The first step to obtaining an apostille is to ensure that the document is a certified copy or has an original signature. You then need to submit the document to the designated competent authority in the state where the document was issued. In the case of a New Jersey apostille birth certificate, that would be the New Jersey Department of the Treasury. The official organization is looking closely at the document. They are making sure it is real and not fake. They also check who signed the document, making sure that person is who they say they are. If the document and the person who signed it are both okay and everything looks good, then they stick a special kind of certificate, called an apostille, onto the document. This special certificate or seal is like a stamp of approval. It says that the document is real, correct, and can be trusted.