FREE REFERENCE RESOURCES
Straightforward answers for California notary and international document work
Two reference tools we built for our own team — then made public because the internet doesn't have a good version of either one. Kept current automatically.
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS
Apostille Country Directory
Every country in the world, plus its current Hague Apostille Convention status. Search by country name, filter by apostille-eligible vs embassy legalization, see the exact routing for each destination.
- 129 Hague members
- 70 non-Hague
- 2 pending accession
CALIFORNIA DOCUMENT RECORDING
County Recording Fee Calculator
Interactive fee calculator for LA, Orange, and Ventura counties. Every statutory line item — base recording, SB2, AB 1466, Real Estate Fraud Fee — with the code citation. Fees verified every four months.
- 3 counties
- 10+ fee categories
- Q1/Q3 auto-refresh
NON-HAGUE COUNTRIES
Consular Legalization Directory
70 countries that don't accept apostilles. Each entry lists the LA-area consulate address, phone, hours, and required legalization steps — the multi-step chain most services never document.
- 70 countries
- 21 LA consulates
- 4-step average chain
DIAGNOSTIC WIZARD
Which Signing Do I Need?
Four questions that route you to the right service — notary, apostille, translation, recording, or a mix. Especially useful when the person requesting the document (attorney, foreign agency, court) hasn't clearly explained what they need.
- 4 questions
- 12 outcomes
- Instant answer
LA SUPERIOR COURT
LASC Filing Reference
Where to file the 10 most common LASC case types — probate, guardianship, name change, small claims, unlawful detainer, divorce, restraining orders, adoption. Current 2026 fees, e-filing rules, and which forms actually need notarization.
- 10 case types
- 29 courthouses
- 2026 fee schedule
JAIL & DETENTION SEARCH
Inmate Locator Directory
Every county sheriff's inmate locator we deal with in one place — Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties, plus the federal BOP locator. Confirm where someone is housed before you schedule a visit or a jail signing.
- 6 counties
- 22 facilities
- 1 federal locator
Why we publish these
Notaries and title professionals routinely need answers to two very specific questions: "Is Country X in the Hague Apostille Convention?" and "What are the current recording fees in County Y?" Both answers change over time — countries accede to the Convention, statutes adjust fee schedules. Every existing reference we could find was either out of date, incomplete, or locked behind a paywall.
Our team needs current answers for internal work anyway. Publishing them as public tools is close to free for us and genuinely useful for anyone doing California document work. If you find an error or an outdated entry, tell us — we'll fix it and everyone benefits.
Data lineage is transparent. The Hague country list draws from HCCH's authoritative status table with our added routing notes for common destinations. The California fee schedule pulls directly from the LA Registrar-Recorder, Orange County Clerk-Recorder, and Ventura County Clerk-Recorder official fee pages.
Need our help with the actual work?
Mobile American Notary handles apostilles for 129 countries, embassy legalization for the rest, and document recording across Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties.