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How to Get an Apostille (Step by Step)

By Frank MetayerUpdated August 16, 2026

Getting an apostille starts with two questions that have nothing to do with paperwork: who issued this document, and which version of it do you actually hold? Those two answers decide everything that follows. The rejections we see most often trace back to one of two mistakes, and both happen before any government office ever touches the document — it went to the wrong authority, or it wasn't the certified or notarized version that authority is allowed to act on. Get both right at the start, and the rest is mostly submitting and waiting.

This guide walks the process in five steps, in the order you'll actually do them: (1) identify the document and who issued it — state versus federal, the single point people get wrong most; (2) get the right version — a certified copy for vital records, or a notarized original for documents you sign yourself; (3) submit it to the correct authority; (4) add a certified translation only if the destination requires one; and (5) if the destination country isn't a Hague Apostille Convention member, arrange embassy legalization instead. A final section covers the errors that most often trigger a rejection, so you can head them off before you file.

Key takeaways

The costliest mistake is routing a document to the wrong authority: state and local records go to the issuing state's Secretary of State (or its equivalent office), while federal documents — like FBI background checks — can only be apostilled by the U.S. Department of State.
The apostille is issued by the government that produced the record — the state that issued it, not the state where you happen to live now.
You must apostille the correct version: a certified copy for vital records, or a notarized original for private documents such as affidavits and letters. A plain photocopy or scan is rejected.
Add a certified translation only if the destination requires it — the receiving country or institution decides, so confirm both the requirement and the order to do it in before filing.
If the destination country is not a Hague Apostille Convention member, an apostille won't be accepted; that document needs embassy (consular) legalization instead. Verify membership on the HCCH status table before you choose a path.

Step 1: Identify the document and who issued it

Every apostille is issued by the same level of government that produced the record, so the first move is to look at the seal, the signature block, and the letterhead and ask: who issued this? If a U.S. federal agency issued or signed it — an FBI Identity History Summary (background check), a USCIS document, an IRS letter, a Social Security record, or a U.S. federal court document — it is a federal document, and only the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. can apostille it. No state office can.

Almost everything else is a state or local record: birth, marriage, death, and divorce certificates; diplomas and transcripts; powers of attorney, affidavits, and letters you sign before a notary; and corporate records such as a certificate of good standing. These are apostilled by the Secretary of State — or the equivalent office — in the state that issued them. The detail people miss most: it is the issuing state, not your state of residence. A birth certificate from Ohio is apostilled in Ohio even if you now live in California, and mailing it to your home state's office only costs you time.

A handful of states route apostilles through a different office — a Lieutenant Governor (Hawaii and Utah, for example), a dedicated authentication division, or a state clerks' authority rather than a plain "Secretary of State" desk. Once you know the issuing state, confirm that state's specific authority and its current submission rules before you send anything.

Step 2: Get the right version of the document

Knowing who issued the document is only half the answer — you also need the version the authority can legally act on, and this is where vital records and private documents split. For vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce), you need a certified copy from the vital-records office, county clerk, or state registrar, bearing an original signature and a raised or printed seal. A plain photocopy, a hospital "keepsake" or commemorative certificate, or a phone scan will be rejected — and in many states a notary is legally prohibited from certifying a copy of a vital record, so order a fresh certified copy rather than trying to notarize one you already have.

For private documents you create yourself — affidavits, single-status statements, authorization and consent letters, powers of attorney, company resolutions — the paper isn't a government record, so it can't be authenticated on its own. Instead you sign it in front of a notary public, and it is the notary's commission that the Secretary of State verifies and apostilles. Before you file, check that the notarial block is complete and correct: the stamp or seal, the notary's signature, the commission-expiration date, and the venue (the county and state where it was signed). A missing or mismatched notarial detail is one of the most common reasons a state returns a document unprocessed.

Step 3: Send it to the correct authority

Now submit the document to the authority you identified in Step 1: state and local records to the issuing state's Secretary of State (or its designated office), and federal documents to the U.S. Department of State. Some states add a step for notarized documents — a county clerk must first certify the notary's commission before the Secretary of State will apostille it — so check whether that county-authentication step applies in the issuing state before you mail anything.

Submission methods and timelines vary widely. Depending on the state, an office may accept in-person, mail, or online requests, and processing can range from same-day at a counter to several weeks by mail; a few states now offer an electronic apostille for eligible records. Treat any published timeline as a starting point, not a promise, because state and federal backlogs shift. As of 2026, the U.S. Department of State's federal authentications have at times run long, so verify the current processing time for your specific authority — and build in mailing time each way — rather than assuming last year's figure still holds.

Step 4: Add a certified translation only if the destination requires it

An apostille certifies where a document came from and that the signature or seal on it is genuine; it does not translate the document. Whether you also need a certified translation is decided entirely by the receiving country or institution — the consulate, court, university, or employer that will read it — not by the U.S. authority issuing the apostille. Some destinations accept the English original; others require a certified or sworn translation into the local language.

Order matters, and it varies by destination. A common approach is to apostille the original document first and then have it translated, but some authorities want the translation itself apostilled, and others want a translator's certification notarized and then authenticated alongside the original. Because doing this in the wrong sequence usually means starting over, confirm both the requirement and the order with the receiving authority before you file.

Step 5: Check whether the destination is a Hague member

An apostille only works between countries that both belong to the Hague Apostille Convention. If your destination is a member, the apostille is the final step — no embassy or consulate is involved, and the receiving country must accept the document without further legalization. As of 2026, more than 125 countries and territories are members (recent additions include China, effective November 2023, and Canada, effective January 2024), and the list keeps growing — so confirm your destination on the HCCH (Hague Conference) status table before filing rather than relying on an older list.

If the destination is not a member — the United Arab Emirates is a common example — an apostille will not be accepted. Those documents need embassy (consular) legalization instead: a longer chain that typically runs through the Secretary of State or the U.S. Department of State and then the destination country's embassy or consulate, sometimes with an added authentication step in between. The two processes are not interchangeable, so verify your destination's Hague status before you choose a path.

Common mistakes that cause rejections

The rejections we correct most often fall into a short list, and the biggest by far is sending the document to the wrong authority — mailing an FBI background check to a state Secretary of State (it must go to the U.S. Department of State), or sending a state birth certificate to Washington, D.C. Getting Step 1 right prevents the most costly delay, because a misrouted document usually has to travel back to you and then out again.

Two more are easy to avoid. First, submitting an uncertified copy instead of a certified one, or trying to apostille a document that was never properly notarized. Second — and this one happens after the apostille is issued — detaching, restapling, or otherwise altering the certificate. The apostille is bound or affixed to the specific pages it certifies; separating them or tampering with the packet can void it, so leave it exactly as the authority assembled it. Finally, some states and receiving parties reject certified copies older than a set period, so check the recency rules for your vital record before you order the copy you'll submit.

Skip the guesswork — we handle every step

Tell us your document and where it's going. We'll identify the right authority, obtain the certified copy or arrange notarization, add a certified translation or embassy legalization when the destination requires it, and file it for you nationwide — with a flat, all-in quote before any work begins.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get an apostille?+

It depends on the authority and the method. A state Secretary of State may process a request the same day in person or take several weeks by mail, and the U.S. Department of State's federal authentications can take longer, especially during backlogs. Because these timelines shift, confirm the current processing time for your specific authority before filing — as of 2026, some federal and state offices have run long, so add mailing time each way when you plan.

How much does it cost to get an apostille?+

It depends on the document, the issuing authority, and how fast you need it. You get a flat, all-in quote before any work begins — with no hidden fees, and no obligation.

Which authority issues the apostille?+

The government that produced the document. State and local records — birth, marriage, death, and divorce certificates, notarized documents, diplomas, and corporate records — are apostilled by the Secretary of State (or the equivalent office) in the issuing state. Federal documents, such as FBI background checks or other records from U.S. federal agencies, are apostilled only by the U.S. Department of State. Apostille Near Me is a private service; it is not a government agency, a Secretary of State, or the Department of State.

Do I need a certified translation to get an apostille?+

Only if the destination requires one. Translation requirements are set by the receiving country or institution, not by the U.S. authority issuing the apostille. Some destinations accept the English original; others require a certified or sworn translation, and a few want the translation itself apostilled. Confirm the exact requirement — and whether to translate before or after the apostille — with the receiving authority before filing.

What's the most common mistake when getting an apostille?+

Sending the document to the wrong authority. Federal documents like FBI background checks must go to the U.S. Department of State, while state and local records go to the issuing state's Secretary of State — mixing up the two is a frequent cause of bounced requests. Close behind are submitting an uncertified photocopy instead of a certified copy, and detaching or altering the apostille after it's issued, which can void it.

Keep reading

State vs. federal apostille: which authority handles your document FBI background check apostille (a federal document)Find your state's apostille authority Apostille vs. embassy legalization: which one you need When you need a certified translation When does an apostille expire? (document recency)