Apostille FAQ

An apostille is a one-page certificate, established by the 1961 Hague Convention, that authenticates the signature and seal on a public document so it is accepted in another member country without further legalization. It verifies the official who signed the document — not its contents.

State-issued and notarized documents are often completed in about 24–48 hours once we file in person with the Secretary of State. Federal documents — like an FBI background check — are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State and typically take about 10 business days. We send a secure same-day scan the moment your apostille is issued.

Our flat notarized true-copy lane is $149 per document with government fees included. State-issued vital records and Secretary of State documents start at $300 and are custom-quoted because they require the original certified copy to be shipped to our intake center.

FBI Identity History Summaries are federal documents, so they are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC — not by a state Secretary of State. See our FBI background check apostille page. Don't have your FBI check yet? Get it at FederalBackgroundCheck.com.

No. An FBI Identity History Summary already carries the FBI's official seal, so it is apostilled directly by the U.S. Department of State. Notarization only applies to documents that don't already carry a government seal, such as affidavits or powers of attorney.

Yes. These are vital records issued by a state, so they must be certified copies from the issuing state's vital records office or court, and they are apostilled by that state. They require the original certified copy be shipped to us and start at $300, custom-quoted.

Notarized documents can usually be apostilled as a notarized true copy in our flat $149 lane, so you keep your originals. State-issued vital records and Secretary of State documents must be sent to us as original certified copies.

Any of the 120+ members of the Hague Apostille Convention (Spain, Colombia, Mexico, Italy, France and many more). For countries that are not members, the document needs authentication and then embassy legalization instead — tell us the destination and we'll confirm the correct path.

Many countries require a certified translation of the apostilled document — Spain and Colombia almost always require a certified Spanish translation of an FBI background check, for example. We can provide certified translations and bundle them with the apostille so your file is consulate-ready.

Yes — we handle all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Choose your state on our apostille services page for state-specific details, or contact us and we'll confirm exactly how your document must be prepared.