For those of you who are sitting there scratching your head and thinking “I have no idea what an apostille is” … I offer a bit of solace:  Spell check doesn’t recognize “apostille” either. (Instead it offers me “pastille” and “apostle” – both of which are quite unrelated.)

Now, for those going,  “well, what IS an apostille and why do I care?”… here’s some food for thought:

Say what? First off, an “apostille” is pronounced “ap-poh-steal” not “ah-pah-stole.” 

What is it? It’s a form of authentication issued to documents that are intended to be used in some official capacity in other countries.  Why go through this trouble? It’s all about preventing fraud. The apostille, which costs $15 per document and takes 1-2 days to process, basically insures that your vital document is indeed certified and official.

Hypothetical scenarios in which you might need an apostille: You are studying in Italy for the summer, and you have provided an official college transcript. But because you are in Italy, you will need to get an apostille on that official document as well.  Or let’s say your China-based employer needs an original birth certificate, the certified copy you get from the state Department of Health won’t do – you need an apostille too.

How do you get one? Call (360) 725-0344 to get the Office of Secretary of State’s Corporation Division, which processes about 2,600 apostille requests per month, or visit www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/apostilles/ for more details.

There are some variations to what the process is depending on what country it will be used in – so check the Apostille information online for details.