Minnesota Apostille and Authentication
State authentication
Apostille and Authentication in Minnesota
What Minnesota requires before a document issued or notarised there can be authenticated, and what happens after.
- Issued by
- Minnesota Secretary of State, Certification
- County step
- Not required
- State fee
- $5.00 per document
- Typical time
- About two business days, excluding post
- Federal fee
- $20 per document
What Minnesota requires of the document
- The document must be a certified Minnesota public record or notarised by a Minnesota notary.
- The commonest failures are an improper notarial certificate and a notary commission that is not valid or whose stamp does not match.
Where to send it
By post: Minnesota Secretary of State - Certification, First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, Saint Paul, MN 55101
Timing: About two business days, excluding post
Minnesota 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 Minnesota require a county clerk certification first?
No. Minnesota 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 Minnesota. Where does it go?
To Minnesota. Authentication follows the document, not the person. Where you live has no bearing on it.
Can Minnesota 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 Minnesota charge?
$5.00 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.
