An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document for use in another country. It was established by the Hague Convention of 1961 (formally: the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents) to simplify the process of using documents internationally.
20 steps across 6 sections
1. State-Level: Secretary of State
- Handles Documents issued at the state level — birth/marriage/death certificates, notarized documents, state court records, state agency documents
- Each state's Secretary of State (or equivalent) is the designated Competent Authority
- You must get the apostille from the state where the document was issued (not where you currently live)
2. Federal Level: U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications
- Handles Federal documents — FBI background checks, documents certified by a federal court, documents issued by federal agencies, patent/trademark certificates
- Also handles documents that have already been certified by a state and need federal authentication (for non-Hague countries — see Topic 227)
3. State Secretary of State
- $5 per document Ohio, Maryland
- $10 per document Many states
- $20 per document California
- Typical range: $5-$25 per document
4. U.S. Department of State (Federal)
- $20 per document (standard)
- Additional fees may apply for expedited processing
5. State Level
- Walk-in/same-day Available in some states (Ohio processes in 2-3 days by mail, some offer same-day counter service)
- Standard mail 1-3 weeks depending on the state
- Illinois: 7-14 business days
- Wisconsin: 7-20 business days (standard), 2-4 business days (expedited)
- Maryland: approximately 1 week
- California: 5-7 business days (walk-in), longer by mail
6. Federal Level (U.S. Department of State)
- Standard processing Approximately 4 business days after receipt
- Expedited processing Available for additional fee
- Special cases Some documents (e.g., Certificate of Loss of Nationality) can take 3-6 months