Apostille Services in Dover, DE
Delaware is unusual, and Dover is the reason. There is no separate authentications office in this state: Delaware apostilles are issued by the Delaware Division of Corporations in Dover, the same office that holds the records of more corporate entities than Delaware has residents. A federal document — an FBI background check, a naturalization certificate, an IRS Form 6166 — is a different route entirely, authenticated by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC. We file both.
Our Delaware filings are hand-delivered at the Dover counter by a local partner we work with directly, which is why the state leg of a Delaware order is measured in hours rather than mail days. Intake review, the federal leg and tracked return stay with our own staff. You order online.
- Delaware documents are filed at
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Dover
- Our price, Delaware documents
- $150 per document
- Our price, federal documents
- $120 per document
- County certification first in Delaware
- Not required
What we file for Dover clients
Delaware documents
$150 per document
Filed with the Delaware Division of Corporations in Dover, in person.
- Birth, marriage, death certificates and divorce decrees
- Notarized documents: powers of attorney, affidavits, consents
- Diplomas, transcripts and academic records
- Corporate records: good standing, incorporation, resolutions
- State court orders: name change, adoption, probate, guardianship
- Driving records and certified copies of state-issued ID
Federal documents
$120 per document
Hand-delivered to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC by our own staff.
- FBI Identity History Summary (background check)
- Certificate of Naturalization (N-550, N-570)
- Certificate of Citizenship (N-560, N-561)
- IRS Form 6166 and Treasury documents
- FDA, USPTO and other federal agency certificates
- Military records and DD-214
Federal court documents
$195 per document
A federal court record is apostilled by the clerk of the court that issued it — for this region, the U.S. District Court, District of Delaware. It does not go to the Department of State at all.
- Certified copies of judgments, decrees and orders
- Certificates of good standing for attorneys
- Bankruptcy court records
- Naturalization records held by the court
- Certificates of no record
Priced flat, plus shipping to the courthouse and back to you.
What Delaware requires
- Delaware does not require a county-clerk certification first.
- Requests hand-delivered to the Dover counter are typically completed within about two hours; posted requests are usually processed on the business day they arrive, though the Division notes that regular processing varies with volume.
- A cover memo naming the purpose and the destination country has to accompany the filing. This is the step people most often leave out.
- Bundled “one-cover” certifications are not accepted — each document is certified on its own.
- Only Delaware-issued or Delaware-notarized documents qualify. Federal records go to the U.S. Department of State instead.
More detail, with sources: our full guide to Delaware apostilles filed in Dover. The cover-memo rule, the two-hour counter turnaround and the document-by-document requirements are set out there with sources.
Why we work with a local partner in Dover
A Delaware apostille and document courier based in Dover, working the Division of Corporations counter as routine daily business.
- Hand-delivers Delaware filings at the Dover counter, where the Division’s own published turnaround for walk-in work is about two hours.
- Knows the cover-memo and single-certification rules that send posted filings back, and checks for them before the document reaches the window.
- Can collect and return documents inside Delaware when a file is too time-critical to post twice.
We work with this partner directly and manage the file end to end. Your order, your invoice, your tracking and your point of contact stay with us.
Delaware generates apostille work out of all proportion to its population, and almost none of it is local. More than a million business entities are registered here, which means certificates of incorporation, certificates of good standing, certified charters, apostilled board resolutions and authenticated franchise-tax records are constantly being sent abroad to open bank accounts, register subsidiaries, close acquisitions and satisfy foreign regulators. The entity is in Dover; the people who need the paperwork are in London, Dubai, São Paulo and Singapore.
That is exactly the kind of filing where a two-hour counter visit beats a postal round trip, and where the formal details decide the outcome. Delaware will refuse a bundled certification covering several documents and will not process a filing without a cover memo naming the purpose and destination country — two requirements that have nothing to do with the document itself and everything to do with how it is presented at the window.
How your order runs
- Tell us what the document is and where it is goingThe destination country decides the route: a Hague member takes an apostille, everywhere else takes authentication plus embassy legalization. Delaware also requires the purpose and the destination country to be named in a cover memo filed with the document.
- Upload it, or post the originalSome documents can be filed from a digital copy; vital records, notarized originals and certified court copies have to travel. Intake review tells you which before you post anything.
- We check it before it is filedA defective or expired notarial certificate is the usual reason a filing comes back, rather than anything wrong with the document. That check happens here, not at the counter.
- Filed in person — Dover for Delaware documents, Washington, DC for federalDelaware documents are hand-delivered at the Delaware Division of Corporations by our local partner. Federal documents are hand-delivered at the U.S. Department of State by our own staff. Federal court documents go to the clerk of the issuing court.
- Tracked return, or straight on to your recipientThe apostilled original comes back to you by tracked courier, or ships directly to a foreign recipient if that is faster. A scan is available the moment the apostille is issued.
What it costs in Dover
| What | Price | What that includes |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware state document | $150 per document | Includes the Delaware filing fee. |
| Federal document | $120 per document | Includes the U.S. Department of State fee. |
| Federal court document | $195 per document | Flat. Shipping to the courthouse and back is billed separately. |
| Expedited return — uploaded Delaware documents | +$75 per document | 1–3 business day return. Not available on vital records or mailed-in originals. |
| Tracked shipping | from $25 per leg | International delivery is priced at checkout. |
| Card processing | shown before you pay | Itemised on the quote. Nothing is added after you have paid. |
Government filing fees are included in the per-document price. Embassy legalization, certified translation and notarization are separate services and are quoted before you pay.
Where we serve from Dover
Documents reach us by upload or tracked post, so nothing here depends on how close you are to Dover. These are the places our Delaware filings most often come from.
- Dover
- Dover Air Force Base
- Camden-Wyoming
- Smyrna
- Milford
- Harrington
- Felton
- Clayton
- Kent County
- Wilmington
- Newark
- Bear
- Glasgow
- Middletown
- New Castle
- Claymont
- Elsmere
- Hockessin
- New Castle County
- Georgetown
- Seaford
- Laurel
- Millsboro
- Lewes
- Rehoboth Beach
- Sussex County
Questions people ask about Dover apostilles
Do you have a walk-in office in Dover?
No. We do not operate a public counter in Dover, and we would rather say so than publish an address we do not occupy. Orders are placed online, documents reach us by upload or tracked post, and our Delaware filings are hand-delivered at the Delaware Division of Corporations counter by the local partner we work with. Our own staffed offices are in Washington, DC, New York, Tallahassee and Irvine.
How much does a Delaware apostille cost?
Delaware state documents are $150 per document, which includes the state’s own filing fee. Federal documents are $120 per document, government fees included. Federal court documents are $195 per document plus two-way shipping, because the clerk of the issuing court certifies those directly. Tracked shipping starts at $25 per leg, and the card processing fee is shown before you pay.
How fast is a Delaware apostille?
The state leg is quick: the Division of Corporations completes hand-delivered requests in about two hours, and usually processes posted requests on the day they arrive, subject to volume. The honest constraint is shipping, not filing — getting the original document to us and the apostilled original back to you. Uploaded Delaware documents other than vital records can be expedited to a 1–3 business day return for $75 per document.
Can you apostille a Delaware certificate of good standing or incorporation?
Yes, and it is the kind of Delaware filing we see most often. Certificates of good standing, certified copies of charters and amendments, certificates of incorporation and formation, and apostilled corporate resolutions are all Division of Corporations work and all route through Dover. Tell us the destination country at intake, because the cover memo filed with the state has to name it.
Does Delaware need a county certification first?
No. Delaware is not one of the states that insert a county-level step, so a properly notarized Delaware document goes directly to the state.
Our company is registered in Delaware but we are not. Does that matter?
Not at all, and it describes most of our Delaware clients. Authentication follows the document: a Delaware entity’s records are certified in Dover whether the directors sit in New York, Dubai or Singapore. We file in Dover and ship wherever the file has to go, including internationally.
The destination country is not in the Hague Convention. What changes?
An apostille will not be accepted. The document needs state or federal authentication followed by legalization at that country’s embassy or consulate, which is a longer and country-specific chain. We handle that route as well; the per-country requirements are in our embassy legalization guide.
What to do next
Start the order online and the intake review tells you which route your document takes, what it will cost and a realistic date before you post anything. If you would rather ask a person first, call or text (760) 469-2997 or email us.
- Start an order
- our full guide to Delaware apostilles filed in Dover
- Federal court document apostille
- Embassy legalization for non-Hague countries
Start an orderCall or text (760) 469-2997submissions@federalapostille.org
Our other partner locations
FederalApostille.org is a private document processing service. We are not a government agency and we do not operate a public counter in Dover; Delaware filings are hand-delivered by the local partner we work with, and federal filings by our own staff in Washington, DC. Government requirements and fees change without notice, so confirm anything critical with the receiving authority before posting documents.