Apostille & legalization
Get US documents recognized abroad — birth certificates, diplomas, FBI checks, powers of attorney, corporate filings. Apostille agents that file, track, and deliver.
120+
Countries covered
5–10 days
Avg. turnaround
24 hrs
Rush available
All
Embassy legalizations
If your destination country is a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention (most of Europe, Latin America, and Asia), a single apostille certificate from the issuing state or federal authority is enough. If not — UAE, China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and others — you'll need full consular legalization: notarization, county clerk certification, state authentication, US State Department certification, and finally embassy stamping. NotarySeal agents handle both paths.
State-issued documents (birth and marriage certificates, state-issued IDs, notarized affidavits) get apostilled by the Secretary of State in the issuing state. Federal documents (FBI background checks, IRS letters, FDA certificates, USPTO assignments) require the US State Department's Office of Authentications in Washington, DC. Most apostille agents on NotarySeal can process both, with courier service to skip the State Department mail queue.
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature and seal on a public document so it's recognized in any country that joined the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. It eliminates the need for embassy legalization between member countries.
Standard state-level processing runs 5–15 business days. Federal apostilles from the US State Department typically take 8–12 weeks by mail, or 1–2 days with expedited courier service through a NotarySeal apostille agent.
State filing fees are $5–$50 per document. Full-service apostille agents typically charge $75–$200 per document including filing, courier, and tracking — more for federal or rush service.
Birth, marriage, and death certificates, FBI background checks, diplomas and transcripts, powers of attorney, corporate documents, single-status affidavits, adoption paperwork, and any notarized agreement intended for use abroad.
You'll need consular legalization instead: state authentication, then US State Department certification, then the destination country's embassy. NotarySeal agents handle both apostille and embassy legalization.