Apostille for an Out-of-State Document: Which State Issues It

The apostille follows the signature

An apostille certifies the signature of a specific official, so it's issued by the state where that official works. The California Secretary of State accepts documents signed by California public officials or notarized by a California notary public. It can't certify the signature of a Florida official or a Texas notary.

The U.S. Department of State says the same: a state document gets certified by the state that issued it.

A few examples

• Your birth certificate was issued in Florida, and you've lived in Sacramento for years. The apostille comes from Florida.
• You signed a power of attorney before a notary in Los Angeles. The California Secretary of State issues the apostille, even if you've moved to another state since then.
• Your power of attorney was notarized in New York. New York issues the apostille, and the California Secretary of State won't.
• You have an FBI background check. It's a federal document, so the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

A notarized copy made in California won't get around it

It's tempting to look for a shortcut: get a notarized copy of the Florida certificate in California and put a California apostille on it. That apostille would cover only the California notary's signature. The certificate itself would remain uncertified, so if the recipient needs the apostille on the certificate, this route won't work.

How we handle it without you leaving California

You send the document to us. We mail it to the state where it was issued or notarized with prepaid return shipping, receive it back with the apostille, and send it on to you or straight to the recipient abroad.

The price is $160 per document, with the state fee included. It's one price for every state except California. Shipping the finished document within the U.S. starts at $20.

The timeline has 2 parts: mail both ways and processing in that state, which varies from state to state. Before we start, we'll tell you how long your state takes. Some states offer paid expedited processing, and we quote that separately.

An FBI background check apostille is $250, including the Department of State's fee. We mail the background check to Washington, D.C., and with shipping both ways the whole process takes 6 weeks or more.

Before you send anything

Look at the bottom of the document: whose signature is there, what title is listed, and which state that person works in. If you're not sure, send us a scan, and we'll tell you which authority issues the apostille for your document.