By Angel Marin
We welcome Angel Marin Diaz to the weekly Legal column. He has 20 years’ experience as President and C.E.O of Inmtec Legal Services with offices in Mexico including San Miguel de Allende, CDMX, and offices currently under construction in Querétaro.
Welcome to the biweekly “Q & A” with Angel. I will answer your questions every other week with pleasure, they do not necessarily have to be on the previous week’s topic.
Tom from Newport Beach, CA.
Q: Angel, I really enjoyed the background story on the Apostille, Thank you!
A: Hi Tom, it’s my pleasure and it is an interesting birth of process! Thank you.
Samuel from Denver, CO.
Q: I am in the process of selling/closing my home in Denver, can I use this Apostille for the purpose of not going to the closing myself?
A: Hello Samuel, yes, your closing company or attorneys can send you a Power of Attorney that you can grant to a person of your choice or a closing officer or your attorney. You would sign the paperwork here at the office, and we would ratify your signatures and then apply an Apostille. This allows you to transfer your power and avoid having to travel for the closing.
Gail from Phoenix, AZ.
Q: Hi Angel, my partner and I want to get married here and we are being asked for a number of our documents like birth certificates to be Apostilled, can we use the Mexican Apostille?
A: Hi Gail, no, the Mexican Apostille is only good for Mexican documents of origin. Your American birth certificates must be Apostilled by an American service provider or the Secretary of State in the state where they were issued. We have, however, been able to procure Apostilles for American and Canadian documents through strategic alliances with service providers from right here in San Miguel.
Joan Albuquerque, NM.
Q: Angel, my father passed away in the U.S.A. and has left me a home in Albuquerque. I want my sister to receive the home as she needs it more than me at this time. How can I get this done without traveling there?
A: Hi Joan, first let me express my condolences for your loss.
If you were listed in the will as either the sole inheritor or a joint inheritor/beneficiary with your sister, you can ask for the appropriate documents from the estate attorney for you to repudiate the inheritance. This in layman’s terms is declining to receive the bequest and designating the person you wish to replace you, in this case your sister. You will need to sign the documents here and receive the ratification of signature, have a certified translation, and apply the Apostille to the ratification, making it a legal document in the U.S.A.
Thank you all for your questions this week. For more specific questions, information on these topics, or other subjects, please contact Angel Marin Díaz at info@inmtec.net