Seattle Apostille Service

An apostille is an international certification issued under the Hague Convention of 1961. It authenticates the origin of a public document so it is recognized as valid in any of the 125+ member countries. In Washington State, apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State and are attached directly to your original document.

Over 125 countries are members of the Hague Apostille Convention, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, India, Australia, and most of Europe and South America. China joined in November 2023 and Canada joined in January 2024. For countries that are not Hague members, you will need embassy legalization instead — we can advise on which process applies.

Standard processing through our service takes 5–7 business days. We also offer Priority (2–3 business days), Rush (next business day), and Same-Day processing. Same-Day service means we physically walk your documents to the WA Secretary of State office for immediate handling.

The Washington Secretary of State charges a $15 fee per document. Our full-service processing — which includes document review, preparation, submission, and return delivery — ranges from $99 (Standard) to $349 (Same-Day). All of our listed prices already include the $15 state fee, so there are no hidden charges.

Most public documents issued in Washington State can be apostilled, including birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, court orders, articles of incorporation, certificates of good standing, powers of attorney, academic transcripts, diplomas, and any document bearing a Washington notary seal.

It depends on the document type. Government-issued documents (birth, marriage, death certificates) and court documents are typically already eligible for apostille as-is. Private documents — such as personal letters, affidavits, or contracts — usually need to be notarized by a Washington State notary public first. We review every document and advise you on any additional steps needed.

An apostille is a simplified, single-step authentication accepted by all 125+ Hague Convention member countries. Embassy legalization (also called authentication or consularization) is a multi-step process required for countries that are not Hague members. Legalization typically involves the Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State, and then the destination country's embassy — making it more time-consuming and expensive.

An apostille must be issued by the same state that issued the document. If your document was issued in another state (for example, a birth certificate from California), it needs to be apostilled by that state's Secretary of State — not Washington. We can advise you on the process for other states and, in many cases, refer you to a trusted partner in the correct jurisdiction.