Every U.S. state, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, issues its own apostilles, and the office that does it is not always the Secretary of State. Georgia uses a cooperative of court clerks, New Jersey its Division of Revenue, Michigan its Office of the Great Seal, and Alaska, Hawaii and Utah their Lieutenant Governors.
The rule for which state is simple: the state the document came from. A birth certificate issued in Texas goes to Texas, even if you now live in Ohio. A notarized document goes to the state where the notary holds their commission, not where you live or where the document is headed.
Federal documents are the exception. An FBI background check, an IRS letter or a naturalization certificate carries a federal signature that no state can certify, so it goes to the U.S. Department of State instead. See federal apostille.
The fees below are the state’s own charge, checked against each office’s published fee schedule or form. Our price already includes them, so you never pay a state separately.
At a glance
The five states with a county step
In these states the apostille office will not certify a notary directly. A county-level office has to confirm the notary’s commission first, and it must be the office where the notary is registered, not the one nearest you. Skip it and the document comes back unprocessed, often weeks later. We handle this step as part of every order.
| State | Who certifies the notary first |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | Circuit court Legal Documents Office where the notary is registered |
| Kentucky | County clerk where the notary is registered |
| Maryland | Clerk of the circuit court where the notary is commissioned |
| New York | County clerk where the notary is qualified |
| Tennessee | County clerk where the notary is commissioned |
Two states often listed here do not belong. Georgia needs no county step for an apostille, because the GSCCCA verifies its notaries itself. Alabama needs the probate judge only for a non-Hague certification, not for an apostille.
Every state at a glance
| State | Issuing office | State fee | County step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Secretary of State, Authentications Division | $5 | Non-Hague only |
| Alaska | Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Authentications | $5 | No |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services | $10 plus 4% on card payments |
No |
| Arizona | Arizona Secretary of State | $3 | No |
| California | California Secretary of State | $20 plus $6 per signature in person |
No |
| Colorado | Colorado Secretary of State, Authentications Program | $5 $15 for same-day walk-in |
No |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Secretary of the State, Authentications and Apostilles | $40 $15 for adoption documents |
No |
| Delaware | Delaware Division of Corporations, Department of State | $30 expedited tiers available |
No |
| District of Columbia | D.C. Office of the Secretary, Notary Commissions and Authentications | $15 | No |
| Florida | Florida Department of State | $10 $20 for clerk of court certified copies |
No |
| Georgia | Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) | $3 | No |
| Hawaii | Office of the Lieutenant Governor | $3 | Yes |
| Idaho | Idaho Secretary of State | $10 | No |
| Illinois | Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department | $2 | No |
| Indiana | Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $2 none for vital records, adoption and school records |
No |
| Iowa | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services | $5 | No |
| Kansas | Kansas Secretary of State | $10 | No |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Secretary of State | $5 | Yes |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Secretary of State, Commissions Division | $20 | No |
| Maine | Maine Secretary of State, Corporations and Commissions | $10 | No |
| Maryland | Maryland Secretary of State | $5 | Yes |
| Massachusetts | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section | $6 | No |
| Michigan | Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal | $1 | No |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Secretary of State | $5 | No |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Secretary of State | $5 | No |
| Missouri | Missouri Secretary of State, Commissions | $10 | No |
| Montana | Montana Secretary of State | $10 per notarization, not per page |
No |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Secretary of State, Notary Division | $10 per notarization, not per page |
No |
| Nevada | Nevada Secretary of State | $20 expedite from $75 |
No |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Secretary of State | $10 | No |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | $25 $5 for adoptions |
No |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Secretary of State | $3 | No |
| New York | New York Department of State | $10 | Yes |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Secretary of State, Authentications Division | $10 | No |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Secretary of State | $10 plus $5 record search per notary |
No |
| Ohio | Ohio Secretary of State | $5 | No |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Secretary of State | $25 $10 for international adoptions |
No |
| Oregon | Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division | $10 | No |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of State | $15 | No |
| Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico Department of State | $3 paid as an internal revenue stamp |
No |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services | $5 | No |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Secretary of State | $5 | No |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Secretary of State | $25 $250 flat for 10 or more |
No |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $2 | Yes |
| Texas | Texas Secretary of State, Authentications Unit | $15 | No |
| Utah | Office of the Lieutenant Governor | $19 | No |
| Vermont | Vermont Secretary of State | $10 | No |
| Virginia | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentications | $10 $5 each additional |
No |
| Washington | Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division | $15 expedite $100 per 10 |
No |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Secretary of State | $10 $5 each additional |
No |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Secretary of State | $10 $35 expedited |
No |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Secretary of State | $20 | No |
State fees checked October 2026 against each office’s published fee, linked from its state page. States change fees without notice, so treat these as a guide. Our quoted price always includes the current fee.
Rules that hold in every state
- The issuing state decides, not where you live. A document goes to the state it came from, or the state where its notary is commissioned.
- Certified copies only for public records. Not photocopies, not hospital or chapel keepsakes, not informational copies. See certified copies if you need a new one.
- Private documents need a notary first. A power of attorney, affidavit or company resolution is notarized, then apostilled. The notary’s state is the apostille state.
- Apostille or certification depends on the destination. Hague countries take an apostille; the rest get a certification and then embassy legalization. Check yours with the country checker.
- Federal documents skip the states entirely and go to the U.S. Department of State.
- Leave the apostille attached. Removing it, or the staple or eyelet holding it, voids it.
How it works
Step 1
Tell us the document and the destination
That decides the state, whether a county step applies, and whether it needs an apostille or a certification.
Step 2
We check it before anything is paid
Certified, correctly notarized, and recent enough for the state that will see it.
Step 3
County step, then the state
Where the state requires it, the county certification first, then the apostille office.
Step 4
Back to you
Shipped tracked and insured, or scanned and emailed as soon as it is issued.
Apostille by State: common questions
Which state apostilles my document?
The state it came from. A vital record goes to the state that issued it. A notarized document goes to the state where the notary is commissioned, which is not always where you live or where you signed.
What is the county step?
In Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, New York and Tennessee, a county-level office must certify the notary’s commission before the state will apostille a notarized document. The office has to be the one where the notary is registered. We handle it as part of the order.
Is the Secretary of State always the office?
No. Georgia uses the Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority, New Jersey the Division of Revenue, Michigan the Office of the Great Seal, Delaware its Division of Corporations, and Alaska, Hawaii and Utah their Lieutenant Governors.
Can a state apostille a federal document?
No. FBI background checks, IRS letters, USCIS and other federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State. See federal apostille.
Do I pay the state fee separately?
No. Our price includes the state fee, and in county-step states the county fee too. The figures here are for reference.
Why are some state fees so different?
Each legislature sets its own. Michigan charges $1, while Connecticut charges $40. A few states charge per notarization rather than per document, and some add a record search or an expedite fee.
Official sources
Requirements, fees and processing times are set by the authorities below and can change without notice. Verify anything time-critical directly with them.
U.S. Dept. of State, apostille requirements · CDC: Where to Write for Vital Records
Ready to get started?
Tell us the document and where it is going, and we route it to the right state, county step included.
Related: Federal apostille · Country checker · Certified copies · Processing times