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Consulates and Offices in San FranciscoMy fees for courier service are as follows:Documents $15.00 per document Visas$90 for one or two visas, or $35 each for the 3rd,
4th, etc. For your fee, I review your each document for proper notarization and certification. (I recommend you have your agency review each document prior to the certification and authentication process) I will notify you immediately if I have any concerns, then deliver them to the appropriate Consulate in SF. San Francisco ConsulatesChinese ConsulateAuthenticationDocuments originating in Northern California (contact me regarding documents originating throughout California), Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Alaska must be authenticated at the San Francisco Chinese Consulate. If you have concerns about which Chinese Consulate or Embassy your documents need to go to please refer to Laura Morrison's website, www.asststork.com. Fees for Authentication$20 per document -Regular turnaround time of 5 days Expedited service for documents is available for an additional $20 per document for overnight service (next business day is the fastest they will process documents) Documents that are mailed to the consulate will not be expedited and are processed in a minimum of 10 days. No expedited service on mailed in documents. NOTE: Visa applications MUST be presented in person - no mailed in visa applications. Click here for an Authentication Application Form Money Orders or Cashier's Checks (made out to the Consulate General of PRC-SF) Only - NO PERSONAL CHECKS. Fees for VisasBeginning May 1, 2003, visa applicants are required to come to the visa office for apply for a single entry visa. If an applicant cannot come personally, he/she may entrust a relative or friend or travel/visa agent to come to the visa office for application process. Beginning April 15, 2008, travel itinerary must accompany visa application (photocopies of airline tickets and hotel reservations are acceptable). Until further notice, only Single Entry Visas are being issued.
Beginning September 1, 2007 please use the NEW Chinese Visa Application. Chinese Visa Application Money Orders or Cashier's Checks (made out to the Consulate General of PRC-SF) Only - NO PERSONAL CHECKS. For detailed visa information please go to the Chinese Embassy website, www.china-embassy.org or the San Francisco Consulate website, chinaconsulatesf.org. The tourist visa page is here. Vietnamese ConsulateThe Vietnamese Consulate will authenticate or "legalize" adoption documents for documents originating anywhere in the United States. They have a good website at www.vietnamconsulate-sf.org where you can download adoption forms. Fees for Authentication$50 per document $70 per document $80 per document* *This is the type of service I've been using for the past year. Although not indicated on their website or available via phone, the SF Vietnamese Consulate accepts $80 per document to give your documents "Priority Expedited" service which generally takes 2 to 3 days. The $70 per document 'Expedited' service sometimes is completed within this timeframe as well. Timelines are never guaranteed by the consulate Money Orders or Cashier's Checks (made out to The Consulate General of Vietnam-SF) only - NO PERSONAL CHECKS Guatemalan ConsulateDocuments originating in Alaska, Northern California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington must be authenticated at the San Francisco Guatemalan Consulate. If you have concerns about which Guatemalan Consulate or Embassy your documents need to go to please refer to Laura Morrison's website, The Assistant Stork. Fees for Legalization (authentication)$10 per document Payment to the Consulate General of Guatemala in the form of a money order or bank check. Generally the Guatemalan Consulate will legalize overnight. If you have an entire dossier it may be longer. There is no set timeframe for processing at the Guatemalan Consulate. Please contact me for other San Francisco Consulates and visa processing services. Sacramento Secretary of StateMain OfficeCalifornia Secretary of State's (CSOS) main office in Sacramento maintains a database of all California Notaries, Public and County Officials. All documents may be certified/apostilled there for $20 per document. Documents mailed in will be returned in 5 to 10 business days, or longer. The California Secretary of State's office (main or branch) accepts personal checks made out to the California Secretary of State. They have a very informative website at: www.ss.ca.gov/business/notary/notary_authentication.htm. Branch OfficesThe California Secretary of State also has branch offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Fresno. However, the branch offices do not maintain a database of Notaries Public, only County Officials. Therefore, while one may obtain certification/apostille for vital records (CA birth and marriage certificates, divorce decrees - documents signed by a County Official) documents that have been notarized by a California Notary Public must either go to the main office in Sacramento or first be county verified in the county where the Notary Public is registered before going to a branch office for certification/apostille. State fees for certification/apostille at branch offices are the same as the main office in Sacramento: $20.00 per document and an additional The California Secretary of State's office (main or branch) accepts personal checks made out to California Secretary of State. Note: If sending in documents, send to the Secretary of State's Main Office in Sacramento: Notary Public Section Fees for Courier Services to the Main Office of the CA Secretary of Stat in Sacramento ONLY (apostilles or certifications without country authentication): $12/document Fees for Services
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*Authentication at SF Consulate $15.00 per document |
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*Certification/Apostille at the Secretary of State's Branch Office in San Francisco (vital record) AND authentication at SF Consulate: see per-document fee above and add $50.00 |
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County* verification AND *Certification/Apostille at the Secretary of State's Branch Office in San Francisco (Notarized document) AND authentication at SF Consulate: see per-document fee above and add $75.00 |
*Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and other Bay Area Counties by arrangement. County verification fees are $12.00 per document.
How do I arrange for Courier Services?
If you would like me to provide courier service for your documents, please do the following...
1) Contact me by e-mail:jill@papermidwife.com, so that I can answer questions, decide on the best and most appropriate services for your needs, give you my mailing address and let you know my scheduling. (Mailing address may be different for different circumstances.)
2) For document processing (at San Francisco consulates only) please include the following in your package to me:
- your original document(s),
- complete photocopies of all the documents, including state certification pages (China only). If you are having documents forwarded directly to me from Secretaries' of State offices, we will make copies of the state certification pages.
- *photocopies of the authentication requestors’ passport photo/signature page (China only) Non US passport holders must provide a photocopy of their alien registration card/number -- also known as a ‘green card’
- a money order or cashier's check made out to your Consulate - NO PERSONAL CHECKS
- a personal check, money order or bank/cashier's check for my fee made out to International Adoption Dossier Services (I also accept PayPal)
- Authentication Application Form (http://us.china-embassy.org/chn/hzqz/gzrz/G1.pdf) or I can do this for you (China only)
- a return prepaid, addressed mailer and envelope (FedEx, UPS, something "trackable") for the return of your documents, (I prefer FedEx). Use your name and address as ‘sender’. Mailer must include account number, credit card number or complete postage.
3) For visa processing please include the following in your package to me:
- a PASSPORT (not a copy) for each traveler. Be sure your passport and applications are signed and that your passport will not expire for at least 6 months and has sufficient pages for the visa.
- Please advise me if the passport is not a USA passport or if the traveler was born and adopted in China. Non US passport holders must provide a photocopy of their alien registration card/number -- also known as a ‘green card’
- a completed visa application form for each traveler
- a passport-type photo (looking directly into the camera) stapled to the upper-right corner of application form
- a money order or cashier's check made out to your Consulate - NO PERSONAL CHECKS
- *new* complete travel itinerary must accompany visa application (photocopies of airline tickets and hotel reservations are acceptable - China only)
- a personal check, money order or cashier's check for my fee made out to International Adoption Dossier Services
- a return prepaid, addressed mailer and envelope (FedEx, UPS, something "trackable") for the return of your documents, (I prefer FedEx). Use your name and address as ‘sender’. Mailer must include account number, credit card number or complete postage.
4) Let me know when/if you are sending and tell me the tracking number.
Make sure to sign so the package can be left without a signature--it will be safe. This is particularly important if you use USPS Express, DHL, UPS or another carrier. If I have to pick up at the Post Office or other facility because the envelope "release signature" isn't signed, there will be a $35 charge and the process will be delayed.
I wish to thank Laura Morrison for all her support and encouragement!!