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Federal Apostille
Documents issued by U.S. federal agencies are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State, not a Secretary of State. Upload yours and we handle the Washington submission.
$119 per document, government fee included. No charge until you have an exact price.
- Upload most federal documents — no mailing
- Government fee included, nothing added at checkout
- Free document review before you pay
- Our own people in Washington, D.C.
- Tracked, insured return shipping
Rather talk it through? Call (771) 777-4807 and we will tell you what your document needs before you pay for anything.
Current processing times
Federal apostille
7 to 10 business days
Counted in business days from when we have a usable document, and not including return shipping. Federal apostilles come in one speed: a single U.S. Department of State office handles every one of them, so there is no rush tier to buy. If your deadline is tight, start early — and call us and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
A federal apostille certifies a document issued by an agency of the United States government. It is issued by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., and it applies no matter which state you live in.
The distinction matters because sending a document to the wrong authority means it comes back unprocessed, weeks later, with nothing achieved. The test is simple: ask who issued it. A state or county office means a state apostille from that state. A federal agency means a federal apostille from the Department of State.
Federal documents are the ones people most often get wrong, because they feel official enough that a state office seems plausible. FBI background checks, IRS residency letters, USDA and FDA export certificates, USPTO patents, and federal court records all go to Washington.
Many federal documents now arrive as digitally signed PDFs, which means you can often start the same day without mailing anything. We have people in D.C., which is where every federal apostille and every embassy legalization is physically processed.
At a glance
Which documents need a federal apostille
| Document | Issuing agency | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| FBI background check | FBI | Work visas, residency, teaching abroad |
| IRS Form 6166 | IRS | Claiming tax treaty benefits abroad |
| FDA certificates | FDA | Exporting food, supplements, medical devices |
| USDA certificates | USDA / APHIS | Agricultural and animal product export |
| Patents and trademarks | USPTO | Foreign IP filings and enforcement |
| Federal court records | U.S. federal courts | Litigation, judgments, bankruptcy |
| Certificate of Non-Existence | USCIS | Italian and other citizenship claims |
| Social Security benefit letters | SSA | Pensions and benefits claimed abroad |
If a federal agency issued it, it goes to the U.S. Department of State. If you are not sure which category yours falls into, the free document review will tell you before you pay.
Federal versus state, in one rule
| State apostille | Federal apostille | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Secretary of State of that state | U.S. Department of State |
| Covers | Vital records, notarized documents, state courts | Federal agency documents |
| Notarization | Often required for private documents | Not required |
| Typical time | 4 to 7 business days | 7 to 10 business days |
| Same-day option | Available in some states | Not available |
| Where it happens | The issuing state | Washington, D.C. |
Get an exact price for your federal document in about two minutes.
How it works
Step 1
Upload or mail the document
Most federal documents arrive as signed PDFs and can be uploaded directly. Originals can be mailed if your destination requires them.
Step 2
We confirm it is usable
We check the signature, the issuing agency, and whether your destination country will accept the format before submitting.
Step 3
Department of State submission
We submit in Washington and track it through their process, with the federal fee included in your price.
Step 4
Embassy stage if needed
For non-Hague destinations we continue on to the embassy rather than handing you a half-finished document.
Federal Apostille: common questions
How do I know if I need a federal or state apostille?
Ask who issued the document. A federal agency such as the FBI, IRS, USDA, FDA, USPTO, or a federal court means federal. A state or county office, or a notary, means that state. Our booking flow asks this and routes you automatically.
Do I need to be in Washington, D.C.?
No. Federal apostilles are issued there but you can be anywhere. Upload the document and we handle the submission on your behalf.
Why do federal apostilles take longer than state ones?
Because every federal apostille in the country goes through one office. State apostilles are spread across fifty authorities. See processing times for current ranges.
Does a federal document need notarization first?
No. It is already an official government record, so there is nothing for a notary to attest. Notarization applies to private documents you signed yourself.
My destination country is not in the Hague Convention. What then?
Then an apostille will not be accepted, and the document needs full legalization: federal authentication followed by legalization at that country’s embassy. We handle the whole chain from D.C.
Can you apostille a copy rather than the original?
For most federal documents the digitally signed PDF is the accepted form and there is no separate original. Where an original is required, we will tell you before you send anything.
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, Office of Authentications · Apostille requirements · Form DS-4194
Ready to get started?
Upload your federal document and get an exact price, including the government fee, before you pay.
Related: FBI background check · Washington D.C. apostille · Dept. of State authentication · Processing times