If you live in El Paso and have unfinished business across the river — a house in Ciudad Juárez to sell, an inheritance in Chihuahua, dual nationality for your children, an IMSS pension, studies you want recognized — sooner or later someone will ask for an apostilled document. An apostille is the certificate the Texas Secretary of State attaches to a Texas document so that authorities in Mexico accept it as genuine. Because Mexico and the United States are both parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, one apostille is enough: there is no need to legalize the document at the Consulate of Mexico in El Paso or anywhere else.
Which path your document takes depends on its type. Documents you sign — a carta poder (power of attorney), an affidavit, a consent letter — are notarized first by a Texas notary: you appear with unexpired photo ID and sign, and for a sworn statement you take the oath (jurat) and sign in the notary's presence. The Secretary of State then certifies the notary's signature and seal for $15 per document (Tex. Gov't Code ch. 406 governs the notarization). Public records — birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce decrees — are never notarized; you order a certified copy from Texas DSHS, the El Paso County Clerk or the District Clerk, and the Secretary of State certifies that official's signature.
Booking with QWIK Mobile Notary is simple. Text or call (915) 302-0902, tell us the document and the office in Mexico receiving it, and we quote the complete package: our service fee, $15 per document for the Secretary of State and shipping. We come to your home, office or hospital anywhere in El Paso County, Westside to Lower Valley. Bring unexpired photo ID; signing takes about 15 minutes. We complete the request form and payment, ship to Austin with tracking and return the apostilled document. Mail-in requests typically take two to four weeks; if you have a Registro Civil date or a closing in Juárez, ask about expedited options. We do not draft documents or advise on Mexican requirements.
Documents we notarize
- Power of attorney (carta poder) to sell or manage property in Ciudad Juárez or Chihuahua
- Power of attorney for banking, IMSS or ISSSTE pension and collection matters in Mexico
- Power of attorney for inheritance, probate and court matters in Mexico
- Texas birth certificate (acta de nacimiento) for the Registro Civil and dual nationality
- Texas marriage certificate to register a marriage in Mexico
- Death certificate for Mexican estates, pensions and insurance claims
- Diplomas and transcripts from UTEP, EPCC or high school for SEP revalidation or the cédula profesional
- Single status affidavit (constancia de soltería) to marry in Mexico
- Adoption documents for Mexican authorities
- Corporate documents: certificate of formation, bylaws and resolutions for doing business in Mexico
- Consent letters and authorizations signed before a Notary Public
- Sworn affidavits for proceedings in Mexico
Documents for Mexico we apostille most often
The carta poder is document number one. El Paso families use it so a sibling can sell or manage a house in Ciudad Juárez or land in Chihuahua, collect a pension, settle an inheritance or appear in a lawsuit. Next come Texas birth certificates to register children born here with the Registro Civil for dual nationality; marriage and death certificates for probate, IMSS or ISSSTE matters; and diplomas and transcripts from UTEP, EPCC or local high schools for SEP revalidation or the cédula profesional. We also handle single status affidavits for Mexican weddings, adoption, corporate documents and consent letters.
One detail surprises many people: the apostille does not translate anything. The receiving office in Mexico — the Registro Civil, a bank, the university, the court — usually also requires a Spanish translation by a perito traductor authorized in Mexico, and some ask that the original itself be in Spanish or that the certified copy be recent. Before anything is shipped, confirm with whoever will receive the document which format, which copy and which translation they accept; we tell you exactly what to ask, and we set up the package in the right order.
What a Texas Notary Public can and cannot do for you
A Texas notary is not an attorney and not the equivalent of Mexico's legal figure; the notary cannot give legal advice or draft documents. You bring the carta poder already written — by an attorney, by the recipient in Mexico or on the form they gave you — and we verify your identity, take your signature and complete the notarial certificate with the Texas statutory wording. If your document needs a certified copy rather than notarization, we tell you what to request and where: Texas DSHS, the El Paso County Clerk or District Clerk. We never notarize blank or incomplete documents.
We do not issue apostilles either; that function belongs exclusively to the Texas Secretary of State in Austin. What we do is notarize when appropriate, confirm the document is a type Austin accepts, complete the request and payment, ship with tracking and return the document — the errand many El Paso neighbors used to solve with a round trip to Austin. Some matters can also be handled directly at the Consulate of Mexico in El Paso under Mexican law; ask the office that will receive the document which route it prefers.
What to bring
- Unexpired government photo ID: Texas driver license, U.S. or Mexican passport, or Mexican consular ID (matrícula)
- The complete document, unsigned if it requires an oath — you sign in front of the notary
- For vital records: the certified copy from Texas DSHS or the El Paso County Clerk, not a photocopy
- The name of the receiving office in Mexico and any written instructions it gave you
- The address where you want the apostilled document delivered
- Payment for the quoted package
How a mobile appointment works
Text or call to book
Text or call (915) 302-0902 and tell us which document you have and which office in Mexico will receive it. We confirm whether it is notarized or needs a certified copy and quote the full package before anything is signed.
We come to you
Your notary meets you at home, at work or at the hospital anywhere in El Paso, checks your ID, notarizes when required, verifies the document is eligible and completes the Texas Secretary of State request and payment.
Shipped, tracked, returned
We ship the package to Austin with tracking, follow its progress and hand you the apostilled document. Confirm with the office in Mexico whether a perito traductor translation is needed, and never remove staples or detach the apostille.