State-Issued Apostille Requirements

State-issued documents for use in countries that are members of 1961 Hague Convention must be authenticated by the competent authority in the state where the document was executed.

A state-issued document with an apostille does not require additional certification by the U.S. Department of State or legalization by a U.S. embassy or consulate overseas to be recognized in a participating country.The U.S. Department of State will not issue an apostille for state-issued documents.

State-issued documents for use in countries that are not members of the 1961 Hague Convention may be authenticated with an authentication certificate from the U.S. Department of State. Please see Authentication Certificate Requirements for more information.

    Examples of state and local documents include:

• Birth Certificates
• Marriage Certificates
• Death Certificates
• Divorce Decrees
• Probate Wills
• Judgments

   Requirements for state and local documents include:

• Original or certified document must include the raised and/or stamped seal of the court or department of vital records.

• Must be certified by the Secretary of State from the state in which the documents were issued. The Secretary of State will certify to the official signing the document under the Seal of the State.

Other Documents

Examples of other documents include:

• Affidavits
• Agreements
• Articles of Incorporation
• Bylaws
• Commercial Invoices
• Copy of a U.S. Passport (identification page only)
• Deeds of Assignment
• Diplomas
• Home Study
• Income Verification
• Powers-of-Attorney
• Single Status
• Transcripts
• Other business documents

Requirements for other documents include:

• Must be certified with a stamp or seal by a notary public
• Must be certified by the clerk of court from the county in which the notary is commissioned
• Must be certified by the Secretary of State from the state in which the document was executed
• Documents from the District of Columbia must be certified by the Government of the District of Columbia Notarial Section
• Note: the document doesn't have to be certified by the clerk of court from the county in which the notary is commissioned if the Secretary of State will certify directly to the notary.

In the State of Massachusetts apostilles for certificates of birth, marriage, divorce and death, articles of incorporation, powers of attorney and academic records are issued by the Office of William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Processing Time:

• Walk-in: Same Day (3 documents max)
• Drop-off:  1 Business Days (4+ documents)
• Mail: 2-3 weeks

Where:

Apostilles and Certifications of Documents

Address: One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA   02108

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Cost: $6 Per Document.

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Documents submitted for apostille need to comply with the following guidelines:

Birth, Death, and Marriage certificates and Certificate of Divorce issued by a local or county official or county Department of Health must first be signed by;

• Massachusetts Notary Public
• Justice of the Peace
• City/Town Clerk or assistant
• Court clerk or assistant
• Registrar of Vital Records

Mail-in requests: Form to be completed prior to dropping in and/or mailing out; Apostille/ Certification Request Form

• The country of destination for the documents;
• A check made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and,
• Please enclose a prepaid return envelope to have the documents returned to you.
• If you wish to have the documents returned via Federal Express, DHL, or any other express mail service, please enclose a prepaid return envelope with a billing account number.
• Please be advised that we do not accept credit cards as a form of pre-payment for express mail services.

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Address:

Visit in person or mail documents to:

Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

One Ashburton Place

Room 1719

Boston, MA   02108

Phone: 1-800-392-6090

Email: cis@sec.state.ma.us

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