Notarized Certified Copies in the State of Connecticut

Apostilles

I need an apostille - an official stamp from the State of Connecticut saying that my document is authentic.

An apostille is a certification accepted by other countries. You would only need an apostille if you are sending your document to another country.

In Connecticut, an apostille can be issued only by the office of the Secretary Of The State Of Connecticut.

The procedure for getting an apostille is

	You bring the document to a Connecticut Notary Public and sign the document in front of them.
	The Notary Public then adds the correct wording for a Jurat.
	You then send the notarized document to the Secretary Of The State Of Connecticut along with $40.00.
	The office of the Secretary Of The State applies the apostille and returns the document to you.

If you need an apostille certifying a copy of a document, the procedure is

	Connecticut law says that a notary public cannot certify a copy of a document. Instead, you can print out a letter in which you swear to the authenticity of a copy. A notary public places you under oath and then you sign the document. This is the procedure recommended by the State of Connecticut.
	You create a document that says that you swear that the attached copy is true and correct copy of the original. (see text below)
	You bring the document to a Notary Public and sign the document in front of them. The Notary Public then adds the correct wording for a Jurat. You, as the person who made the copy, are swearing an oath that the copy is accurate. The notary is simply notarizing your signature.
	You then send the notarized document to the Secretary Of The State Of Connecticut along with $40.00.
	The office of the Secretary Of The State applies the apostille and returns the document to you.

For more information on apostilles, see the apostille page on the web site of the Connecticut Secretary Of The State

	The above instructions are paraphrased from the Connecticut Notary Public Manual, Section 4.11, "Certified Copies".
	Please note that if the document in question is considered a public record, such as birth, death, or marriage certificates. In Connecticut, you can obtain official (certified) copies of public records from a Town Clerk.
	You can see the official recommendations from the State of Connecticut about certified copies by opening the notary manual, located at http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/legislativeservices/forms/notarymanual.pdf and going to page 10, section 4.11.

Here is the text you can use to create your document.

I, [your name], of legal age, first being duly sworn, swear that the attached reproduction of [describe the document] is a true and exact copy of the original document. In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.