Arizona Apostille and Authentication
State authentication
Apostille and Authentication in Arizona
What Arizona requires before a document issued or notarised there can be authenticated, and what happens after.
- Issued by
- Arizona Secretary of State, Apostille Department
- County step
- Not required
- State fee
- $3.00 per authentication; walk-in expedite $25.00, limit six documents
- Typical time
- Ten to twenty business days by mail; walk-in service available with the expedite fee
- Federal fee
- $20 per document
What Arizona requires of the document
- The office must receive an original notarised or certified recorded document. A photocopy is not acceptable.
- All mailed requests must include return postage.
- Do not send cash by post. Cheque or money order payable to the Arizona Secretary of State.
Where to send it
By post: Secretary of State, Attn: Apostille Dept., 1700 W. Washington Street, Fl. 7, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2808
By courier: Phoenix counter: 1700 W. Washington Street, 1st Fl., Room 103. Tucson: 400 W. Congress, 1st Fl., Suite 139-1
Timing: Ten to twenty business days by mail; walk-in service available with the expedite fee
Arizona 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 Arizona require a county clerk certification first?
No. Arizona is not among the seven states that insert a county-level step, so a properly notarised document goes directly to the Secretary of State.
I live elsewhere but my document is from Arizona. Where does it go?
To Arizona. Authentication follows the document, not the person. Where you live has no bearing on it.
Can Arizona 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 Arizona charge?
$3.00 per authentication; walk-in expedite $25.00, limit six documents 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.
