Massachusetts Apostille and Authentication
State authentication
Apostille and Authentication in Massachusetts
What Massachusetts requires before a document issued or notarised there can be authenticated, and what happens after.
- Issued by
- Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section
- County step
- Not required
- State fee
- $6.00 per document
- Typical time
- 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
- Federal fee
- $20 per document
What Massachusetts requires of the document
- Cheque or money order payable to Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- Include a prepaid return envelope with mailed requests.
Where to send it
By post: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section, One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108
By courier: Springfield office: 436 Dwight Street, Room 102, Springfield, MA 01103
Timing: 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 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 Massachusetts require a county clerk certification first?
No. Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts. Where does it go?
To Massachusetts. Authentication follows the document, not the person. Where you live has no bearing on it.
Can Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts charge?
$6.00 per document 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.
