Delaware apostille service for company and personal documents

Who issues apostilles in Delaware

The Delaware Department of State's Division of Corporations issues every Delaware apostille, for company records and personal documents alike. It works from the John G. Townsend Building at 401 Federal Street in Dover, certifies signatures of Delaware notaries and Delaware public officials, and does not handle federal, foreign or out-of-state papers.

One office, two price structures

The Division sorts every request into commercial or non-commercial. Commercial means the document serves a business transaction: a certificate of incorporation for a foreign bank, a board resolution for a distributor, or a long form certificate of good standing for a buyer's lawyers. Non-commercial means a natural person's own use, and the Division names adoptions and dual citizenship as examples. The label changes the bill and the speed options, not the certificate you receive.

What Dover will and will not certify

The Division certifies signatures it can check: Delaware notaries, Delaware state and county officials, and its own filings. Every document filed with the Secretary of State is certified separately, so a certificate of formation and a later amendment are two apostilles, not one. It refuses photocopies, documents issued by another state or a federal agency, papers issued abroad, and anything meant only for use inside the United States. Destinations outside the Hague Convention get a certificate of authentication instead of an apostille. The Division also issues a notary good standing certificate, which confirms a Delaware notary's appointment, if a receiving office asks for that proof.

Delaware documents we apostille

We apostille Delaware company filings, certified vital records, Family Court decrees and documents notarized by a Delaware notary. Each one starts with the office that issued it, and the Division of Corporations then certifies that official's signature. Federal records such as an FBI check follow a separate route through Washington.

• Company records. Certificates of incorporation and formation, amendments, mergers and other filings, as certified copies from the Division itself at $50 per document plus $2 a page. A short form certificate of status costs $50. A long form certificate of good standing, which lists every filing with its date and time, costs $175. Our Delaware good standing apostille service covers both, and the wider corporate apostille service explains resolutions and incumbency certificates.
• Powers of attorney, resolutions and affidavits. Private documents reach the apostille through a Delaware notary's wet-ink signature. The power of attorney apostille guide walks through the signing.
• Vital records. Certified birth, marriage and death certificates from the Office of Vital Statistics in the Division of Public Health. More detail on apostilling a birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a death certificate.
• Divorce decrees. A certified copy from the Family Court Records Department in the county that granted the divorce, $4 per copy. Read about divorce decree apostilles.
• Diplomas and transcripts. Records from the University of Delaware, Delaware State University and other Delaware schools are typically certified by the registrar before a Delaware notary, and that notarization is what Dover certifies. See diploma and transcript apostilles.

Dover has no say over federal records. An FBI background check, a naturalization certificate, a DD-214 or a Social Security letter is authenticated by the U.S. Department of State, and a notarized copy of one of those records will not be accepted in its place.

Delaware requirements that trip people up

Two Delaware requirements deserve the most attention: the notarization method and the cover memo. Dover will not apostille a document notarized remotely or electronically, and every mailed request needs a memo that states its purpose and the country where the document will be used.

Wet ink and a Delaware commission

Remote online notarization is common for closings and company paperwork, and it is exactly what the Division turns away on the apostille path. The signer has to appear in person before a notary commissioned in Delaware and sign on paper. The notary's commission decides the office, so a paper notarized by a Pennsylvania or Maryland notary belongs with that state, not Dover.

The memo and the destination

The destination named in your memo decides what Dover issues. Hague Convention countries receive an apostille. Other countries receive a certificate of authentication, and some of those then need the U.S. Department of State and an embassy. Check our Hague country list or the non-Hague legalization guide before you order.

One filing, one apostille

Because each document filed with the Secretary of State is certified separately, a certificate of incorporation plus two amendments means three commercial apostilles at $30 each. Ask the receiving bank or registry which filings it really needs before you order a stack. The short form and long form certificates are compared on our Delaware good standing apostille page.

Getting a certified copy in Delaware

Delaware birth, marriage and death certificates come from the Office of Vital Statistics, part of the Division of Public Health. It has counters in Newark, Dover and Georgetown, takes mailed applications at its Dover office, and charges $25 per certified copy on its current application forms.

You can order in person at 258 Chapman Road in Newark, at the James Williams State Service Center, 805 River Road, in Dover, or at 546 South Bedford Street in Georgetown, Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Online orders go through GoCertificates or VitalChek, which add their own fees. The application asks for a copy of your photo ID and, if you are not the person named, proof of your relationship, such as a birth certificate linking you, or a court order for a guardian. Details are on the Office of Vital Statistics page.

Older records take a different path. Under Delaware law, birth records open to the public after 72 years, marriages after 50 and deaths after 40, and those public records are on microfilm at the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. Archive copies help with family research, but the apostille office certifies vital records issued by the State of Delaware, so ask us before relying on an archive printout for a citizenship file. For a divorce, request the certified decree from the Family Court in the county that granted it: New Castle, Kent or Sussex.

How long a Delaware apostille takes

The Delaware apostille step itself is short. The Division says mailed requests are typically processed the same business day they arrive, and hand-delivered requests, made by appointment, are completed within 2 hours. Getting the document to Dover and back usually takes longer than the apostille.

Commercial requests can buy more certainty: $40 for 24-hour service or $50 for same-day handling, charged per file number, plus the Division's Priority tiers at $500 for 2 hours and $1,000 for 1 hour. Personal requests are exempt from the 24-hour and same-day charges. Finished documents go back by regular first-class mail unless a prepaid Priority, FedEx or UPS envelope is enclosed, and nothing is returned by fax or email.

With us, Economy runs 1 to 3 weeks with first-class return and Express runs 1 to 5 business days with priority mail return. Same-day rush exists only for Massachusetts and New Hampshire documents, so for a tight Delaware deadline, choose Express and send the original to us by overnight courier. Our apostille timing guide shows how shipping and document preparation add up.

What a Delaware apostille costs

The Delaware apostille fee is $30. A business pays it per document, while a person with a non-commercial request pays $30 once for all documents presented together. With us, Economy costs $149.95 and Express $199.95 per document, and the Division's apostille fee is already inside both prices.

Company orders sometimes carry a second state charge: the certificate itself. If you need a fresh certificate of status ($50), a long form good standing ($175) or certified copies ($50 per document plus $2 a page), we quote that Division fee separately before you pay. Our Delaware good standing apostille page has the details. Certified translation, notary service at our Tewksbury office and courier upgrades are optional. Destinations outside the Hague Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates or Qatar, need embassy legalization, which we price country by country. For a batch of company documents, ask us about a volume discount.

Getting a Delaware apostille without visiting Dover

You do not need to travel to Dover or book an appointment. Mail your Delaware document to our Tewksbury, Massachusetts office, or drop it off, and we prepare the cover memo, file with the Division of Corporations and ship the apostille to wherever you are.

Delaware documents often belong to people who live far from Dover. Founders abroad hold Delaware LLCs and corporations and need company papers, such as a certificate of good standing, for a bank or registry overseas. Former Wilmington and Newark residents need a birth certificate for a residency permit or a marriage certificate for a spouse's visa. Families in Kent and Sussex counties may be assembling adoption files, which the Division treats as personal requests. The steps are the same in every case: start the application form, send the original, and follow it in your online tracker. If the same file includes records from Pennsylvania, Maryland or a federal agency, we combine them in one order. Want a second opinion first? Ask for a free document review, or browse all of our apostille services.