Notaries do not issue apostilles     
Notaries do not provide apostille certificates to customers     
An apostille cannot be issued unless the document is notarized   
1. Notaries do not issue apostilles  
The most common misconception is that a Notary can issue customers an  apostille for a document on the spot. That’s not true, Metayer says. An  apostille confirms that the Notary’s commission is valid on notarized  documents sent to foreign countries. The notarized document must be  submitted to an appropriate state government agency in order to have an  apostille attached. Notaries offering apostille services are paid a fee  by customers to deliver the notarized document to the government agency  that issues apostilles. 
2. Notaries do not provide apostille certificates to customers  
Customers may also ask if Notaries can provide an apostille certificate  for the customer to attach themselves. Again, because Notaries do not  have the authority to issue apostille certificates, they cannot provide  these certificates to customers. 
3. An apostille cannot be issued unless the document is first notarized 
 An apostille cannot be issued if there is no notarization on the  document. If a document needs to be notarized, it can be done by the  Notary offering apostille services, but this is not a requirement. 
A  different Notary can perform the notarization before the apostille is  requested. Finally, remember any notarization will be reviewed carefully  Whoever notarizes a document that needs an apostille, it’s very  important that the document is notarized correctly and all rules are  followed, Metayer cautioned. The receiving country will review the  document to confirm everything is correct and has the right to reject  the document if the notarization was not done properly.