Inheritance & Estate Document Apostille
Affidavits, estate powers of attorney and court documents, apostilled for use abroad
In short: Settling an estate across borders — a foreign heir, or assets in another country — usually means apostilling estate documents: heirship and next-of-kin affidavits, estate powers of attorney, and court-issued letters testamentary. We notarize and apostille the sworn documents ourselves, and authenticate court documents at the state that issued them.
When you need this
Cross-border estates generate documents a foreign court, bank, or land registry will only accept once they're apostilled: heirship or next-of-kin affidavits, estate or inheritance powers of attorney, renunciations, and court-issued letters testamentary or of administration. This comes up when an heir lives abroad, when the deceased held property or accounts in another country, or when a foreign estate needs proof of who may act.
Two kinds of estate documents — handled the right way
Sworn and notarized documents (heirship affidavits, estate POAs, renunciations) we can notarize and apostille in one step — and because a notarized document is apostilled in the state where it was notarized, we can help wherever you live. Court-issued documents (letters testamentary, certified court orders) must be apostilled by the state whose court issued them; for Illinois courts, see our Illinois court document apostille page. Tell us what you have and we'll map the correct path.
How it works — a 100% remote process
- Tell us what you need. Call or text 847-436-5222 or request a quote. We confirm exactly which document you have and where it's going.
- Send us your document. Mail or courier it to our Naperville office.
- We submit to the Illinois Secretary of State. Standard by mail, or we hand-carry it to the Chicago counter for expedited processing.
- We return it, tracked. Back to you or straight to your recipient, domestic or international, with status you can follow the whole way.
Cost & turnaround
Notarized estate documents start at $99 per document (notarization included if done by us); return shipping at cost, or you provide a prepaid label. Standard 5–7 business days at the state; expedited hand-carry typically 2–5 business days. Estates often involve several documents — ask about handling them together.
Apostille or authentication?
For a Hague Apostille Convention country, an apostille is enough; for a non-member country, the documents need authentication and embassy legalization, which we also handle. See apostille vs. authentication vs. legalization.
Why Efficient Biometrics
We're a licensed and insured service with a real, staffed office in Naperville (682 Illinois Route 59) — not a P.O. box — a notary on site, document-level tracking so you always know where your originals are, and local proximity to the Chicago Secretary of State counter for genuine expedited service. Call or text 847-436-5222.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you notarize and apostille an estate power of attorney or heirship affidavit?
Yes — those are sworn, notarized documents, so we notarize and apostille them in one step and return them anywhere, wherever you live.
I have letters testamentary from an Illinois court — can you apostille them?
Yes. Court-issued documents are apostilled by the state whose court issued them; for Illinois we handle it at the Secretary of State. See our Illinois court document apostille page.
The court documents are from another state — can you help?
Court documents must be apostilled by the issuing state. We don't have courier tie-ups in other states yet, but we'll tell you exactly what that state requires; the notarized documents in your estate set we can still handle here.