Last verified: October 30, 2026

Ohio apostille: the $5 fee, the cover letter, mail or walk-in, and which copy to order

Ohio apostilles and certificates of authentication come from the Ohio Secretary of State. They verify the signature of an Ohio public official, or an Ohio notary public, on a document that will be used in another country. The Secretary of State does not check what the document says. [1][3]

Which office	Ohio Secretary of State, Client Service Center, 180 Civic Center Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43215 (mail and in person) [1][5]
What it costs	$5 for each apostille or authentication. [2] Certified copies of the record itself are a separate fee from the office that issues them.
How long it takes	Mail: processed within two to three business days, not counting mailing time either way. [1][2] In a hurry: the Secretary of State says to come to the Client Service Center for in-person service. [1]
How to pay	By mail: a check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank, or the credit card authorization form. Foreign checks and money orders are not accepted. In person you can also pay with cash or a credit card. [2]
Required with every request	The cover letter (request form) issued by the Secretary of State, with the destination country filled in. [1]

The step people skip: the cover letter

Ohio will not process a request without the cover letter issued by the Secretary of State's office, and the destination country must be named on it. [1] The country decides what you get back: Hague Apostille Convention members get an Apostille; other countries get a Certificate of Authentication. [2] Check the country on the Hague Conference status table. [7]

Ohio won't issue an apostille for a document that will be used inside the United States. [1]

Get the right copy first

The Secretary of State can only act if the document carries the actual or facsimile signature of an Ohio elected or public official acting in an official capacity, or a proper Ohio notarization. [1][3] In practice: [3]

Birth or death certificate: a certified copy from the issuing office. A photocopy, or a notarized photocopy, of a vital record is rejected. [3]
Marriage record: a certified copy from the county probate court. [6]
Diplomas and other private documents: they must be properly notarized by an Ohio notary public, with a proper Ohio notarial certificate. [3]

Ordering an Ohio birth or death certificate for use abroad

This catches a lot of people. The Ohio Department of Health says not to order online for dual citizenship, international legal matters or an international marriage; those requests need the mail-in application. Its online orders are abstract copies meant for U.S. uses. [4]

State Bureau of Vital Statistics: $21.50 per certified birth or death record (this is a search fee). Mail-in orders typically take four to six weeks; pay by check or money order. [4]
Faster option: ODH says more than 100 local health department offices around Ohio offer in-person or same-day certified copies. Find one on ODH's list of local vital statistics offices. [4]
Older death records: deaths before 1971 are requested from the local health department where the death took place. [4]

By mail, step by step

The completed cover letter (request form) from the Secretary of State, naming the destination country. [1]
Your original certified or notarized documents. [1][3]
Payment of $5 per apostille or authentication: check or money order from a U.S. bank, or the credit card authorization form. Don't send cash. [2]
A way to get the documents back. Check the current request form for return-mail instructions; a prepaid tracked envelope is a sensible choice if you're on a deadline.

Mail to: Ohio Secretary of State, Client Service Center, 180 Civic Center Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43215. [1] Always use the address printed on the current request form.

In person

Bring the same items to the Client Service Center at 180 Civic Center Dr., Columbus. [1][5] The Secretary of State's regular office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. [5] It doesn't publish a same-day guarantee, so call ahead if you're up against a flight or an appointment.

FBI background checks and other federal documents

Ohio can't authenticate an FBI Identity History Summary or any other federal agency document. [2] Those go to the U.S. Department of State. See our FBI background check guide.

Country not in the Hague Convention?

Ohio issues a Certificate of Authentication, and the Secretary of State says to contact the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications about the next step. The destination country's embassy may also need to legalize it. [2] See apostille vs. authentication.

Note: the Ohio Secretary of State's website blocks automated checks, so the Secretary of State details on this page were confirmed from the official pages' published text as indexed on October 30, 2026. If something here differs from the current form, follow the form.