Last verified: October 31, 2026
Apostille for federal documents: the U.S. State Department route
The most common mix-up in apostille questions is sending a document to the wrong office. A state Secretary of State can only apostille signatures of that state's officials and notaries. If your document was signed by a federal official, the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications instead. [1][2]
| Which office | U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications [3] |
|---|---|
| What it costs | $20 per document, nonrefundable. [2] The form says the fee is per document, not per page. [4] |
| How long it takes | Mail: processed within 5 weeks of the day they receive it. Walk-in: processed within 7 business days. [2] |
| Form | Form DS-4194, listing the country where you'll use the document. [2][4] |
| Apostille or authentication? | Apostille for countries in the 1961 Hague Convention; authentication certificate for countries that aren't. [3] |
Which documents go to the State Department
The State Department says you get your apostille from its office if the document is signed by one of these: [1]
- A U.S. federal official
- A U.S. consular officer
- A foreign consul registered with the State Department's Office of Protocol
- A military notary or judge advocate
An FBI background check is the best-known example; state offices say not to send it to them. [5] We have a separate FBI background check apostille guide.
Not federal: state birth, death and marriage certificates, state court records and documents signed by a state notary go to the Secretary of State in the state that issued them. [6][7] See our state-by-state guides.
Certificate of Naturalization
Colorado's Secretary of State explains the route: get a certified true copy of the Certificate of Naturalization from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, then send that certified copy to the State Department's Office of Authentications for the apostille or authentication certificate. [6] Don't send the original certificate to a state office.
Prepare the document first
- Original or certified copy only. A certified copy carries a certificate that it's a true copy, with original seals and signatures, and it must include a date of issuance. [1]
- Don't notarize it. The State Department warns that notarizing the document makes it no longer valid for their office. [1]
- Translation, if the country needs one: use a professional translator and have the translation notarized, but not the original document. [1]
Mail or walk in
- Trip 5 weeks or more away: mail it. Send Form DS-4194, the documents, the fee and a self-addressed, prepaid USPS or UPS return envelope, using USPS with tracking, to: Office of Authentications, U.S. Department of State, 44132 Mercure Circle, PO Box 1206, Sterling, VA 20166-1206. Pay by check or money order made out to the U.S. Department of State, with your name and address printed in the upper left corner and a check number over 100. Don't send cash or card details. [2]
- Trip 2 to 3 weeks away: walk in at 600 19th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006. Routine drop-off and pick-up is 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday, no appointment needed. Someone else can drop off and pick up for you if their name or company is written on the receipt, and pick-up needs a photo ID. In person they take credit or debit cards and contactless payment, not cash, checks or money orders. [2]
- Two weeks or less, family emergency: you may qualify for a same-day appointment if an immediate family member outside the U.S. has died, is dying or in hospice, or has a life-threatening illness or injury. [2]
Walk-in requests are limited to one per day, with up to 15 documents for one customer or company. [3]
Note: travel.state.gov blocks automated checks, so the State Department details on this page were confirmed from the official pages' published text as indexed on October 31, 2026. If anything here differs from the current form or page, follow the official page.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State: Preparing a Document for an Apostille Certificate
- U.S. Department of State: Request Authentication Services
- U.S. Department of State: Office of Authentications
- U.S. Department of State: Form DS-4194, Request for Authentications Service (PDF)
- West Virginia Secretary of State: Authentication of Documents for International Use
- Colorado Secretary of State: Apostilles and Authentications
- Texas Secretary of State: Apostille/Authentication of Documents