A notary is a person authorized to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. An apostille is a certificate, different from a notary, often attached to a document by an appropriate government official after it is notarized. Notaries cannot issue apostilles themselves. Apostille certificates validate the seal and signature of a notary on a document so that it can be accepted in a foreign country. It verifies that the Notary held a notary commission at the time the document was notarized. Customers are responsible for requesting an apostille from his or her Secretary of State’s office or notary commission agency.