Guides by document type

The office that issues your apostille depends on who signed the document. Federal documents (for example, an FBI Identity History Summary) go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications; state and locally issued or notarized documents go to the state authority.

• Apostille for a Power of Attorney (or Any Notarized Document): Which State, Which Notary, What Gets Rejected — How to get an apostille on a US power of attorney, affidavit, or consent letter: it goes to the state where the notary is commissioned, not where you live. The extra county-clerk step in New York and Maryland, online notarization, fees from official pages, and non-Hague countries.
• Apostille for a US Birth Certificate: Which State, Which Copy, Which Office — How to get an apostille on a US birth certificate: it must come from the state that issued it, on a certified copy from the vital records office. Plus the extra county step in New York and what to do for non-Hague countries.
• Apostille for a US Diploma or Transcript: The Notary Step Most People Miss — How to get an apostille on a US high school or college diploma or transcript: it goes to the state where the school is, and most states need a school official's signature notarized first. Which copy to send, and what to do for non-Hague countries.
• Apostille for a US Marriage Certificate: Which State, Which Copy, Why It Gets Rejected — How to get an apostille on a US marriage certificate: it must be a certified copy from the county or state office that recorded the marriage, sent to that state's apostille office. The New York County Clerk step, Florida and California fees, and what to do if you married abroad.
• Apostille for an FBI Background Check (Federal Route) — How to get an apostille or authentication certificate for an FBI Identity History Summary from the U.S. Department of State: fee, forms, mail vs. walk-in times.