Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how FILINGS ("FILINGS," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, stores, and protects information when you access or use apostilles.us and any related forms, portals, tracking features, communications, and services (collectively, the "Services").

Company: FILINGS
Email (only): contact@apostilles.us

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide notice of our data practices. It does not create contractual promises beyond those expressly stated in our Terms of Service. By accessing or using the Services, you acknowledge this Privacy Policy.

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through the Services from site visitors, customers, prospective customers, and other individuals who interact with us in connection with the Services.

We are an independent private service provider. We are not a government agency and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operating on behalf of any Secretary of State office, the U.S. Department of State, any embassy or consulate, or any other government authority.

You are responsible for submitting only information and documents you are authorized to provide. If you submit information about another person, you represent that you have authority to do so.

2. Categories of Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

2.1 Contact and Identifier Information

Such as your name, email address, phone number, messaging contact details if you choose to provide them, mailing address, billing address, recipient name, and recipient address.

2.2 Order and Request Information

Such as destination country, document type, issuing jurisdiction, order details, shipping selections, service selections, add-ons, notes, status history, and communications relating to your request.

2.3 Document and Submission Information

Such as files you upload or send to us, document images, PDFs, metadata, and information contained in those files.

Because of the nature of the Services, submitted materials may contain sensitive or high-risk personal information, such as passport details, birth records, identity document data, legal records, notarized materials, government-issued document details, or other information you choose to provide.

2.4 Payment and Transaction Information

Payments are processed by third-party payment processors. We may receive transaction-related details such as payment status, transaction ID, billing name, billing address, timestamps, and limited payment-method details made available by the processor. We do not intentionally store full payment card numbers or CVV codes on our own servers.

2.5 Communications Information

Such as emails, form submissions, support requests, attachments, and records of our communications with you.

2.6 Device, Log, and Usage Information

Such as IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, approximate location derived from IP address, referring URL, page views, timestamps, clickstream data, diagnostic information, and security or fraud-prevention signals.

2.7 Cookie and Similar Technology Information

Such as information collected through cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, or similar technologies used for site operation, security, analytics, and similar business purposes.

3. Sources of Information

We may collect information from the following sources:

• directly from you;
• from documents or files you submit;
• from your communications with us;
• from payment processors and fraud-prevention providers;
• from shipping carriers, fulfillment providers, and operational partners involved in your request;
• from analytics, hosting, communications, and security providers;
• automatically from your device or browser when you use the Services.

4. How We Use Information

We may collect, use, store, review, copy, transmit, and otherwise process information for the following purposes:

• to provide, operate, administer, and improve the Services;
• to review submissions and determine whether and how to process a request;
• to communicate with you about your request, order, status, or support issue;
• to process payments and maintain transaction records;
• to coordinate shipping, returns, completion scans, notifications, and other fulfillment functions;
• to engage service providers, subcontractors, processors, couriers, notaries, translators, or other operational partners where needed for the Services;
• to detect, investigate, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, unauthorized activity, payment risk, security incidents, and legal or compliance issues;
• to maintain records, logs, audit trails, and business documentation;
• to enforce our Terms of Service and other policies;
• to comply with legal obligations, lawful requests, court orders, subpoenas, tax obligations, accounting obligations, and regulatory requirements;
• to protect our rights, property, systems, personnel, customers, and business operations;
• to evaluate, test, secure, troubleshoot, monitor, and improve site performance and user experience; and
• to send marketing or promotional communications where permitted by law, subject to any opt-out rights you may have.

We may also use information in aggregated or de-identified form where permitted by law.

5. How We Disclose Information

We do not disclose personal information except as described in this Privacy Policy, as directed by you, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

We may disclose information to the following categories of recipients:

5.1 Service Providers and Processors

Including providers of hosting, cloud storage, analytics, fraud prevention, payment processing, email delivery, communications, document handling, security, and customer-support infrastructure.

5.2 Operational Partners

Including couriers, shipping providers, translators, notaries, subcontractors, fulfillment partners, and other vendors involved in handling, transmitting, reviewing, routing, or fulfilling your request.

5.3 Governmental or Issuing Authorities, Where Necessary

Where necessary to carry out the Services you request, we may transmit documents and related information to the relevant offices, authorities, agencies, or institutions involved in processing, review, authentication, certification, or delivery.

5.4 Legal, Compliance, and Safety Recipients

If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to comply with law, legal process, or lawful requests; enforce our agreements; detect or prevent fraud or abuse; respond to security incidents; collect amounts owed; or protect rights, safety, and property.

5.5 Corporate Transaction Recipients

In connection with an actual or proposed merger, acquisition, financing, due diligence process, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, sale of assets, or transition of service operations.

5.6 Other Disclosures Directed by You

We may disclose information to other parties when you instruct us to do so or when you otherwise consent.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

• operating and securing the Services;
• maintaining session integrity;
• remembering preferences;
• preventing abuse and detecting fraud;
• measuring traffic and performance;
• troubleshooting and analytics.

You may be able to control cookies through your browser settings, but some parts of the Services may not function properly if cookies are limited or disabled.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or targeted advertising.

If applicable law grants you the right to opt out of sale, sharing, or targeted advertising, you may exercise that right by emailing contact@apostilles.us with the subject line Privacy Request.

7. Sensitive Information

Because users may submit documents containing sensitive information, we may process sensitive personal information to the extent reasonably necessary to provide the Services, verify submissions, prevent fraud, comply with law, and protect our operations.

We ask that you do not submit information or documents that are not reasonably necessary for your request.

We do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you except as inherent in reviewing the document or request you voluntarily submit.

8. Retention

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to provide the Services, maintain records, resolve disputes, prevent fraud, enforce agreements, comply with legal obligations, and protect our business operations.

Because the Services involve document handling and audit-sensitive workflows, retention periods vary by category of information and by business need. In general:

• contact, order, and communication records may be retained for customer-service, fraud-prevention, tax, accounting, dispute, and compliance purposes;
• uploaded documents and document-derived information may be retained for processing, support, audit, fraud-prevention, re-issue, recordkeeping, legal, and operational purposes;
• payment and transaction information may be retained for billing, accounting, fraud, tax, dispute, and reconciliation purposes;
• technical logs, device data, and security records may be retained for performance, troubleshooting, abuse prevention, and security purposes.

We may delete, de-identify, archive, or dispose of information when we determine it is no longer reasonably necessary, subject to our legal, operational, compliance, and dispute-preservation needs.

9. Security

We use administrative, technical, organizational, and physical safeguards designed to protect information appropriate to the nature of the data and the risks involved. These measures may include access controls, credential management, network and application safeguards, monitoring, vendor controls, and encryption in transit where supported.

However, no method of transmission, storage, or processing is fully secure, and we do not guarantee absolute security. You provide information and use the Services at your own risk.

10. International Users and Cross-Border Transfers

The Services are operated from the United States and may be supported by service providers in other jurisdictions. If you access the Services from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be transferred to, processed in, and stored in the United States or other jurisdictions whose laws may differ from those of your location.

Where applicable law requires transfer safeguards, we may use measures we consider appropriate under the circumstances.

11. Children's Privacy

The Services are not directed to children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children for independent use of the Services. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us improperly, email contact@apostilles.us.

12. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and subject to applicable law, exemptions, and verification requirements, you may have the right to:

• know or access certain personal information we have collected about you;
• request correction of inaccurate personal information;
• request deletion of certain personal information;
• request a portable copy of certain personal information;
• opt out of sale, sharing, or targeted advertising, where applicable;
• limit certain uses of sensitive personal information, where applicable;
• opt out of marketing communications.

To submit a privacy request, email contact@apostilles.us with the subject line Privacy Request.

We may require you to provide information sufficient to verify your identity and authority before acting on a request. We may deny requests where permitted by law, including where we cannot verify the request, where an exemption applies, where the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, or where retention is permitted for legal, compliance, security, fraud-prevention, or operational reasons.

You may use an authorized agent where permitted by law, but we may require proof of authorization and independent identity verification.

Appeals

If we deny your request in whole or in part and applicable law gives you a right to appeal, you may appeal by replying to our denial email or emailing contact@apostilles.us with the subject line Privacy Appeal within thirty (30) days of the denial. We may require information needed to identify the original request and verify the appeal.

13. Marketing Communications

If we send promotional or marketing emails, you may opt out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in the message or by emailing contact@apostilles.us. Even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still send transactional, operational, legal, security, or service-related communications.

14. Third-Party Sites and Services

The Services may contain links to third-party websites, tools, or services. We are not responsible for the privacy, security, or content practices of third parties. Their handling of your information is governed by their own terms and privacy policies.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes become effective when posted unless a different effective date is stated. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of an updated Privacy Policy constitutes your acknowledgment of the revised Policy.

16. Contact

FILINGS
Email (only): contact@apostilles.us