Apostille of a Social Security Letter
The common type of social security letter is the Benefits Verification Letter. This is a letter that most retirees require abroad to demonstrate pension earnings. An apostille of such a letter would be required if you are retiring in another country, or for other bank-related transactions.
As of 2020, most offices of the Social Security Administration will NOT certify your document and notarize it. Because of this, it is up to the applicant to certify this document as the original document in their possession. This certification must be done at a notary’s office in order for the document to be able to receive its apostille.
From notary to apostille, to shipping your documents, our team can provide the best services for your documentation and apostille needs! Contact us for a quote!
Social Security Letters
Social Security Letters are handled and issued by the Social Security Administration, a federal agency. However the US Department of State does not issue apostilles for social security letters. Social Security Letters are not considered federal documents when in reference to the apostille. Verification letter owners instead must certify the document as an original document in their possession. This certification must be notarized.
Apostille Requirements for a Social Security Letter
The letter itself must be signed in front of a notary, certifying it as the original document, or attach an affidavit with similar vocabulary as the example on the left.
The signing must take place in front of a notary so the notary can affix their notary stamp.
The document must then be certified by the county clerk’s office.
A New York notary is certified to notarize documents all over New York. However, only one county clerk has their oath of office at the time they were commissioned.
Failure to comply with any of the above requirements will result in a rejected application from the New York Department of State.
Don’t know where to begin? Global Apostille Group can assist with the notarization of your Social Security Letter and its apostille within 5 business days or within the same business day. Contact us today for a quote!
True Copy Apostille
What if my record does not comply with the above requirements?
What if I do not want to give up my original record? It’s my original record!
Or what if I simply no longer have the original record and obtaining a certified copy will take months? I need my apostille now.
Global Apostille Group can provide a “true copy” apostille of copies of your record. We can attach an affidavit to your document, certifying the record as a true copy of the original, and notarize the affidavit. This process bypasses the need to have the original, as the apostille will certify the notary’s signature, not the signature on the official record. The apostille of this notarized true copy will be done in New York State.
Before opting for this process, please contact the authorities who are receiving your document if they will accept the apostille of your document via a notarized copy. If the country of destination:
Requires the apostille to certify the official signature of the record,
Will not accept a notarized copy of your record, or,
Requires the apostille must be issued by the official Department of State where the document was issued (i.e. if your document is from the State of Virginia, the apostille is from Virginia).
If any of the above apply, please obtain a correct, certified copy of your record prior to submitting for apostille.