Hawaii Apostille and Authentication
State authentication
Apostille and Authentication in Hawaii
What Hawaii requires before a document issued or notarised there can be authenticated, and what happens after.
- Issued by
- Hawaii Office of the Lieutenant Governor
- County step
- Required
- State fee
- Not yet researched
- Typical time
- About four weeks; about six weeks for birth, death, marriage or divorce certificates
- Federal fee
- $20 per document
The county step, which most people miss
Before the Hawaii Secretary of State will act on a notarised document, the notary must be certified by the circuit court for the notary's circuit.
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 Hawaii document is rejected before it ever reaches a federal desk.
What Hawaii requires of the document
- Hawaii also routes authentications through the Lieutenant Governor.
- A notarised document needs the notary commission verified by the circuit court for the notary circuit first.
Where to send it
We have not established Hawaii’s current fee and address from a source that quotes the issuing office directly, and we will not copy one from an industry compilation. Check the official page below. Everything else on this page, including the county-step answer and the issuing authority, still applies.
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 Hawaii require a county step?
Yes. A notarised document must be certified by the circuit court for the notary's circuit before the Secretary of State will act on it. Skipping this is the most common reason a Hawaii package is returned.
I live elsewhere but my document is from Hawaii. Where does it go?
To Hawaii. Authentication follows the document, not the person. Where you live has no bearing on it.
Can Hawaii 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.
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.
