Government agencies create many kinds of records and documents. Many of these records are destined for the National Archives. NARA’s role is to identify and capture valuable historical records, and then make them available to the public. Records management is an important part of everyone’s job in the Federal workplace. All employees should work with their agency’s records management staff to learn what recordkeeping responsibilities apply to their positions and the best methods for creating and capturing Federal records. More info
How to Properly Authenticate U.S. Federal Documents
In some cases, a document issued by the Federal Government must be authenticated before it can be used in a foreign jurisdiction. The process of proving the authenticity of a document is called “legalization.” The legalization procedure can be cumbersome and expensive. In order to reduce the burden on customers, numerous countries have agreed to a simplified authentication process called an apostille. This article discusses the apostille procedure and how to use it to authenticate federally-issued documents.
Documents that are ready for international use may be dropped off from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM, Monday-Friday (except holidays). Customers must present valid identification and proof of address at the time of drop-off. Commercial couriers or people submitting documents on behalf of others must present written authorization from the request originator(s). Documents that are not eligible for a full legalization will be returned to customers by the Authentications Office. For additional information on requesting an authentication, see the U.S. Department of State Authentication Office’s website.