Hi,
I need to get some documents Apostilled and was told that this is done on the Staatskanzlei at Zug which is apparently at the big Post Office by the lake.
As my German are limited and over the phone I couldn't get an English speaker, any tips from anyone who went through this? Do I just go to the counter and say I need them Apostilled and they will understand or do they need details to add to it?
Do I just need my passport and that's it?
Can't help re. Zug, but I needed an apostille done here in Basel-Land and the procedure was exactly as you describe. Just turn up and ask for an apostille, which is a stamp on every page of the copy of your document, with a lengthy statement written out by the apostiller (or whatever they're called). The whole process took about five minutes.
Take your passport and permit and some cash, of course.
Most likely, someone at the Staatskanzlei will speak English anyway.
Any idea if I can do it for someone else as well if I have their passport? It seems like a waste for both of us to go down there if this is just wrapping some documents.
From memory, the original signature has to be witnessed -- i.e. the "apostiller" has to see the signature being made. I think. (Assuming it's a written statement or similar that's being certified. If it's some other document, like a birth certificate, then I would have thought no signature is required... uggghhh, safest just to take whoever is involved along with you.)
Close, however it's the notary (or town official, I've done it both ways) that has to witness the signature, then the apostilla is done at the cantonal office (they cannot witness the signature, tried that once).
You can even do it by mail (as our lawyer does), you do not need your or anyone else's passport to get the apostilla, as the apostilla is to confirm the notary who confirmed the signature, not the signature itself!
I hope this is clear!
Tom
The items that I had apostilled were handwritten statements that were signed by the author. They weren't witnessed prior to the apostille being affixed -- so the apostille served as certification of the signature. Strange that you couldn't get the cantonal office to witness the signature. Maybe, as always, things vary by canton...
In my case it's easier as my papers are from the kanton anyway.
One last thing, they will probably ask you for which country you need it, but that's just so that they can choose a stamp in the appropriate language, for multiple countries choose any.
Tom
Yes, no problem with those, we done that as well.
Could well be cantonal, already in Italy, notaries and lawyers perform separate functions, while here they do both. In my case, it was an authorization (written by me) for my sister to use my car, and they made me go get it notarized elsewhere and come back.
Tom
Make sure the country is party to the Hague Convention. Canada, for example, isn't.