An Apostille authenticates a U.S. document, like a birth certificate, to use in another country. For example, a California birth certificate may not be accepted for use in a foreign country without an Apostille. The same applies to notarized documents, marriage/divorce certificates, death certificates, and many other U.S. documents. All of the Secretary of State's requirements must be met for them to issue an Apostille; they are very particular and reject many requests. Therefore, I first verify that your documents meet every requirement. The Apostille certificate will outline the details of the authenticated document. It will have a red stamp, half of the stamp will be on the Apostille, and the other half will be on the document. Click here to see an example of an apostille.