A federal apostille is an apostille certificate issued by the U.S. Department of State for certain U.S. federal documents that will be used in Hague Apostille Convention countries. It confirms the authenticity of the federal signature or seal on the document for international recognition.

An apostille is used when the destination country is part of the Hague Apostille Convention. An authentication is used when the destination country is not in the Hague Convention; it is often followed by embassy or consulate legalization depending on that country’s rules.

You typically need U.S. Department of State processing for federal documents such as FBI background checks, certain federal agency letters, and other documents bearing a federal signature or seal. State-issued vital records or notarized documents are usually processed at the state level first.

The destination country determines whether you need an apostille (Hague) or authentication (non-Hague). If you are unsure, we can help you identify the correct route based on your destination country and document type so you avoid rejections and delays.

Yes. FederalApostille.org supports nationwide mail-in service for federal apostille and authentication processing. Clients from any state can submit documents by shipping them to our processing address using tracked courier methods.

No. FederalApostille.org is a private, independent courier and document handling service. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of State or any government agency.

Yes. FBI Identity History Summary reports are one of the most common federal documents that require U.S. Department of State apostille (for Hague countries) or authentication (for non-Hague countries).