Michigan Apostille and Authentication
State authentication
Apostille and Authentication in Michigan
What Michigan requires before a document issued or notarised there can be authenticated, and what happens after.
- Issued by
- Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal
- County step
- Not required
- State fee
- $1.00 per document
- Typical time
- Same day at the counter, about fourteen days for mailed orders
- Federal fee
- $20 per document
What Michigan requires of the document
- Mailed payment must be a money order or cheque payable to the State of Michigan.
Where to send it
By post: Michigan Office of the Great Seal, Richard H. Austin Building, 1st Floor, 430 W. Allegan Street, Lansing, MI 48918
Timing: Same day at the counter, about fourteen days for mailed orders
Michigan 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 Michigan require a county clerk certification first?
No. Michigan 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 Michigan. Where does it go?
To Michigan. Authentication follows the document, not the person. Where you live has no bearing on it.
Can Michigan 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 Michigan charge?
$1.00 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.
