Some of our certification document recipients have in the past requested such services to accompany their certification.  Some have the mistaken impression that additional signatures add to the authenticity of the certification document.  Perhaps others believe their home governments require these additional signatures and that these signatures make the original certification document more authentic.
 
Although IPSCMI and ACI believe these additional signatures provide little value to the process or the underlying certification document, we believe we should not question the underlying motivation for obtaining these additional signatures.  We have therefore established a system which facilitates the notarization, apostille, and authentication of certification documents.
 
The relevant legal reference for this process if the Hague Convention of 1961.  For those countries which have ratified the Hague Convention, the apostille process can be abbreviated and simple. Additional signatures for citizens of those countries will include notarizations and signatures of the Secretary of State where the certification was executed.  Countries which have ratified the Hague Convention include India, Poland, and Bahrain.
 
For countries which have not ratified the Hague Convention, the apostille process must go beyond State Secretary of State and include the US Secretary of State and the Embassy/Consulate of the student’s home country in Washington DC.  These countries include all other countries excluding India, Poland, and Bahrain.
 
For students from India, Poland, and Bahrain requiring notarization and apostille servicing for their certification document, the cost will be $600 and the process will take 45 days from the date of payment to IPSCMI for these services.
 
For students from all other countries requiring notarization, apostille, and authentication services, the cost shall be $1,500 and the process will take 60 days from the date of payment to IPSCMI for these services.
 
Alliance partners ordering such services for their students shall collect the above amounts and retain $100 per certification document before wiring the balance to IPSCMI.
 
Students desiring the above services should order them through IPSCMI/ACI’s alliance partner in their geographical area.
 
For those who wish to read further about the process, The ABCs of Apostilles is a brochure that is primarily addressed to users of Apostilles with short answers to frequently asked questions, including when, where and how Apostilles are issued and what their effects are.  The brochure can be downloaded at http://www.hcch.net/upload/abc12e.pdf.