Alabama Apostille and Authentication
State authentication
Apostille and Authentication in Alabama
What Alabama requires before a document issued or notarised there can be authenticated, and what happens after.
- Issued by
- Alabama Secretary of State
- County step
- Required
- State fee
- $5.00 per apostille
- Typical time
- Same day walk-in; about five business days by post
- Federal fee
- $20 per document
The county step, which most people miss
Before the Alabama Secretary of State will act on a notarised document, the notary must be certified by the probate judge in the county where the notary is commissioned.
Skipping it means the state returns the package untouched, usually a week or two later, and the whole chain restarts. It is the most common single reason a Alabama document is rejected before it ever reaches a federal desk.
What Alabama requires of the document
- A notarised document needs the notary commission certified by the probate judge of the county where the notary is commissioned, before the Secretary of State will act. This is unique to Alabama.
Where to send it
By post: Alabama Secretary of State, P.O. Box 5616, Montgomery, AL 36103-5616
By courier: 11 South Union Street, Suite 224, Montgomery, AL 36130
Timing: Same day walk-in; about five business days by post
Alabama Secretary of State: apostilles and authentications
Checked against the state's own page on 8 September 2026.
After the state
If the destination is in the Hague Apostille Convention, the state apostille ends the chain. If it is not, the document then needs U.S. Department of State authentication and legalisation by that country’s mission.
Questions people actually ask
Does Alabama require a county step?
Yes. A notarised document must be certified by the probate judge in the county where the notary is commissioned before the Secretary of State will act on it. Skipping this is the most common reason a Alabama package is returned.
I live elsewhere but my document is from Alabama. Where does it go?
To Alabama. Authentication follows the document, not the person. Where you live has no bearing on it.
Can Alabama authenticate my FBI background check?
No. An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal document and no state can certify a federal signature. It goes straight to the U.S. Department of State.
What does Alabama charge?
$5.00 per apostille This was checked against the official page for that state on 8 September 2026. Fees change without notice, so confirm before filing.
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.
