Ohio Apostille Services

Issuing office

Ohio Secretary of StateOfficial page

Government fee

$5 per documentIncluded in our price

Hague Convention countries

Apostille

Non-Hague countries

Certificate of Authentication (gold seal authentication)

The state accepts requests by

mail and in person

Published processing time

Mailed requests for apostilles are processed in two to three days.As listed by the office on October 29, 2026

Documents Ohio can apostille

• Court or tribunal documents
• Administrative documents
• Notarial acts (documents notarized by an active Ohio notary)
• Official certificates placed on documents
• Certified birth and death certificates issued by the Ohio Department of Health or a county health department/vital statistics office
• Certified marriage records and Certificates of Single Status from the county probate court
• Certified divorce decrees, probated wills, and judgments from the county Clerk of Court
• Certified copies of business filings on file with the Ohio Secretary of State
• Notarized translations and notarized school records

The issuing state is what matters, not where you live now. A document issued or notarized in another state goes to that state's office, and documents from federal agencies go to the U.S. Department of State through our federal apostille service.

Ohio requirements to check before you book

• Documents must bear the signature of the appropriate official. Original documents that are already certified do not need notarization.Source
• Birth and death certificates must be certified copies issued by the record custodian (Ohio Department of Health or a county health department/vital statistics office). Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.Source
• Marriage records must be certified by the probate court in the county where the license was obtained. Divorce decrees, probated wills, and judgments must be certified by the Clerk of Court in the county where the case was heard.Source
• Photocopies other than birth and death certificates are accepted only when the signer states in a notarized statement that the copy is true and accurate.Source
• Notarized documents need an active Ohio notary and a complete English notarial certificate. It must state acknowledgment or jurat, the state and county, and the date. It also needs the notary's signature and printed name, commission expiration (non-attorney notaries), and an Ohio notary seal.Source
• School records must be notarized, which requires a school official to sign an affidavit in the presence of a notary.Source
• The Secretary of State does not translate documents. A document that needs translation requires a notarized translation before an apostille can be issued.Source

Good to know

• For non-Hague countries the office issues a gold seal authentication. The requester must then contact the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications for further steps.
• Ohio does not authenticate FBI background checks; authentication must be requested when the background check itself is requested. Ohio can apostille only a notarized true-copy certificate attached to a copy, which the destination country may not accept.
• Federal agency documents go to the U.S. Department of State. Federal court documents are authenticated by the issuing federal court.
• Do not remove an attached apostille or authentication, because removal invalidates it. A packet with several signatures can get a single apostille only in limited circumstances.

About our Ohio 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 Ohio 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 your original or meet a notaryWe send mailing instructions after you book. If your document still needs to be signed and notarized, one of our mobile notaries can meet you, or you can use remote online notarization where it's accepted.
4. We file and track itWe submit your request to the Ohio Secretary 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

$350 per document.

Prices include the Ohio 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