Apostille services for every U.S. document

What an apostille service actually does

An apostille service prepares your document, files it with the government office that issues the apostille, follows up until it is issued and delivers it back to you. The apostille itself always comes from a government authority. What a service adds is getting the document right before it is filed, so it is not refused or rejected abroad.

Most of our work happens before anything reaches a government office. We check that you have the correct version of the document, that it is signed by an official the state recognizes, that it carries a notarization if it needs one, and that the destination country accepts an apostille rather than embassy legalization. Only then do we file.

After filing, we track the order with the state or federal office, pay the government fee, collect the finished apostille and ship it to you by the courier you choose. If a translation is required, we arrange it so the whole file arrives together. For you, the process is one order, one price and one team to call.

And if something goes wrong?

Occasionally a state office refuses a document, usually because a signature is not on file or a notarization is incomplete. When that happens we call you, explain exactly what the office wants, and arrange the fix, whether that is a new certified copy, a corrected notarization or a different route. Because we reviewed the document before filing, these cases are rare, and you are never left decoding a rejection letter on your own. The same applies abroad: if a consulate or registry asks for something extra after the fact, send us their note and we will tell you what it means and how to supply it.

When it makes sense to file it yourself

Not everyone needs a service, and we would rather you know that up front. If you live near your state's apostille office, already hold the correct certified copy, and your destination is a Hague country with no translation requirement, filing yourself can be simple and cheap. State fees are low: as published in mid-2026, Massachusetts charged $6 per document, Illinois $2, Texas $15 and California $20.

The picture changes when any of these is true:

• You live in a different state from the one that issued the document, or outside the United States.
• The document needs a notarization, a new certified copy or a county-level certification first.
• You are on a deadline, such as a visa appointment, a closing date or a wedding.
• The destination is outside the Hague Convention and needs embassy legalization.
• You have several documents from different states or agencies.

In those cases, the cost of a mistake is usually far higher than the service fee: a second government fee, weeks of delay and sometimes a missed appointment abroad.

Seven things to check before you hire an apostille service

The apostille business has plenty of anonymous websites. Before you send anyone your birth certificate, check for these:

1. A real address and a phone number a person answers. Ours is 1215 Main St, Unit 115, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and (978) 424-4629.
2. Published prices that include the government fee. A low headline price that adds the state fee, shipping and handling at checkout is not a low price.
3. A review before you pay. A good service checks eligibility first, instead of taking the order and letting the state refuse it.
4. Both state and federal documents. FBI reports and Social Security letters go to the U.S. Department of State, not to a state office.
5. Legalization for non-Hague countries. If you are headed to the UAE or Qatar, the service has to manage the embassy step too.
6. Tracking and updates. You should be able to see where your document is without chasing anyone.
7. Real reviews and a track record. Years in business and verifiable reviews tell you more than any badge.

State, federal or embassy: how we route each order

Every document follows one of three routes, and choosing the wrong one is the most common reason orders stall.

The state route

Documents issued or notarized in a state are apostilled by that state's Secretary of State, or by the Lieutenant Governor in Alaska, Hawaii and Utah. Some states add a local step first. In New York, for example, a notarized document goes to the county clerk where the notary is registered before the state will act. We know these quirks for every state, which is why our apostille by state directory exists.

The federal route

Documents signed by a federal official are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. That covers FBI background checks and letters from federal agencies. A state office cannot apostille them, and a notarized copy of an FBI report or a Social Security letter will not be accepted in their place.

The embassy route

If your destination is not a Hague member, the document is certified by the state or the U.S. Department of State and then legalized by that country's embassy or consulate. Each embassy sets its own fees, forms and timing, so we quote this route per country before you commit. Our guide to non-Hague legalization walks through it.

How to get your documents ready

A little preparation saves weeks. These are the habits of clients whose orders go through without a hitch:

• Order the right certified copy. For citizenship by descent and residency, ask the vital records office for the long-form (full) version. Hospital certificates and photocopies are refused.
• Check the signature date. If your certificate is decades old, the registrar who signed it may no longer be on file with the state. A newly issued copy avoids the problem.
• Match names across documents. If your name changed through marriage or divorce, the receiving office may ask for the linking document, so plan to apostille it too.
• Confirm age limits with the consulate. An apostille does not expire, but some offices only accept documents issued within a recent window.
• Ask about translation early. If a sworn translation is required in the destination country, the apostille usually has to be issued first.

How long apostille services take

Timing depends on three things: the office that issues the apostille, whether your document is ready to file, and how it travels in each direction. The filing itself is often the shortest part.

The office

State offices range from same-day counter service to several weeks for mailed requests, and their backlogs change through the year. The U.S. Department of State usually takes several weeks for federal documents. We see these queues every day, which is how we can quote 1 to 5 business days on Express for most states and 2 to 6 weeks for FBI reports.

Whether the document is ready

If a new certified copy has to be ordered from a vital records office, that step can take longer than the apostille. The same goes for a notarization that has to be redone or a county certification some states require first. Our free review spots these gaps on day one, so the timeline you get from us is the real one.

Shipping

Mail to our office and the return trip both count. Clients in a hurry use a prepaid overnight label inbound and priority or express courier outbound. If you are close to Tewksbury, dropping the document off and picking it up in person removes both legs.

What apostille services cost, line by line

An apostille order has up to five cost components. Here is how they add up, so you can compare quotes fairly.

• Government fee. Charged by the state or the U.S. Department of State for each document. It is already inside our package prices.
• Service fee. Our preparation, filing, follow-up and tracking. Economy is $149.95 and Express is $199.95 per document, government fee included. FBI report apostilles are $199.95.
• Return shipping. First-class mail is included with Economy and priority mail with Express. International courier is an optional upgrade.
• Translation and notarization. Only when your destination or document needs them. We quote them before you pay.
• Embassy fees. Only for non-Hague countries, set by each embassy and quoted per country.

Two real-world examples show how this plays out. A family applying for Italian citizenship by descent often needs four vital records apostilled: on Economy that is 4 x $149.95, or $599.80, before any translations. A retiree applying for a Portuguese residence visa typically needs an FBI report and a birth certificate: $199.95 plus $149.95, or $349.90. If you are sending several documents, ask us about a volume discount.

The situations we handle most

Most orders fall into a handful of life events. If yours is one of them, the linked guide walks through the full document list.

• Citizenship by descent. Italian, Irish, Polish and Portuguese applications usually ask for apostilled birth, marriage and death certificates across two or three generations. See our citizenship by descent guide.
• Golden Visa and residency. Portugal and Greece commonly ask for an apostilled FBI report plus vital records, timed to the lawyer's filing date. Spain closed its Golden Visa in April 2025. See apostilles for Golden Visa applicants.
• Teaching and studying abroad. Programs in Spain, South Korea and elsewhere typically want an apostilled diploma and an FBI report. See apostilles for students.
• Marrying abroad. Couples usually need apostilled birth certificates and a single status affidavit, sometimes with translation. See apostilles for marriage abroad.
• Company expansion. Opening a foreign bank account or subsidiary usually starts with an apostilled certificate of good standing and articles of incorporation. See apostilles for businesses.

Apostille services by state and by country

We file with the apostille offices of all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The most requested states include New York, California, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Delaware and our home state of Massachusetts. Every state page lists the office, its fee and its quirks.

On the destination side, the countries we see most are Italy, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, France and Brazil, plus a steady flow of files for China, India and South Korea. For the full list of Hague members, see our Hague apostille country list, updated for 2026.