Which office apostilles your document
An apostille confirms the signature of the official who issued or certified a document, so it comes from the government that official belongs to. A birth certificate from Ohio goes to Ohio even if you have lived in Texas for twenty years. A document a notary signed goes to the state that commissioned that notary.
Federal documents work the same way one level up. The FBI background check, the Social Security Administration’s Certificate of Coverage and military discharge papers are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications, at $20 per document. A state apostille on an FBI check is not valid, and the Spanish authorities will ask for it again.
A few states add a step before the state office. In New York, most notarized documents and many vital records need a certification from the county clerk first. Some counties elsewhere charge their own fee on top of the state’s, as Davidson County does in Tennessee.
All 50 states and D.C.
Each state’s name opens its page on this site, with the consulate that covers it and the office’s address. The office’s name opens its own page.
| State | Office | Fee | In person | By mail | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $5 per document | Same day at the counter | About 5 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Alaska | $5 per document | Same day at the counter in Juneau | About 2 weeks, plus mailing | ||
| Arizona | $3 per document | Walk-in only with a $25 expedite fee, up to 6 documents | 10 to 20 business days, plus mailing | Include trackable return postage; the office does not supply it. | |
| Arkansas | $10 per document | Same day at the counter | About 2 business days, plus mailing | A second counter operates in Fayetteville (300 North College, Suite 201F). | |
| California | $20 per document, plus $6 handling per signature for in-person requests | About 30 minutes at the Sacramento or Los Angeles counter | 3 to 4 weeks, plus mailing | ||
| Colorado | $5 per document ($15 while you wait, walk-in only) | While you wait, until 4:30 pm; cash, check or money order only | 3 to 7 business days, plus mailing | Colorado notaries are commissioned by the same office, so a notarized degree copy and its apostille come from one place. | |
| Connecticut | $40 per document, the highest state fee | Same day at the Hartford counter | 5 to 7 business days regular; e-Apostille and expedited orders within 24 hours | Connecticut issues electronic apostilles (e-Apostille), which the UGE accepts as a PDF. | |
| Delaware | $30 per document; expedited from $40 (24 hours) to $1,000 (one hour) | Expedited service only | 2 to 3 weeks, plus mailing | The same office apostilles Delaware certificates of incorporation and good standing, which matters for founders whose LLC is registered here. | |
| Florida | $10 per document | In person in Tallahassee, processed in about 5 business days | 25 to 35 business days in 2026 for mailed requests | Florida mail processing has stretched to over a month in 2026. Order early or use a courier that files in person. | |
| Georgia | $3 per document | Same day at the Atlanta office | 1 to 2 business days, plus mailing | Georgia is the one state where the Secretary of State does not issue apostilles. Sending the request there delays the file. | |
| Hawaii | $3 per document, by money order, cash or cashier’s check | Drop box and walk-in accepted, same 7 to 10 day queue | 7 to 10 business days, no expedited service | The fee rises to $5 on 1 January 2027. | |
| Idaho | $10 per document | By appointment at the Boise office | A few business days, plus mailing | ||
| Illinois | $2 per document | Same day while you wait, in Springfield or Chicago | 7 to 10 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Indiana | $2 per document; free for birth certificates, diplomas and transcripts | Same day if received before noon | 1 to 2 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Iowa | $5 per document | Same day at the counter in Des Moines | 1 to 2 weeks, plus mailing | ||
| Kansas | $10 per document (since 2 March 2026) | Same day at the counter | 2 to 3 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Kentucky | $5 per document | Same day while you wait | About 3 business days, returned by first-class mail | ||
| Louisiana | $20 per document | Same day at the counter, 8:00 to 16:00 | About 3 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Maine | $10 per document | About 3 business days for walk-ins; call ahead for more than 5 documents | 10 to 15 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Maryland | $5 per document | Same day, 9:00 to 13:00, up to 15 documents a day | About 2 days, plus mailing | ||
| Massachusetts | $6 per document | Same day for up to 3 documents; 4 or more ready the next business day | 2 to 3 weeks, plus mailing | ||
| Michigan | $1 per document, the lowest fee in the country | Walk-in accepted at the Richard H. Austin Building, Lansing | 1 to 2 weeks; courier envelopes are not processed faster | ||
| Minnesota | $5 per document | Same day at the counter | 2 to 4 days, plus mailing | ||
| Mississippi | $5 per document | About 2 business days, in person or by mail | About 2 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Missouri | $10 per document | Usually same day in person | 7 to 10 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Montana | $10 per document | No expedited or counter service | 3 to 5 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Nebraska | $10 per document, whatever the page count | Same day for walk-ins at the Capitol office | 3 to 5 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Nevada | $20 per document; expedited from $75 (24 hours) to $1,000 (one hour) | No walk-in apostille service in Las Vegas since 2026; mail or courier only | About 4 to 6 weeks regular, one of the slowest in the country | Six weeks is longer than most civil certificates stay fresh. Pay the expedite or plan the order date carefully. | |
| New Hampshire | $10 per document | Same day at the counter, 8:00 to 16:15 | About 7 days, plus mailing | ||
| New Jersey | $25 per document | Next business day in person or by courier (expedited) | 12 to 20 business days regular, plus mailing | In New Jersey the Treasury issues apostilles, not the Secretary of State. | |
| New Mexico | $3 per document | Usually while you wait, Monday to Thursday | About 3 days, plus mailing; requests are filed online first | ||
| New York | $10 per document | Same day at the Albany or New York City counter | About 4 days, plus mailing | Most notarized documents and vital records need a county clerk certification before the Department of State will apostille them. New York City birth and marriage certificates also need a letter of exemplification. Budget an extra step and an extra week. | |
| North Carolina | $10 per document | Same day at the Raleigh counter | About 5 business days, plus 1 to 3 weeks of mailing each way | ||
| North Dakota | $10 per document, plus $5 per record search if needed | By mail; returned first-class unless you include a prepaid label | About 3 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Ohio | $5 per document | Faster in person at the Columbus counter | 2 to 3 days, plus mailing | ||
| Oklahoma | $25 per document | Same day at the counter | 1 to 3 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Oregon | $10 per document | Same day at the Salem counter | 10 business days by regular mail; 2 to 3 by courier | ||
| Pennsylvania | $15 per document | First come, first served at the Harrisburg counter | 2 to 3 weeks, plus mailing | ||
| Rhode Island | $5 per document | Same day at the counter, 8:30 to 16:30 | About 2 days, plus mailing | ||
| South Carolina | $5 per document | Same day at the counter | About 3 days, plus mailing | ||
| South Dakota | $25 per document | Drop off and pick up, usually within 1 to 2 business days | Within 2 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Tennessee | $2 per document | Same day at the Nashville counter, 3rd floor | About 3 days, plus mailing | ||
| Texas | $15 per document | Same or next business day at the Austin counter | Up to 25 business days in 2026, plus mailing | Texas mail processing has stretched to five weeks in 2026. Walk in, or use a courier that files in Austin. | |
| Utah | $19 per document; next day $53, same day $93 | Walk-in 14:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday | 3 to 5 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Vermont | $10 per document | In person at Montpelier | 1 to 2 business days to process; allow 7 to 10 with mailing | ||
| Virginia | $10 per document | Same day at the Richmond counter | About 7 days, plus mailing | In Virginia the Secretary of the Commonwealth issues apostilles, a different office from the State Corporation Commission. | |
| Washington | $15 per document; expedited adds $100 per 10 documents | Counter at Tumwater (243 Israel Road SE) | 7 to 10 business days; 2 to 3 expedited | ||
| Washington, D.C. | $15 per document | Same day, 9:00 to 13:00, no appointment | 5 business days, plus mailing | The District’s own apostille office is separate from the U.S. Department of State, which handles the FBI check and the Certificate of Coverage from a different building. | |
| West Virginia | $10 for the first document, $5 for each further one from the same official | Same day, often within minutes, at the Charleston counter | 3 to 6 business days, plus mailing | ||
| Wisconsin | $10 per document ($35 expedited) | Same day expedited at the State Capitol | 7 to 20 days standard; 2 to 4 business days expedited | ||
| Wyoming | $20 per document, at most $100 per request | Same day at the Cheyenne counter | About 2 weeks, plus mailing |
Checked on 9 October 2026 against each office’s own page where we could reach it, and against other recent sources where we could not. Fees change, so confirm on the office’s site, linked in each row, before you pay.
Fees that changed recently
- Kansas went from $7.50 to $10 per document on 2 March 2026.
- Hawaii charges $3 until the end of 2026 and $5 from 1 January 2027.
- Connecticut keeps its $40 fee and, from 1 July 2026, can issue the apostille electronically at the same price.
Directories that copy each other still show the old figures for these states, and for South Carolina and Wyoming, whose own pages now list $5 and $20.
What the fee does not cover
The state fee pays for the apostille and nothing else. A notarized copy of a diploma costs the notary’s fee first. New York’s county clerk certification has its own charge. Mail both ways is yours to pay, and many offices ask for a prepaid return envelope. Private apostille services quote $100 or more per document because they add their own fee, courier and waiting in line for you.
If the documents are for Spain
Spain asks for the apostille first and the sworn translation after it, by a translator on the Spanish Foreign Ministry’s register, so the translation covers the apostille page too. The translation checklist says which documents need one, and the document checklist puts them in order. For a Digital Nomad Visa, the university degree is the only document that needs a notary.
Frequently asked questions
The state that issued it, wherever you live now. A birth certificate from Ohio is apostilled by the Ohio Secretary of State even if you live in Texas. A notarized document is apostilled by the state that commissioned the notary.
At state level, from $1 per document in Michigan to $40 in Connecticut. Federal documents cost $20 each at the U.S. Department of State. Notary fees, county clerk certifications and shipping come on top.
At the U.S. Department of State, because the FBI is a federal agency. A state apostille is not valid on an FBI check, and neither is a notary stamp.
Not for certified copies of vital records, which already carry an official’s signature. A private document such as a university diploma needs a notarized copy first, and the apostille then goes on the notary’s signature.
Sources: each state office’s own page, linked in the table; the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications; Kansas Secretary of State fee notice (2026); Hawaii Administrative Rules, chapter 3 on apostilles (2025); Connecticut Senate Bill 294 (2026).