical original is when the destination country or institution specifically demands the apostille on the original document; we then process it under Original Protocol. We confirm your exact path during the free review.
Why Government Pages Say "Originals or Certified Copies Only"
Read a Secretary of State or state.gov apostille page and you will often see a line like "we apostille originals or certified copies only." Many people read that and conclude a copy can never be apostilled at all. That is not what the line means. The instruction describes the direct-submission path: what a member of the public can mail straight to that office for an apostille. For that specific channel, it is completely accurate, because if you mail in a bare photocopy the office has nothing to authenticate.
What those pages do not spell out is that a service can lawfully perform the certification step for you first, producing a document the state can then apostille. The certified copy still exists and is fully legitimate; it is simply created by a notary acting as a custodian of the copy, or ordered from the records office, rather than mailed in raw by you. It is the same legal mechanism the government page assumes, just completed before submission and packaged so you never have to part with your original. That is why "originals or certified copies only" and "you can apostille a copy through a service" are both true at the same time.
Never mail your original documents
We process apostilles from a notarized true copy of your uploaded scan. Your birth certificate, diploma, or FBI report never leaves your hands, so it can never be lost in the mail.
How true copy processing worksHow to Apostille a Copy With Us
Three steps, fully online, with your original document staying in your hands.
Upload a clear scan or PDF
Send a legible color scan or PDF of the full document through our secure portal. For an FBI background check, upload the PDF you received from the channeler.
Takes about 2 minutes
We create the notarized true copy
A notary certifies your printout as a true and complete copy of what you provided, creating the public act the apostille will authenticate.
Same-day processing available
The apostille is issued and shipped
The state or federal authority issues the apostille on the certified or notarized copy, and we ship the finished, apostilled document to you with tracking.
Domestic and international delivery
Frequently Asked Questions
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Turn Your Copy Into an Apostilled Document
Upload a scan and we create the notarized true copy and obtain the apostille, then ship it to you. Not sure which kind of copy your document needs? Start with a free review.
We are an independent service provider and are not affiliated with any government authority, including the U.S. Department of State or any state Secretary of State office. Whether a copy can be apostilled depends on the document type and the rules of the issuing state and the receiving country or institution. These rules change over time; we verify your specific document during the free review before you pay.