Montana Apostille for Documents Used in Türkiye

The Montana Secretary of State's Notary & Certifications Division issues apostilles for Montana documents. Its guidance is unusually specific about what makes a document acceptable.

Certified copies and their age

Birth, death and marriage certificates can only be certified by someone who works in the office where the original or official copy is kept. A certified copy is obtained from the county Clerk & Recorder's Office, the Clerk of District Court or the Montana Department of Vital Records. Certified copies of marriage, divorce and other court records, such as adoptions and name changes, come from the Clerk of District Court in the county where the action occurred.

The office recommends that certified copies be issued within the last five years; for a birth, death, marriage or court record issued earlier, it recommends obtaining a new certified copy first.

Notarized documents

A notarial certificate must contain more than the notary's signature and stamp; a document with only those two is rejected and returned for correction. The office also warns that improperly notarized copies of private documents, including diplomas and passports, are often rejected by the receiving country.

Certified copies of business records are ordered through the Secretary of State's Enterprise Filing Portal. Federal agency documents go to the US Department of State and federal court documents to the federal court that issued them.

Original certified or notarized documents may be mailed to the office.

Translators sworn before a Turkish notary translate the apostilled document into Turkish in Ankara, and a notary certifies the translation when the Turkish authority requires it. Acceptance is that authority's decision.