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samii · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 16

i'm getting everything ready for my move to mexico in august. what exactly do i need to get apostillized? and where do i get this done? i'm in the U.S.
thanks

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but...

My understanding is that you have to get the Secretary of State for the issuing state to apostillize each document. For example, if you want to apostillize a Bachelors degree from California and a TEFL Certificate from Oregon, you must send each document to the two separate Sec of State offices for each state.

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

Every Secretary of State has different rules about what documents from other states it will or will not apostille. You should check the website for your state and then call if you have specific questions. Some documents can be a notarized copy; some documents have to be certified by the office that issued it.

For example, the State of Nevada was more than happy to apostille a notarized copy of my TESL certificate from a California school, but they would not apostille my California divorce decree.

You should start this process EARLY in case you have to send things to different states or obtain certified copies of anything. I had documents that had to be apostilled in three different states, two of which I had to fly to and pay hefty rush fees.

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

As for what needs to be apostilled, the documents required to apply for an FM3 work permit vary from office to office. There are lots of old posts regarding the apostille process if you do a search.

I am going to post of list of the things that I brought FYI, but keep in mind a couple of things: 1) the name on my birth certificate and my BS degree did not match my TESL certificate and my passport because I was married and divorced. I'd heard that this is a problem for some offices. 2) My philosophy is that it is better to be overprepared than underprepared. In the end, I did not need all of these documents because the different names where not a problem. 3) I got my FM3 from the office in Morelia not in SMA, which is the closest office to GTO (I think). I brought apostilled copies of the following:

1. Birth Certificate
2. BS Degree
3. TESL Certificate
4. Marriage License
5. Divorce Decree

sunrader · Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 101

If I've been married and divorced but my name never changed, do I even need to mention it?

I'll be moving to Mexico in August, too.

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

The FM3 application and the FM1 form, which you will fill out later, ask if you are single, married, or divorced (maybe even widowed). I guess it is just a matter of how honest you want to be. Personally, I don't think it is anyone's business if I was ever married so I ususally check single, but because of the issue of having all sorts of different names on documents I checked the divorced box. Nobody seemed to care.

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

This isn't helpful at ALL, but it's on topic and I think it's interesting and kind of funny (and very lucky).
Evidently, this apostillizing business has been the law in Mexico for a long time, but they didn't used to enforce it.
I just got back here after having been gone for seven years. And I didn't know anything about this apostille stuff.
I'd earned my diploma in TESOL from Trinity College, London in 2004. I'm American. The diploma came from England. I earned the thing in China. I have never even BEEN to England. Nowhere near.
So we went into the office in Oaxaca, and I immediately saw that the mordida business was long in the past. They were professional and helpful, and they were not going to take a bribe.
I was there with my boss, who pointed out that they'd approved me for an FM3 before, so they went to pull the eight-year-old file. I was amazed that they found it in, like, two minutes. So they thought they could give me an FM3 on the strength of having given me one before. So the guy looked at those old documents, scrunched his brow, and said, "These weren't apostilled, either."
"Well, you gave me an FM3 anyway! Whose fault is that? How am I supposed to get this thing (my new diploma from England via China) apostilled?"
"Yes. I can see the problem. Hm. OK. We'll do it on the strength of the old one. It'll be ready in eight days."
And that was it! I slipped through the system! I do NOT recomend hoping to be as lucky, though.

MikeySaid · Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 509 Location: Torreon, Mexico

I'm doing a cert program through i-to-i... and they're not based in California... how do I get an apostille for that cert?

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

You need to find out where they're based, or where they issue the documents from. i-to-i, if they're worth the money you've paid them, will be able to help you with this. They may not know what an apostille is, but once you explain it to them, they should be able to help.

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

didnt you mean "proselytizing"?