Apostille and Authentication, State by State
State authentication matrix
Apostille and Authentication, State by State
Every U.S. document is authenticated by the state it came from, and seven states insert a county-level step before the Secretary of State will act. No government body publishes a consolidated list of which ones, which is why that step is the single most common reason a package is returned. Here it is for all fifty states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
- Jurisdictions
- 52
- Need a county step
- 7
- Fees researched
- 45 of 52
- Federal fee
- $20 per document
The seven states with a county step
In these states a notarised document must be certified at county level before the Secretary of State will touch it. The office is not the same in each one.
| State | Certify with |
|---|---|
| Alabama | the probate judge in the county where the notary is commissioned |
| Georgia | the clerk of superior court in the county where the notary is commissioned |
| Hawaii | the circuit court for the notary's circuit |
| Kentucky | the county clerk where the notary took their oath |
| Maryland | the clerk of the circuit court in the notary's county |
| New York | the county clerk of the county where the notary is commissioned |
| Tennessee | the county clerk where the notary was commissioned |
Compiled from notary-industry guidance rather than a single federal register, because none exists. Confirm with your Secretary of State before filing, since the requirement can differ by document type even within a state.
The full matrix
| Jurisdiction | County step | Fee | Typical time | Issuing authority | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | No | $5.00 per apostille | Same day at the counter; about fourteen days for mailed orders | Alaska Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Authentications. Alaska has no Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Alabama | Required | $5.00 per apostille | Same day walk-in; about five business days by post | Alabama Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Arkansas | No | $10.00 per apostille | Same day at the counter; about two business days for mailed orders | Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Arizona | No | $3.00 per authentication; walk-in expedite $25.00, limit six documents | Ten to twenty business days by mail; walk-in service available with the expedite fee | Arizona Secretary of State, Apostille Department | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| California | No | $20.00 per apostille, plus $6.00 special handling for each different public official whose signature is authenticated | Processed in the order received; see the state current-processing-times page | California Secretary of State, Notary Public Section | Read from the authority 8 Sep 2026 |
| Colorado | No | $5.00 per apostille | About three to five business days for mailed requests, plus post; expedited walk-in service subject to demand | Colorado Secretary of State, Authentications Program | Read from the authority 8 Sep 2026 |
| Connecticut | No | $40.00 per apostille; $15.00 for adoption documents | Five to seven business days standard; about 24 hours expedited | Connecticut Secretary of the State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| District of Columbia | No | Not yet researched | About one to two business days for DC-issued documents | District of Columbia Office of the Secretary | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Delaware | No | Not yet researched | About five to seven business days | Delaware Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Florida | No | $10.00 per authentication; $20.00 for a document certified by a Florida Clerk of the Court ($10 apostille plus $10 certificate of incumbency) | Generally within five business days of receipt, processed in the order received | Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations | Read from the authority 8 Sep 2026 |
| Georgia | Required | $3.00 per apostille | Same day at the counter, about two days for mailed orders | Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA), not the Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Hawaii | Required | Not yet researched | About four weeks; about six weeks for birth, death, marriage or divorce certificates | Hawaii Office of the Lieutenant Governor | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Iowa | No | $5.00 per apostille or certification | Same day at the counter; about two days for mailed orders | Iowa Secretary of State, Notary Division | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Idaho | No | $10.00 per document | Same day at the counter; about two days for mailed orders | Idaho Secretary of State, Notary Department | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Illinois | No | $2.00 per apostille | Seven to fourteen business days for mailed requests | Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Indiana | No | $2.00 per authentication. Birth and death certificates, student transcripts and diplomas are exempt from the fee | Mailed requests about three to five business days; in person, same day if received by noon | Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Kansas | No | $10.00 per document, effective 2 March 2026 | Three to five business days | Kansas Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Kentucky | Required | $5.00 per apostille, plus $25.00 for expedited service | Same day at the counter; about three days for mailed orders | Kentucky Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Louisiana | No | $20.00 per authentication | Same day at the counter; two to three business days for mailed orders | Louisiana Secretary of State, Commissions Division | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Massachusetts | No | $6.00 per document | Two to three weeks by mail. At the counter, up to three documents while you wait; four or more are ready after 3pm the next business day | Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Maryland | Required | $5.00 per certification or apostille | About 7 to 14 business days by post; walk-in service until 1pm daily | Maryland Secretary of State, Certifications | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Maine | No | $10.00 per document | About five to fifteen business days depending on volume | Maine Secretary of State, Corporations and Commissions | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Michigan | No | $1.00 per document | Same day at the counter, about fourteen days for mailed orders | Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Minnesota | No | $5.00 per document | About two business days, excluding post | Minnesota Secretary of State, Certification | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Missouri | No | $10.00 per apostille | Same day at the counter, about seven to ten days for mailed orders | Missouri Secretary of State, Commissions | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Mississippi | No | Not yet researched | About five to ten business days | Mississippi Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Montana | No | $10.00 per apostille | Same day at the counter; about three to five days for mailed orders | Montana Secretary of State, Notary and Certifications Division | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| North Carolina | No | $10.00 per authentication | About five business days from receipt; same-day service often available in person in Raleigh | North Carolina Secretary of State, Authentications Division | Read from the authority 8 Sep 2026 |
| North Dakota | No | $10.00 per apostille | Same day at the counter; about three days for mailed orders | North Dakota Secretary of State, Authentications Division | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Nebraska | No | $10.00 per document or notarisation, regardless of page count | Normally three to five business days from receipt | Nebraska Secretary of State, Business Services | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| New Hampshire | No | Not yet researched | — | New Hampshire Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| New Jersey | No | $25.00 per document standard, $40.00 per document expedited | About twenty business days standard; expedited within roughly 8.5 business hours | New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| New Mexico | No | Not yet researched | Same day at the counter; about three days for mailed orders | New Mexico Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Nevada | No | $20.00 per document. Expedite options: 24 hour $75, 4 hour $125, 2 hour $500, 1 hour $1,000 | About four to six weeks for regular processing | Nevada Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| New York | Required | $10.00 per document | Same-day walk-in service at New York City, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Utica | New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services | Read from the authority 8 Sep 2026 |
| Ohio | No | $5.00 per apostille or authentication | Two to three days for mailed requests; faster in person | Ohio Secretary of State, Client Service Center | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Oklahoma | No | $25.00 per apostille | Same day at the counter; about one to three business days for mailed orders | Oklahoma Secretary of State, Certification Department | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Oregon | No | $10.00 per document | Same day in person; about a week by post, varying with volume | Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division, Notary Section | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | No | $15.00 per document, not per page | About two to three weeks by mail, excluding mailing time | Pennsylvania Department of State, Apostilles and Certifications | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Puerto Rico | No | $3.00 per document, paid in internal revenue stamps (code R5120), regardless of page count | — | Puerto Rico Department of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Rhode Island | No | Not yet researched | — | Rhode Island Secretary of State, Division of Business Services | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| South Carolina | No | $5.00 per document | Same day in person; about two business days for mailed orders | South Carolina Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| South Dakota | No | $25.00 per document | — | South Dakota Secretary of State, Apostille Office | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Tennessee | Required | $2.00 per apostille | Same day at the counter, about three days for mailed orders | Tennessee Secretary of State, Office of Authentications | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Texas | No | $15.00 per document | Up to two weeks from receipt for mailed requests; varies with volume | Texas Secretary of State, Authentications Unit | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Utah | No | $19.00 per document with three to five business day processing, effective 1 July 2025. Next business day adds $34.00 | Three to five business days standard; next-day and same-day available for an additional fee | Utah Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Utah has no Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Virginia | No | $10.00 per document, and $5.00 for each additional document signed by the same public official on the same date for the same country | About seven days by mail; in person is by appointment only | Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentications | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Vermont | No | $10.00 per apostille or authentication | — | Vermont Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Washington | No | $15.00 per document standard, $50.00 expedited | Same day at the counter, about five to seven days for mailed orders | Washington Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Apostille Program | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Wisconsin | No | $10.00 per document standard, $35.00 per document expedited | Seven to ten or more business days standard; one to three business days expedited; walk-in expedited usually same day | Wisconsin Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| West Virginia | No | $10.00 for the first document, $5.00 for each additional document | Same-day counter service available | West Virginia Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
| Wyoming | No | $20.00 per apostille or authentication | Normally five to seven days | Wyoming Secretary of State | Authority-cited 8 Sep 2026 |
Read from the authority means the figure was taken from that office’s own page. Authority-cited means it came from a source quoting that office directly. A blank means we have not researched it yet, and we would rather show you a blank than a number copied from an industry compilation that may be years stale. The county-step column is complete for every jurisdiction regardless.
Rules that apply in every state
The document follows its origin
Authentication happens in the state that issued the document or commissioned the notary. Moving house changes nothing.
States cannot touch federal documents
An FBI check, IRS letter or naturalisation certificate goes straight to the U.S. Department of State. No state can certify a federal signature.
Apostille or authentication is the destination's choice
Your state issues whichever the destination requires. The filing is usually identical; only the certificate differs.
Fees are per document
Every stage charges per document, including twenty dollars federally. Six documents means six of everything.
Not sure which route your document takes?
Tell us the document and the destination and we will route it, including the county step where one applies.
Questions people actually ask
Which state authenticates my document?
The one it came from. A birth certificate issued in Texas goes to the Texas Secretary of State even if you now live in Ohio. For a notarised document it is the state where the notary holds their commission, not where the document will be used.
What is the county step and why does nobody mention it?
Seven states will not certify a notary directly. A county-level office has to confirm the notary commission first, and the office differs: probate judge in Alabama, clerk of superior court in Georgia, circuit court in Hawaii, county clerk in Kentucky, New York and Tennessee, clerk of the circuit court in Maryland. No government body publishes a consolidated list, which is why it is so often missed.
Can my Secretary of State authenticate a federal document?
No. An FBI background check, an IRS letter or a naturalisation certificate carries a federal signature, and no state can certify that. Those go straight to the U.S. Department of State.
Do I need an apostille or an authentication?
That depends only on the destination country, not on your state. The state issues an apostille for Hague Convention destinations and a certificate of authentication for the rest, and the paperwork you file is usually identical.
Why are fees missing for most states?
Because we only publish figures we have checked against the official page for that state, with the date we checked. State fees and turnaround change without announcement, and a stale number here would cost you more than a blank would.
This guide is published by a private document processing service. It is not legal advice and we are not a government agency. Requirements change without notice, so confirm anything critical with the mission before you post documents.
