Many public documents, such as birth or death certificates, apostille public documents of Divorce, and corporate documents on file with the Secretary of State Corporations Division require a special form of certification for use in foreign jurisdictions. Known as either an Apostille or Authentication, this document confirms the authenticity of the signature and seal on a public document. In 1961 several countries signed a treaty, called the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention). This made it much easier to recognize these documents in other nations. Documents requiring an Apostille are certified at the county or state level, and this certificate serves as a single authentication for all signatory countries. Documents for a country that is not a signatory to the Apostille Convention must be certified at the country’s embassy or consulate in the United States, rather than at the county or state level.

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To obtain an Apostille for a document, you must submit the original certified copy and the completed Authentication Request Form. You will also need the signature of the notary or other public official who signed the document to be apostilled, which must be authenticated in the same manner as the original document. Appointments are available fourteen days in advance and the fees for this service are shown on the Authentication Request Form. Click HERE to view a list of the states that are participants in the Apostille Convention. If you are using a document for a foreign country, foreign embassy or foreign consulate that is not part of the Apostille Convention, you must contact DCJS for instructions on requesting an Authentication.