I’m scheduled for my first biometrics February 9. I need two documents certified and apostilled - FBI Clearance and Federal Tax Return (used for SSN). I live in California and am a US citizen. I have never had anything apostilled and am looking for clarification.
Is this accurate:
Take printed copies of FBI Clearance & Tax Return to local notary
Notary certifies copy as a true copy of an original (does not notarize)
Submit certified copies to Secretary of State requesting apostilles
Sec of State apostilles the notary’s certification
Take these and the original documents (which are just printed pdfs) to my appointment
I’m a bit fuzzy on how the notary certifies the copies when the “originals” are just printed pdfs from my own computer. Do I need to request an original certified FBI clearance or tax returnb?
Is it worth using a apostille service, and if so, who is recommended in the US?
Any guidance - as simple as possible - is appreciated.
State documents can be notarized and apostilled at the state level. Federal documents have to be apostilled by Washington DC. I know the FBI check needs the federal apostille, not sure about the tax return.
The FBI report needs to be Apostilled by the US Secretary of State in DC. You can use a service like Monument to help or you can send it in yourself. If you then reach out to your Congressman they can expedite it and get it done in about the same time as Monument without the extra cost.
Your tax return you need to take to a Notary and certify to them it is a true copy of the original. They will stamp it and you then send or take it to the California Secretary of State where they Apostille the Notary’s signature.
@Korion is correct about you attesting before a notary about the documents to be apostilled. Check with CA SoS for the precise language to use. Also, make sure the notary signs their name EXACTLY as it appears on the stamp (Signing “A. Aaron” is not acceptable if the stamp says “Aaron Arron”).
To elaborate, you can apostille at the state level almost any document except FBI background checks. What you are doing is swearing in front of the notary under oath. The apostille effectively verifies that the notary is, in fact, a notary within the state.
For a lot of states, don’t take official documents (birth certs., marriage certs., etc.) to the notary. Most of these can be apostilled simply be sending them to the SoS of the state in which they were issued. Double check first - some may need seals or other things to be apostilled.
I have used Monument Visa for apostilling FBI reports. Best service in the business, in my opinion.
California resident here (and Notary).
FBI clearance only needs apostille from US Dept of State. No notary first. Send via mail to US State Dept. (download form from website). Sidenote: A CA notary only witnesses your signature and cannot certify anything other than you are the person signing the document.
For my SSN, I signed a W9 in front of a notary. Sent to CA Secretary of State for apostille (also look on website. they have pop up events in certain cities and there is also a branch in LA). Apostille at CA Secretary of State is taking about 4 weeks (just got one back). Download form from CA Secretary of State website.
You will need to get certified translations of all documents as well to take to appointment. Formerly I used Languex but I submitted something the other day and haven’t heard back and wondering if they are still in business.
Oh gosh, thank you, this was the AHA moment I needed!
I will schedule with the notary for the Tax Return then send it to CA SoS for apostille.
Meanwhile, I can start the process with Monument or email my FBI clearance to US SoS - no notary needed - as soon as I verify that I can use my FBI clearance from July (submitted with my application in July).
So far my PT lawyers have done all necessary translations. They did not request any this time either, so I’ll double-check and hopefully can skip that step.
No FBI is federal so it goes straight to Department of State in DC for Apostille. Monument Visa is widely recommended for expediting this if you don’t mind paying, you can just upload the PDF to them.
Tax return I don’t remember doing … are you sure Social Security card is insufficient?
I could possibly use SS Card, if I can find it. Lawyers originally requested a Tax Return, maybe because it has my name, address, and SSN? That’s what went in with my application and I don’t want to complicate biometrics any more by having missing or extra docs so hopefully I can figure this step out.
Social security card is fine. Lots of people on this board have used it. Personally, I would not want to send my return out to be apostilled - AGI can give access to certian IRS sites.
I applied in June 2025 and provided a scan of my social security card, but lawyer didn’t request apostile. Does anyone know if an apostile is truly required?
My lawyer sent a list of required docs for application: passport, utility bill, tax return (for social security number), marriage license, FBI clearance, etc. I’m assuming it’s some or all of those, but I’m only being asked to apostille the FBI clearance and tax return so maybe not. I don’t know, I just follow my lawyers orders and hope for the best. Perhaps details are on the AIMA website?
I feel your pain, this sudden rush of appointments is a blessing and a curse. I’m still hoping for more answers from the PT govt before I leap into action. Apostille turnaround time def puts some pressure on.
Genuinely curious question -is there a reason you comment about the notary signature? Is this something you have seen as an issue in Portugal? I ask as my experience in general follows a notary’s signature is a notary’s signature, and no one gets to dictate how they sign other than them (perhaps there are some areas that have different rules I’m not aware of). I did notice everyone was very concerned about making sure my signatures matched on everything.
I’m pretty well versed in this area and I’ve never had this come up before for a notarial act. I’ve seen plenty of roadblocks and hurdles when it comes to differing expectations between jurisdictions and want to make sure I avoid any unpleasant surprises, so any shared experience is appreciated.
I had a notary signature rejected for state apostilling because the stamp contained a middle name but the signature didn’t. Could have been an overeager clerk, but it was still an issue.
Also, the notary I went to pointed out that when I sign and date things, I should spell out the date. 11/12/2025 in the US means November 12, 2025, but in Portugal it would mean 11th of December, 2025. So just spell it out so there´s no question.
was the AHA moment I needed! 
