Federal Apostille Services

Issuing office

U.S. Department of State, Office of AuthenticationsOfficial page

Government fee

$20 per documentIncluded in our price

Hague Convention countries

Apostille

Non-Hague countries

Authentication Certificate

Requests accepted by

mail, walk-in drop-off and pick-up and appointment (life-or-death emergency only)

Published processing time

Mail: up to 5 weeks from the day received. Walk-in: 7 business days. Emergency appointment: same day as the appointment.As listed by the office on October 29, 2026

Documents the Department of State authenticates

• Documents signed by a U.S. federal official
• Documents signed by a U.S. consular officer
• Documents signed by a foreign consul registered with the State Department's Office of Protocol
• Documents signed by a military notary or judge advocate
• Federal court documents
• FBI background checks (issued by U.S. Department of Justice)
• State-issued documents for non-Hague countries, after notarization and state certification (authentication certificate)

State-issued documents, such as birth certificates, state court records, and documents notarized by a state notary, get their apostille from the state where they were issued. Find your state.

Federal documents we handle

• FCC License
• SSA Benefit verification letters
• IRS Tax Transcripts/compliance letters
• Green Card (I-551)
• Coast Guard Merchant Mariner
• DEA Practitioner Registration
• USPTO Patent & Trademark
• FAA Pilot Certification & Airman Medical
• Certificate of Citizenship
• VA Benefit Award Letter
• US Passport (certified copy)
• USDA Phytosanitary
• Federal Agency Employment Verification letters
• Certificate of Naturalization (N-550)
• Federal Security Clearance Letter
• DD-214 military discharge
• Consular Report of Birth Aboard (FS-240)
• Federal Bankruptcy Discharged Order
• Federal Court Document

Requirements to check before you book

• Document must be an original or a certified copy, and its seals and signatures must be originals.Source
• Document must include a date of issuance and show the official's legible signature, printed name and title, and agency seal, on agency letterhead.Source
• Do not notarize a federal document; the State Department says it will no longer be valid if notarized.Source
• If the destination country requires a translation, use a professional translator and have the translated copy notarized; do not notarize the original.Source
• Submit Form DS-4194 naming the country where the document will be used, with the document(s) and the per-document fee.Source
• For use in a Hague Convention country, a document issued by a U.S. state must be certified by the state that issued it; no State Department apostille is needed.Source
• For non-Hague use, a state-issued document must be notarized, certified by the clerk of court (county notaries) and by the secretary of state where the notary is commissioned, then submitted to the State Department.Source

Good to know

• Documents issued by a U.S. state get their certification (apostille) from the issuing state, not the Department of State; the State Department authenticates documents signed by federal officials.
• For non-Hague countries, the foreign embassy's authentication is needed after all U.S. authentications are complete.
• A USPS 'delivered' status does not mean the request is ready; mail takes several days to reach the Washington, DC office for review.
• Do not submit a second request while waiting for a status reply; the office replies within 7 business days.

About our federal apostille service

How it works

1. Book onlineChoose the option that matches your document and destination, then tell us the document type, the country where it will be used, and your deadline.
2. We review your document firstBefore anything is filed, we check it against the requirements on this page. If a step is missing, such as a notarization or a certified copy, we tell you what's needed before we file.
3. Send us the originalWe send mailing instructions after you book. Don't have a federal document notarized: the Department of State says a notarized federal document is no longer valid for authentication.
4. We file and track itWe submit your request to the U.S. Department of State with the government fee and follow it until the office releases it.
5. We ship it backYour documents come back by tracked shipping. If your destination also needs embassy legalization or a certified translation, we can handle that next.

Pricing

$365 per document for every option listed above.

Prices include the U.S. Department of State fee, courier filing, return shipping, and handling. Sales tax is added at checkout where it applies, and any deposit is shown before you pay. If you have more than one document, tell us the count when you book and we'll confirm your total.

Government processing times are set by the issuing office and change during the year. We don't promise a delivery date that depends on a government office, and we'll tell you the current timing when we review your order.

Common questions

Working with Trilogy

Related services

Sources