Texas Apostille and Authentication
State authentication
Apostille and Authentication in Texas
What Texas requires before a document issued or notarised there can be authenticated, and what happens after.
- Issued by
- Texas Secretary of State, Authentications Unit
- County step
- Not required
- State fee
- $15.00 per document
- Typical time
- Up to two weeks from receipt for mailed requests; varies with volume
- Federal fee
- $20 per document
What Texas requires of the document
- The Authentications Unit is the only office in Texas that can authenticate Texas public records for use abroad.
Where to send it
By post: Texas Secretary of State, Authentications Unit, P.O. Box 13550, Austin, TX 78711-3550
Timing: Up to two weeks from receipt for mailed requests; varies with volume
Texas 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 Texas require a county clerk certification first?
No. Texas 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 Texas. Where does it go?
To Texas. Authentication follows the document, not the person. Where you live has no bearing on it.
Can Texas 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 Texas charge?
$15.00 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.
