Medical Certificate Notarization and Apostille in Boston, Massachusetts

A medical certificate is a statement by a doctor about a patient's health. Recipients abroad want to know that a real, licensed physician made that statement, so the notarization is of the physician's signature. The patient's signature is not what matters, and a patient signing an affidavit about their own health will not satisfy a consulate or adoption authority.

An apostille then certifies the notary's signature. The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth cannot apostille a doctor's letter directly, because a physician is not a public official whose signature is on file with the state. That is why the order matters: the physician signs before a notary, the notary completes the correct notarial certificate, and only then is the document apostilled. If the certificate is going to a country outside the Hague Convention, it follows the authentication and embassy legalization route instead.

Recipients often specify exactly what the certificate must say, and a certificate that is notarized and apostilled but worded incorrectly will still be rejected. Spain is the most common example we see. The Consulate General of Spain in Boston currently asks for a bilingual medical certificate on the doctor's or medical center's letterhead, no older than three months, confirming that the applicant does not suffer from any disease that could have serious public health repercussions under the 2005 International Health Regulations. Wording commonly used for this purpose reads:

“This medical certificate attests that Mr./Ms. [full name] does not suffer from any of the diseases that may have serious public health repercussions in accordance with the International Health Regulations of 2005.”
“Este certificado médico acredita que el Sr./la Sra. [nombre completo] no padece ninguna de las enfermedades que pueden tener graves repercusiones en la salud pública de conformidad con lo dispuesto en el Reglamento Sanitario Internacional de 2005.”

Requirements change and differ between consulates, so always follow the current checklist of the office where you will apply, and share it with us and your physician before the appointment. When a translation is required instead of a bilingual certificate, we provide a certified translation of both the certificate and the apostille; see translate before or after the apostille.

Busy practices rarely have time to send a physician out to a notary, which is where many applications stall. We coordinate directly with the practice manager or the physician's assistant, arrive at a scheduled time between patients and complete the notarization in a few minutes, whether your doctor practices at a major teaching hospital, a community health center or a private office.

For practices that see these requests often, we can become your regular notary for patient letters and forms; see notary services for physicians and medical practices. Physicians who need their own credentials authenticated for work abroad should see physician license apostilles.

Medical certificates contain sensitive health information. We review only what is needed to complete the notarization and the apostille, never evaluate or comment on the medical content, and handle every page as confidential from pickup to delivery. Scans are sent only to you or the contact you designate. For other health-related documents, such as records affidavits and HIPAA authorizations, see medical records affidavits.

Official source: Consulate General of Spain in Boston, non-working residence visa requirements. Requirements can change; always confirm the current checklist with the office where you apply.