U.S. government apostille services that are to be used in a foreign country may require an official, authenticated proof of the document’s origin. These documents are often required for immigration, business, legal or financial matters. An apostille (or certificate of authentication) certifies that the signature on the document is genuine, it was signed by a notary public or an appropriate government official, and it is issued by the state in which the signatory resides.

The Office of the Secretary of State is a member of The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, or more commonly called The Apostille Convention of 1961. The apostille is an internationally recognized form of authentication. When requesting an apostille, you must specify the country or countries in which the document will be used.

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When submitting your documents, be sure to include a cover letter with the country of destination specified. This will help us match the appropriate type of apostille or certificate of authentication with your document.

An apostille is only valid for use in countries that are members of The Hague Convention of 1961. For countries that are not members, you will need to submit a separate federal Certificate of Authentication. For more information on obtaining a federal certificate of authentication, visit the State Department Authentication page. Authentication staff will review all documents for processing from 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Monday through Friday (except federal holidays). Documents will not be accepted for processing outside of these times.