How to Apostille US Documents for a Visa: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

Reader, before you start: this guide is for US citizens assembling documents for a long-stay visa or residence permit — a consulate checklist has told you a paper “must be apostilled,” and you need to know where to send it. It assumes the document already exists (you have, or are about to order, your FBI background check, birth certificate, or marriage certificate). It does not cover apostilling documents issued by other countries — an apostille on a US document is always issued in the US, by a US authority.

What this guide covers

You booked the consulate appointment, you printed the document checklist, and one line stopped you cold: “must be apostilled.” Nobody told you what that means, the notary down the street gave you a blank look, and the clock on your appointment is running.

Here is the reassuring part. For most documents, an apostille is a routine government step you can do yourself, by mail, for about $20. The only real skill is sending each document to the right office — and that is the one thing every sales-funnel “apostille service” page is careful not to explain clearly.

• Whether your document is federal (goes to the US Department of State) or state (goes to a state Secretary of State)
• The exact FBI-background-check chain that trips up nearly every Spain, Portugal, and Thailand applicant
• Real fees, real processing times, and the document-expiration trap that wrecks timelines
• When an apostille is the wrong certificate entirely (the Hague vs non-Hague split)

The 60-second answer

An apostille is a certificate that proves your US public document is genuine, so a foreign government will accept it. It exists because of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, a treaty whose members agree to recognize each other’s documents with this single certificate (HCCH).

Where you send the document depends entirely on who issued it:

• Federal documents — FBI background check, IRS letters, naturalization or citizenship papers, anything signed by a US federal official → the US Department of State, Office of Authentications ($20 per document; about five weeks by mail).
• State documents — birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, diplomas, notarized affidavits → the Secretary of State of the state that issued the record (fees and times vary by state).

Two warnings to bank right now. The FBI does not apostille its own background check — you order the check, then send it to the State Department. And if your destination country is not in the Hague Convention, you do not need an apostille at all; you need full authentication plus consular legalization, which is a longer chain.

What an apostille is (and how it differs from notarizing)

An apostille validates the origin of a public document — it confirms the signature, seal, or stamp on the document is real and that the official who signed it had the authority to. It does not say anything about the contents. It is not a translation, and it is not a notarization.

That last distinction matters because people conflate the two and break their documents. A notary witnesses a signature on a document you create — an affidavit, a power of attorney, a sworn statement. An apostille is issued later, by a government authentication office, on top of a public document. You sometimes notarize first and apostille second (for an affidavit). You sometimes skip notarization entirely (for a certified birth certificate). Mixing those up is the single most common rejection cause — more on that below.

The State Department issues two different certificates from the same office, and which one you get is automatic, based on your destination country.

Apostille vs authentication certificate vs consular legalization

Destination country	What you need	Issued by
In the 1961 Hague Convention (Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, and 120+ others)	Apostille certificate	US authentication office only
Not in the Convention	Authentication certificate + consular legalization	US authentication office, then that country’s US embassy/consulate

The US Department of State’s Office of Authentications issues both an apostille (for Hague members) and an authentication certificate (for non-members) — same office, same $20 fee, different certificate (US Department of State). For a non-Hague country, the authentication certificate is only step one; you then take the document to that country’s embassy or consulate in the US for the final legalization stamp. Most of this site’s target countries are Hague members, so an apostille is usually what you need — but confirm your specific country on the HCCH status table before you mail anything.

Step 1 — Decide if your document is federal or state

This is the decision that fixes everything. Get it right and the rest is mailing envelopes. Get it wrong and your document comes back unprocessed, weeks later, with your appointment looming.

Document	Type	Send it to
FBI Identity History Summary (background check)	Federal	US Department of State, Office of Authentications
IRS letter (e.g., Letter 147C, tax transcript)	Federal	US Department of State, Office of Authentications
Naturalization / citizenship certificate	Federal	US Department of State, Office of Authentications
Birth certificate	State	Secretary of State of the issuing state
Marriage certificate / divorce decree	State	Secretary of State of the issuing state
Diploma / university transcript	State	Secretary of State of the issuing state
Notarized affidavit (single-status, etc.)	State	Secretary of State of the state where notarized

The rule behind the table: federal documents are authenticated by the federal government; state-issued records by the state that holds the record. A document never needs both. And “the issuing state” is the state that created the record — if you were born in Ohio but live in Texas today, your birth certificate is apostilled by Ohio, not Texas.

How to apostille an FBI background check

This is the visa applicant’s number-one case, because Spain’s non-lucrative visa, Portugal’s D8 visa, and Thailand’s retirement visa all require a federal criminal background check. It is a two-step chain, and the FBI doing only the first step is what confuses everyone.

1. Order the FBI Identity History Summary. Request it directly from the FBI online or by mail. The fee is $18 (FBI). This is the official name for what people call the “FBI background check” or “rap sheet.”
2. Or use an FBI-approved channeler for speed. A channeler is a private company the FBI authorizes to process the request faster, often returning results in days instead of weeks. The FBI’s list of approved channelers is the only list to trust. Some channelers also offer to handle the apostille step for an added fee.
3. Send the FBI result to the US Department of State for the apostille. The FBI confirms that documents it authenticates “may then be sent to the U.S. Department of State by the requestor to obtain an apostille if necessary.” The FBI does not apostille it for you.

The trap: applicants get the $18 FBI check, see an official seal, and assume that is the apostille. It is not. Without the State Department certificate on top, the consulate will reject it.

How to apostille a state document

For a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or affidavit, the path runs through your state — never the federal government.

1. Get a certified copy from the issuing state’s vital-records office. This is an official copy with a registrar’s certificate and an original seal — not a photocopy, and not the souvenir certificate from the hospital. The State Department defines a certified copy as “a copy of a primary document with a certificate on it that it is the true copy,” and requires that seals and signatures be originals with a date of issuance (US Department of State).
2. For an affidavit you create, notarize it first — in the state where you will apostille it.
3. Send it to that state’s Secretary of State for the apostille. Fees and processing times vary widely by state, so check your specific state’s Secretary of State authentication page for its current fee and turnaround.

Do not notarize a certified vital record. The State Department is explicit: “Do not notarize your document. Your document will no longer be valid if it is notarized” (US Department of State). Notarization is for affidavits you sign — not for a birth or marriage certificate the state already certified. Take a certified vital record to a notary “to be safe” and you have just broken the chain of authentication and bought yourself a new certified copy and a fresh wait.

Fees, timelines, and the expiration clock

For the federal path, the numbers are fixed nationwide. For the state path, only your state can tell you — so the table below covers the federal side and the FBI check.

Item	Cost	Timeline	Source
FBI Identity History Summary	$18	Varies; faster via channeler	FBI
State Dept apostille — by mail	$20 per document	Within ~5 weeks of receipt	US Department of State
State Dept apostille — walk-in drop-off	$20 per document	~7 business days	US Department of State
State Dept apostille — emergency appointment	$20 per document	Same day	US Department of State

Three details on the federal options. The $20 fee is per document, not per page, and you pay it whether you receive an apostille or a correspondence letter back. By mail you submit Form DS-4194 with a check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State — no cash or card (US Department of State). The walk-in drop-off in Washington, DC is limited to one request per customer per day, maximum 15 documents, 7:30–9:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and pays by card or contactless only. The emergency same-day appointment is reserved for travelers who must depart within two weeks because of a family member’s death, critical illness, or serious injury — not for a routine appointment you scheduled late.

The mail-in address is:

U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications, PO Box 1206, Sterling, VA 20166-1206

The expiration clock is the part that catches people. Many consulates require the police check or civil-status document to have been issued within the last 3–6 months — and some count the apostille date, not the document date. A five-week federal apostille turnaround can eat most of that window before your appointment. The rule: order the FBI check and apostille first, before you lock the consulate date, not the week before. Confirm your specific visa’s recency rule on the matching guide on this site or with the consulate directly.

Do you need a translation too?

Often, yes. Many consulates require a sworn or certified translation of the apostilled document into the destination language. Sometimes the translation must be done by a consulate-approved or “sworn” translator; sometimes the translation itself must be apostilled. This is country-specific — the apostille step above is the same everywhere, but translation rules are not. Check your consulate’s exact wording, and handle the translation after the apostille, so the translator can render the apostille certificate too.

Common pitfalls — what they don’t tell you

• Sending a state document to the federal office (or vice versa). A birth certificate mailed to the State Department comes back unprocessed. The State Department only authenticates federal documents and documents already authenticated at the state level for non-Hague legalization. Route by issuer.
• Expecting the FBI to apostille its own check. The FBI issues the background check; the State Department apostilles it. Two offices, two steps. Budget time for both.
• Notarizing a certified vital record. Covered above, and worth repeating because it is the most expensive mistake — you invalidate the document and start over.
• Using the wrong state. Your birth certificate is apostilled by the state you were born in, not the state you live in now. If those differ, you are mailing out of state.
• Getting an apostille for a non-Hague country. If your destination is not a Convention member, an apostille is the wrong certificate — you need authentication plus consular legalization. Check the HCCH status table first.
• Starting too late. The five-week federal window plus the FBI-check wait plus translation can run two months. Begin before you book the consulate appointment.

Should you pay an apostille service?

Honestly: usually not. The DIY federal and state paths are real, official, and cheap — roughly $18 for the FBI check and $20 per apostille, plus postage. Paid expediters and channelers sell you two things: speed and hand-holding. Under genuine deadline pressure — a consulate date you cannot move and a document still in transit — paying for a channeler’s fast FBI check or a courier’s same-week DC drop-off can be worth it.

What they are not is mandatory. Every “apostille service” page that implies the process is too complex to do yourself is selling that impression. You now know the routing, the offices, the fees, and the traps. Pay for speed if your timeline demands it, eyes open — not because you were told the free path doesn’t exist.

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean to apostille a document?

To apostille a document is to attach an official certificate that verifies its signature and seal are genuine, so a foreign government will accept it. The certificate exists under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. It does not change or translate the document — it authenticates its origin for international use.

Is an apostille the same as notarizing?

No. A notary witnesses a signature on a document you sign, like an affidavit. An apostille is issued later by a government authentication office and confirms an official’s signature or seal is real. For some documents you notarize first, then apostille. For a certified vital record, you skip notarization entirely — notarizing it invalidates it.

How do I apostille my FBI background check?

Order the FBI Identity History Summary ($18) directly or through an FBI-approved channeler, then mail the result to the US Department of State, Office of Authentications, with Form DS-4194 and the $20 fee. The FBI does not apostille the check itself — the State Department does.

Do I send my birth certificate to the state or the federal government?

To the state — specifically, the Secretary of State of the state that issued the certificate. The federal State Department only apostilles federal documents. Order a certified copy from the issuing state’s vital-records office, then send it to that state’s Secretary of State.

How long does a State Department apostille take?

About five weeks from the date they receive a mailed request. The DC walk-in drop-off returns documents in roughly seven business days, and same-day emergency appointments exist only for urgent departures tied to a family member’s death, critical illness, or serious injury.

What’s the difference between an apostille and an authentication certificate?

Both come from the same US office. An apostille is for countries in the 1961 Hague Convention. An authentication certificate is for countries that are not — and it needs a further step, consular legalization at that country’s US embassy. Which one you get is decided automatically by your destination.

Does an apostille expire?

The apostille itself does not, but the underlying document often effectively does for visa purposes. Many consulates require the police check or civil-status document to be recently issued — commonly within 3–6 months. Always confirm your specific visa’s recency rule before you start.

Next steps

The apostille is the first step, not the goal — it exists to make the rest of your visa packet acceptable abroad. Route each document by its issuer, order the FBI check and federal apostille before you book the consulate, and confirm the current $18 / $20 fees and processing times on fbi.gov and travel.state.gov before mailing anything, because they change. Then head to the guide for your specific visa — the Spain non-lucrative visa, Portugal D8, or Thailand retirement visa — for the exact documents that consulate wants apostilled. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

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Sources

• US Department of State — Office of Authentications — accessed 2026-06-23
• US Department of State — Preparing a Document for an Apostille Certificate — accessed 2026-06-23
• US Department of State — Requesting Authentication Services (fee, DS-4194, payment) — accessed 2026-06-23
• FBI — Identity History Summary Checks FAQ ($18 fee, apostille chain) — accessed 2026-06-23
• FBI — List of FBI-Approved Channelers — accessed 2026-06-23
• HCCH — Apostille Section (1961 Hague Convention status table) — accessed 2026-06-23