How to Obtain a Secretary of State Apostille Certificate
The Secretary of State Apostille Certificate is a special certification added to your document by the Secretary of State’s office in the state where the document was issued or notarized. Its purpose is to make your document valid and recognized in other countries that are part of the Hague Apostille Convention.
Here’s why it’s important:
- Simplifies the process for international use: It saves you from the hassle of getting additional stamps or approvals from embassies or consulates.
- Widely accepted: Once the Apostille is attached, your document is good to go in over 100 countries that follow the Hague Convention.
- How it works: The certificate verifies the signature on your document, whether it’s from a government official or a notary public.
- Delivery options: The authenticated document can be sent to you as a scanned PDF, shipped to your location, or securely shredded if no longer needed.
Documents Eligible for an Apostille Certificate include but not limited to:
State or government-issued documents such as:
- Birth Certificates
- Death Certificates
- Marriage Certificates
- Divorce Decrees
- Court Orders
- Court Adoption Papers
Notarized documents such as:
- School Transcripts and Diplomas
- Personal Letters
- Contracts and Agreements
- Affidavits
- Medical Records
- Power of Attorney
- Parental Consent Forms for Travel
- Police Records
Business Documents State issued or Notarized document:
- Articles of Incorporation
- Certificates of Good Standing
- Commercial Contracts and Agreements
- Board Resolutions
- Company Bylaws
- Business Licenses
- Financial Statements (once notarized)
- Trademark and Patent Applications
- Shareholder Agreements
- Business Invoices (once notarized)
Making Sure Your Document is Ready for Apostille with Elite Documents
To ensure a smooth Apostille process, it’s important to confirm your document meets the specific requirements of the country where it will be used and that the document meets the requirements for an apostille certificate by verifying it is a certified public document, in good condition, and has the necessary signatures and seals. If the document fails to meet these criteria, it may be rejected for an apostille. In such cases, you must request new certified copies from the issuing authority or get the document propertly notarized.
To check if your destination country is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, visit the official Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) website. The list of member countries is available here: Hague Apostille Convention Member Countries.
Current Apostille Members
- Albania
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Burundi
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- China,
- Hong Kong &
- Macao
- Colombia
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jamaica
- Kazakhstan
- Korea, Republic of
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malawi
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova,
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niue
- North Macedonia,
- Republic of
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tajikistan
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom of Great Britain
- and Northern Ireland
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
F.A.Q
We work with the following States Authentication Offices to obtain your Apostille Certificate swiftly.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- American Samoa
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sample Apostille Certifiates:
