To apostille documents issued in the United States, send state-issued records or notarized private documents to the Secretary of State in the state where they originated, and send federal records to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications with Form DS-4194 and a $20-per-document fee. An apostille is a standardized certificate that authenticates the signature and seal on a public document so it will be accepted in any of the 120-plus countries that have joined the 1961 Hague Convention.1HCCH. Apostille Convention Status Table The steps below walk through the routing decision, document preparation, submission, and the most common reasons applications come back unprocessed.
Start With Where the Document Came From
The single most important decision is whether your document was issued by a state agency or a federal agency, because each goes to a different office and there is no crossover.2USAGov. Authenticate an Official Document for Use Outside the U.S.
- State-issued documents (birth, marriage, death, and divorce certificates; state court records; notarized private documents like powers of attorney and affidavits; school transcripts carrying a notary seal) go to the Secretary of State in the state that issued them or where the notary is commissioned.
- Federal documents (FBI Identity History Summary checks, certificates of naturalization, USPTO patent and trademark registrations) go to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C.
A birth certificate from Ohio cannot be apostilled by the U.S. Department of State, and an FBI background check cannot be apostilled by any Secretary of State. Sending a document to the wrong office is one of the fastest ways to get your package returned unopened.
A Note on FBI Background Checks
FBI Identity History Summary checks are among the most commonly apostilled federal documents, often required for work visas, residency applications, and international adoptions. The FBI authenticates the results by placing a watermark and an authorized official’s signature on the document at the time the results are generated, and it will not authenticate previously processed results after the fact.3FBI. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions If you know you’ll need an apostille, request the check with that end in mind from the start.
Confirm the Destination Country Accepts an Apostille
An apostille only works if the country where you plan to use the document has joined the Hague Convention. You can check the current member list on the Hague Conference on Private International Law website before doing anything else. If the country is not a member, an apostille will not be accepted there, and you will need embassy legalization instead. The legalization path is covered near the end of this article.
Prepare the Document
The authenticating office does not evaluate what your document says. It verifies that the signature and seal on the document match a specimen on file. That narrow job drives every preparation rule.
Original or Certified Copy
You need either the original document or a certified copy issued directly by the government agency that holds the record. A home photocopy will be rejected because it carries no verifiable official signature or seal, no matter how clean the copy looks.
Notarization for Private Documents
Private documents such as powers of attorney, affidavits, and corporate resolutions are not government-issued, so they need a notary public’s signature and seal before they can be apostilled. The apostille then verifies the notary’s credentials, not the document’s contents. The notary’s commission must be active on the day they sign, and the notarial certificate must match the act performed: a jurat where a jurat is required, an acknowledgment where an acknowledgment is required. An expired commission or the wrong certificate type is grounds for immediate rejection.
Translations
If your document is in a foreign language, many authenticating offices require a certified English translation attached to the original, with the translator’s sworn statement of accuracy. Some destination countries also require the translation itself to be notarized and apostilled as a separate document, so confirm the receiving country’s requirements before you submit.
Social Security Cards Are a Special Case
Social Security cards cannot be apostilled because they carry no official signature to verify. If you need proof of your Social Security number abroad, request an official benefit verification letter from the SSA, which does carry a verifiable signature.
Submit a Federal Request
Federal apostille requests go to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications with a completed Form DS-4194, which captures your contact information, shipping details, destination country, the number of documents, and payment.4U.S. Department of State. Form DS-4194 Request for Authentication Service The fee is $20 per document, not per page, and the office charges the $20 whether your request results in an apostille or a correspondence letter explaining a denial.5U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services
The office offers three service tiers based on how soon you’re traveling:5U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services
- Mail-in service, for travel five or more weeks out. Processing takes approximately five weeks from receipt.
- Walk-in drop-off, for travel two to three weeks out. Processing takes seven business days, with a maximum of 15 documents per customer.4U.S. Department of State. Form DS-4194 Request for Authentication Service
- Same-day appointment, reserved for documented life-or-death emergencies involving an immediate family member outside the United States.
If you mail your request, use a tracked shipping method and include a prepaid, self-addressed return envelope with tracking. Requests are processed in the order received, and there is no status lookup beyond your shipping tracking numbers. Pay the exact total, $20 multiplied by the number of documents, by check, money order, or credit card authorization included with the DS-4194. Getting the amount wrong, even by a small margin, gets the whole package returned.4U.S. Department of State. Form DS-4194 Request for Authentication Service
Submit a State Request
State-issued documents and notarized private documents go to the Secretary of State’s office in the relevant state. Fees vary widely, generally between $2 and $25 per document, and each state sets its own accepted payment methods and timelines. Check the specific Secretary of State website before submitting.
Many state offices offer walk-in service for same-day or next-day processing, though some require appointments. Mail-in processing at the state level is usually faster than federal processing but still varies. Some states also accept online submissions for certain document types.
Reasons Applications Get Rejected
Rejections are common, and most offices return the whole package rather than fixing errors, so build in cushion if you’re up against a visa deadline. The recurring failure points:
- Expired notary commission on the date of signing, which invalidates the entire notarization.
- Wrong notarial wording, such as using an acknowledgment where a jurat was required.
- Photocopies sent in place of originals or certified copies.
- Sending state documents to the Department of State, or federal documents to a Secretary of State.
- Incorrect payment. Overpayment, underpayment, or a method the office doesn’t accept all trigger returns. Cash sent by mail is rejected by most offices.
- Blank spaces in the document, which mark it as improperly executed.
If the Destination Country Is Not a Hague Member
When the receiving country has not joined the Convention, an apostille will not be accepted and you need embassy legalization. The typical chain:
- Get the document authenticated by the appropriate U.S. office (Secretary of State for state documents, U.S. Department of State for federal documents).
- State documents may also need a second authentication at the U.S. Department of State after the state-level step.
- Submit the authenticated document to the destination country’s embassy or consulate in the United States for final legalization.
Each embassy sets its own requirements, fees, and turnaround times, and some ask for additional supporting documents or translations. The full chain can add several weeks compared to a straight apostille, so contact the embassy early.
Electronic Apostilles
A growing number of U.S. states now issue electronic apostilles, or e-Apostilles, under the Hague Conference’s electronic Apostille Program.6HCCH. International Forum on the e-APP These digital certificates carry the same legal weight as paper apostilles and can be verified online through the issuing state’s electronic register. States that have adopted e-Apostille systems include Montana, Utah, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, Washington, Minnesota, and Kentucky. Each e-Apostille includes a unique reference number or QR code that a recipient abroad can enter or scan to confirm authenticity without contacting the issuing office.