Apostille service for U.S. documents, all 50 states

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a certificate that confirms the signature and seal on a public document are genuine, so the document is accepted in any country that belongs to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. In the United States, each state's Secretary of State issues apostilles for state documents, and the U.S. Department of State issues them for federal documents.

Before the Convention, sending a document abroad meant a chain of stamps: a county clerk, the state, the federal government and finally the foreign embassy. The apostille replaced that chain with a single certificate for every member country. It is attached to your document, usually on the back or as a stapled page, and it follows a fixed format so any official abroad can read it.

The Convention keeps growing. According to the HCCH status table, it now has 130 contracting parties, 129 of them in force as of September 2026. China joined in November 2023, Canada in January 2024, Algeria in July 2026 and Vietnam in September 2026. Thailand follows on February 28, 2027. Countries that are still outside it, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt, use embassy legalization instead.

Keep in mind what an apostille does not do. It does not translate your document, and it does not vouch for what the document says. It only proves that the official who signed it is who they claim to be. For a deeper walkthrough, read our guide to what an apostille is and how it works.

Who issues apostilles in the United States?

There is no single national apostille office. The right office depends on who issued your document, and sending it to the wrong one is the most common reason orders stall.

State documents go to the state that issued them

Birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce decrees, court records, notarized papers and company filings are state documents. They are apostilled by the Secretary of State in the state where they were issued or notarized. In Alaska, Hawaii and Utah the Lieutenant Governor's office handles it, and in Washington, D.C. it is the Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia. A Texas birth certificate can only be apostilled in Texas, even if you now live in Florida.

Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State

Documents signed by a federal official, such as an FBI background check or a letter from the Social Security Administration, are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. A state cannot apostille them, and a notarized copy of an FBI report or a Social Security letter will not work either.

Not sure which applies to you? Our guide to state and federal apostilles goes deeper, and our apostille by state directory lists every office.

Which documents can be apostilled?

Only public documents can carry an apostille, and they have to be the right version. In practice that means one of three things.

• Certified copies from the issuing office. Vital records must be certified copies from the state or county vital records office, signed by a registrar whose signature the state has on file. Hospital certificates, souvenir copies and photocopies are refused.
• Documents signed before a notary. Private papers such as a power of attorney, an affidavit or a company resolution become eligible once a notary public notarizes the signature. The apostille then verifies the notary.
• Records signed by a public official. Court judgments certified by the clerk, corporate filings certified by the Secretary of State and federal records signed by a federal official all qualify directly.

Identity documents are a special case. A properly notarized copy of a passport, driver's license or green card can be apostilled by the state where the notary is commissioned, which is how many clients prove identity to a bank or registry abroad. Older certificates can be a problem too: if the registrar who signed yours is no longer on file with the state, you will need a newly issued certified copy. We catch this during the free review, before anything is filed.

Apostille, notarization or legalization?

These three terms get mixed up constantly, and they are not interchangeable. A notarization is often one step inside an apostille order, and legalization replaces the apostille for countries outside the Convention.

We explain the differences with real examples in apostille vs notary and apostille vs authentication vs legalization.

How long does an apostille take?

The honest answer is that it depends on the office. Some states issue apostilles over the counter the same day, while others take several weeks by mail. The U.S. Department of State usually takes several weeks for mailed requests. Shipping in both directions adds time, especially from overseas.

Here is what our clients can plan around:

• Economy: 1 to 3 weeks for state documents.
• Express: 1 to 5 business days in most states.
• FBI reports: 2 to 6 weeks through the U.S. Department of State.
• Same-day rush: guaranteed within 24 hours for Massachusetts and New Hampshire documents.

Two timing traps are worth knowing. First, getting a new certified copy from a vital records office can take longer than the apostille itself, so order it early. Second, some consulates want documents issued within a recent window. An apostille itself does not expire, but the office receiving your file may still refuse an old certificate, so confirm the age limit with the consulate or your lawyer. More detail is in how long an apostille takes and do apostilles expire.

What does an apostille cost?

Every state sets its own apostille fee. As published in mid-2026, Massachusetts charged $6 per document, Illinois $2, Texas $15, California $20 and Connecticut $40. The U.S. Department of State charges $20 per document for federal authentications. Fees change without much notice, so check the office's current schedule if you file yourself.

With us, the government fee is already inside the package price: $149.95 for Economy, $199.95 for Express and $199.95 for FBI reports. The only extras are the ones you choose, such as certified translation, a notary signing or faster courier return, plus embassy fees for non-Hague countries, which we quote before you pay. If you have several documents, ask us about a volume discount. The full breakdown is on our pricing and process page.

Why apostilles get rejected

After more than a decade of filings, we see the same five problems again and again. Each one costs weeks and often a second government fee.

1. The wrong copy. A photocopy, a hospital keepsake or a short-form abstract instead of the certified long-form record.
2. A signature the state does not recognize. Older certificates may be signed by a registrar who is no longer on file.
3. The wrong office. A federal document sent to a state, or a state document sent to the wrong state.
4. A missing notarization. Diplomas, powers of attorney and affidavits often need a notary before the state will act.
5. Destination rules. A translation the country requires, a document older than the consulate accepts, or a non-Hague country that needs legalization instead.

Getting an apostille while you live abroad

You cannot walk into a Secretary of State's office from Lisbon or Seoul, and most state offices will not mail an apostille overseas. That is where a U.S. service earns its fee. We act as your address in the United States: vital records offices can ship new certified copies straight to us, we file them with the right office, and we send the finished documents to you by international courier with tracking.

FBI background checks work well from abroad. Have your fingerprints taken on an FD-258 card by local police or a fingerprinting service where you live, submit them to the FBI through its electronic departmental order system, and send us the results. U.S. embassies generally do not take fingerprints for this purpose, so plan on a local provider. Our guide for Americans living abroad covers the details country by country.

Translations and apostilles

Many countries ask for a translation into their official language, and some want the apostille translated as well. Order matters: if the apostille itself must be translated, the translation happens after the apostille is issued. A few countries, including Italy and Spain in many cases, accept certified translations done in the United States. Others require a sworn translator in their own country.

We provide certified translation in more than 100 languages and can attach it to the same order, so everything arrives as one package. Tell us the destination and the office receiving your file, and we will confirm what format they expect. See our certified translation service for languages and turnaround.