Fifty-one competent authorities — the fifty states and the District of Columbia — issue apostilles for documents created within their borders. They share one legal framework (the Hague Convention and the U.S. designation of authorities) and differ in almost every operational detail. This page is the common ground; the state directory has the specifics.
What a state authority authenticates
A state apostille certifies the signature, capacity and seal of a state or local official or a notary commissioned by that state. That covers vital records signed by registrars, court records certified by clerks, documents issued by state agencies and boards, corporate filings certified by the Secretary of State, and any private document with a notarial certificate. It never covers signatures of federal officials — those go to the U.S. Department of State.
Which state
The state whose official signed. A Texas birth certificate is apostilled by Texas; a document notarized in Georgia, by Georgia — wherever the holder lives and whatever state the rest of the file comes from. Mixed files simply go to several states in parallel.
The operational differences
Fees
Per-document fees run from $1 (Michigan) to $40 (Connecticut). A few states charge nothing for adoption documents or set different fees for notarized vs. clerk-certified records. Fees are listed on every state page and in the comparison table.
Submission methods
Every state accepts mailed requests. Walk-in service exists in most capitals, often with appointment requirements or daily caps. Online ordering is available in 15 jurisdictions (Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin), and electronic apostilles are issued by Connecticut, Kentucky, Utah.
County certification
In Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Tennessee some or all notarized documents must first be certified by the county clerk. Elsewhere the notarized document goes straight to the state.
Vital records rules
States differ on whether county registrar copies are accepted, how recent the registrar's signature must be, and whether certified copies need a certificate of incumbency. The birth certificate page covers the patterns.
Certificate type
All states issue both apostilles (Hague destinations) and authentication certificates (non-Hague destinations); several have moved to a single universal certificate. The request form's destination field controls which is issued.
How a state apostille compares with the federal one
| State | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing office | Secretary of State or equivalent, 51 offices | U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications, one office |
| Documents | State/local signatures, notarizations | Federal signatures, consular notarizations |
| Fee | $1–$40 per document | $20 per document |
| Typical turnaround | Same day to ~3 weeks | ~7 business days walk-in; up to 5 weeks by mail |
| Electronic apostilles | 3 states | Not offered |