Quick answer. An apostille comes from the state where the document was issued or notarized, usually from its Secretary of State, and federal records such as FBI checks go to the U.S. Department of State. Where we could confirm a fee, it runs from $1 to $40 per document. Some states want a county clerk to certify the notary or record first.
Know the state and the document? The apostille request checklist gives the steps in order, the office, the fee and whether a county step comes first.
Apostille offices in all 50 states and DC
Select a column heading to sort. "Not stated" means the office's page we read didn't say; "Not confirmed" means no official page we opened gave the fact. State names with a link have their own page.
| Source | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Secretary of State, Authentication Division | $5 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not confirmed | Yes, notarized | Official page |
| Alaska | Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Authentications | $5 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | The office tries to turn an order around the same day it's received. | Not stated | Official page |
| Arizona | Arizona Secretary of State, Business Services | $3 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | 10 to 20 business days by mail. | Not stated | Official page |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services Division | $10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | The office aims to process requests within 24 to 48 hours of receipt. | Not stated | Official page |
| California | California Secretary of State, Notary Public Section | $20 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Processed in the order received; the office posts current processing dates rather than a fixed time. | Yes, vital records | Official page |
| Colorado | Colorado Secretary of State, Authentications Program | $5 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Secretary of the State, Authentication and Apostille Unit | $40 | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Regular orders within 5 to 7 business days of the unit receiving the documents; e-Apostille and expedited orders within 24 hours. | Not stated | Official page |
| Delaware | Delaware Division of Corporations | See note | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Mailed and in-person personal requests are typically processed the same business day. | Not stated | Official page |
| District of Columbia | Office of the Secretary, Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) | $15 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Usually 2 to 3 business days. | Not stated | Official page |
| Florida | Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Apostille Section | $10 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Allow at least five working days for processing. | Not stated | Official page |
| Georgia | Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA), Notary Division | $3 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Normally one to two business days by mail; walk-in requests typically take under twenty minutes. | No | Official page |
| Hawaii | Office of the Lieutenant Governor | $3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Estimated 7 to 10 business days. | Yes, notarized | Official page |
| Idaho | Idaho Secretary of State, Notary Department | $10 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Requests are processed daily as received and returned by first-class mail. | Not stated | Official page |
| Illinois | Illinois Secretary of State | $2 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Indiana | Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $2 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Normally 1 to 2 business days from receipt. | Yes, vital records | Official page |
| Iowa | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mailed requests are reviewed and issued in date order; walk-in service is same day. | Not stated | Official page |
| Kansas | Kansas Secretary of State | $10 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Generally 3 to 5 business days from receipt. | Not stated | Official page |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Secretary of State, Authentications and Apostilles | $5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mailed requests within 3 business days; walk-in requests while you wait. | Yes, notarized, court records | Official page |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Secretary of State, Commissions Division | $20 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Maine | Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions | $10 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | 10 to 15 business days. | Not stated | Official page |
| Maryland | Maryland Secretary of State, Certification Desk | $5 | Yes | No | Not stated | Regular mail 7 to 14 business days; FedEx and UPS around 3 to 4 days; USPS Priority Mail up to 3 to 4 days. | Yes, notarized | Official page |
| Massachusetts | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section | $6 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Mailed requests within two to three weeks; at the counter, four or more documents are ready after 3 p.m. the next business day. | Not stated | Official page |
| Michigan | Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal | $1 | Yes | Yes | No | Requests are processed in the order received; the office quotes a 1 to 2 week turnaround for mailed requests. | Not stated | Official page |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Secretary of State | $5 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Processed in the order received (no number of days is stated). | Not stated | Official page |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Secretary of State | $5 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Missouri | Missouri Secretary of State, Commissions | $10 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Montana | Montana Secretary of State | $10 | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Normally 3 to 5 business days. | Not stated | Official page |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Secretary of State, Notary Division | $10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Normally 3 to 5 business days from receipt; walk-ins the same day. | Not stated | Official page |
| Nevada | Secretary of State | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Secretary of State | $10 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated as a number of days; a large number of documents may not be ready until the following business day. | Not stated | Official page |
| New Jersey | Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Processed daily Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (no number of days is stated). | Not stated | Official page |
| New York | New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, Apostille and Authentication Unit | $10 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Walk-in requests the same day; mailed and dropped-off requests are processed by receipt date (no number of days is stated). | Yes, vital records, notarized | Official page |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Office of Authentications | $10 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Secretary of State | $10 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Usually within 3 business days if everything is in order. | Not stated | Official page |
| Ohio | Secretary of State | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Oklahoma | Secretary of State | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Oregon | Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division | $10 | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation | $15 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | 5 to 7 business days after receipt by mail; walk-in requests while you wait. | Not stated | Official page |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division | $5 | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Secretary of State, Authentications | $5 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Secretary of State, Apostille Office | $25 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Mailed requests within 2 business days of receipt; drop-offs mostly 1 to 2 business days. | Not stated | Official page |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Office of Authentications | $2 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not confirmed | Yes, notarized | Official page |
| Texas | Texas Secretary of State | $15 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Mailed requests can take up to two weeks from receipt; bulk drop-off requests three days; appointments and Monday or Friday walk-ins the same day. | Not stated | Official page |
| Utah | Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Authentications | $5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mail-in requests within 1 to 3 business days of receipt. | Not stated | Official page |
| Vermont | Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA), Secretary of State | $10 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
| Virginia | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentication Division | $10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mailed packages generally 7 to 10 business days; drop-box documents 5 to 7 business days. | Not stated | Official page |
| Washington | Washington Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Apostille and Certificate Program | $15 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Standard 7 to 10 business days; expedited 2 to 3 business days; same-day in person while you wait. | Not stated | Official page |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Secretary of State | $10 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | The office tries to process filings within 48 business hours; walk-ins are usually served within minutes. | Not stated | Official page |
| Wisconsin | Department of Financial Institutions (apostilles) and the Secretary of State's Certification Desk | $10 | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Standard 3 to 7 business days; expedited 1 to 2 business days, not counting mail time. | Not stated | Official page |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Secretary of State | $20 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | Official page |
MCC Solutions handles New Jersey apostilles, and our guide explains how to get an apostille in New Jersey. For other states, this page lists the office's own process.
Federal documents and FBI checks
A state office can't apostille a federal record. FBI background checks and documents signed by a federal official go to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications: $20 per document, nonrefundable. By mail: check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. In person: credit or debit card or contactless payment. Send Form DS-4194, Request for Authentications Service (with the country of use). Mailed requests within 5 weeks of receipt; walk-in drop-off within 7 business days; emergency appointments the same day. FBI results are authenticated by the FBI with its watermark and a division official's signature; send them as issued and name the country of use. Official instructions · our FBI check guide
Hague and non-Hague countries
The apostille only works in countries that joined the Hague Apostille Convention. For anywhere else the U.S. office issues an authentication certificate, and the country's embassy or consulate then legalizes the document. See embassy legalization for that route, Hague vs non-Hague countries for how to check a destination, and the apostille or embassy legalization finder to sort out which one a country takes.
Before you send anything
Ask the office abroad which certificate it wants and whether a translation must be done before or after the apostille. Order certified copies fresh where the receiving office sets an age limit, keep photocopies of everything you mail, and use tracked shipping both ways.
Related guides
- Which documents can be apostilled
- Apostille vs notarization: what each one proves
- Why an apostille request gets rejected or delayed
- Apostille for a diploma or transcript
- Power of attorney apostille for use overseas
- Apostille after a remote online notarization
General information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026 against each issuing office's own pages, linked in the table. Fees, forms and processing times change; the issuing office's own page is the final word. An apostille confirms the signature and seal on a document, not what the document says, and the office abroad decides what it accepts.
Common questions
What is the difference between Hague and non-Hague countries?
Countries that belong to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention accept an apostille from the U.S. issuing office, and that's the last U.S. step. For a country outside the convention, the office issues an authentication certificate instead, and the document then goes through embassy or consular legalization at that country's embassy, which adds steps, fees and time. Check the destination before you start, because it decides which certificate you ask for.
Which office issues an apostille?
The state where the document was issued or notarized, usually its Secretary of State. A few states use another office: Alaska (Office of the Lieutenant Governor), District of Columbia (Office of the Secretary), Georgia (Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority), Hawaii (Office of the Lieutenant Governor), New Jersey (Department of the Treasury), Utah (Office of the Lieutenant Governor) and Wisconsin (Department of Financial Institutions). Federal documents, including FBI background checks, go to the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications ($20 per document).
How much does an apostille cost?
On the official pages we read, the state fee runs from $1 to $40 per document. Several offices add an expedite or in-person handling fee, and a certified copy you order first has its own fee. Shipping both ways is on you.
Do I need a county clerk to certify the notary first?
In some states, yes. On the pages we read, Alabama, California, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York and Tennessee put a county or court clerk step before the state for at least one document type. Georgia's authority says notarized documents need no county certification. Where the table says "Not stated", ask the office before mailing.
Can I order an apostille online?
Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin take requests online, at least in part; most still need the paper document mailed or brought in. Kentucky and Connecticut also issue electronic apostilles for qualifying documents.
Why do some rows say 'Not confirmed'?
We fill in a fact only after reading it on the office's own page or the state's statute site. 257 facts are confirmed and 49 are not. For 3 states only the designated issuing office could be confirmed, from the Hague Conference's list of U.S. competent authorities. A blank is never filled with a guess.