Andrii Co.
Notary Public
United States

Apostille in Federal — U.S. Department of State

Verified as of

Everything below is transcribed from this office's own published sources and printed in its words. A value we could not confirm against an official page carries an unverified marker — but the absence of that marker is not a guarantee that a fact was checked, and the source's own doubts stay inside the notes reproduced here verbatim. Confirm fees, addresses and deadlines with the office before you send documents or money.

Who issues the apostille

Competent authority

U.S. Department of State — Office of Authentications

Issues apostilles (Hague countries) and authentication certificates (non-Hague countries) for documents issued by the U.S. federal government. State-issued documents (birth certificates, state notarizations, etc.) go to the state competent authority, NOT the federal office. The $8.00 fee figure still shown on the HCCH authorities page is OUTDATED — the current fee is $20 per document. Fax on HCCH listing: +1 (202) 663-3636

Which documents this office will accept

From the source

Document must be "an original or certified copy"; "seals and signatures are originals"; must include "legible signature of the official's name, printed name and title, and seal of the agency." Warning verbatim: "Do not notarize your document. Your document will no longer be valid if it is notarized." (applies to federal-agency documents; a translation, if needed, is what gets notarized)

By document type

Document typeWhat this office requires
electronically/digitally signed federal documents (e.g., the digitally signed FBI eDO PDF) unverified

no explicit policy published — travel.state.gov requires that "seals and signatures are originals" on an "original or certified copy"

(unverified whether a printed digitally-signed FBI Identity History Summary is accepted; practitioners commonly submit the printed FBI PDF, but no official statement located on travel.state.gov)

“Unverified” marks a value we could not confirm against an official page. Facts without the marker are not therefore audited — always confirm money and addresses with the office before you send anything.

Certifications you may need first

No additional certification step is required before the apostille.

The request form

Form

A PDF request form.

Form number

DS-4194

From the source

Form DS-4194, "Request for Authentications Service" — "Be sure to list the country in which you will use the document" (the destination country is required on the form)

Requesting online

Online route

There is no online request route — this office takes requests on paper.

From the source

No online submission or tracking portal; status checks via the Contact Us web form or phone

Where to go in person

Washington, D.C.

600 19th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006
Access

Open for walk-in service.

No appointment is needed.

Hours

"7:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except for federal holidays"

Same-day service

Not offered.

Cut-off

Walk-in drop-off/pickup: NO appointment needed, but only "Mondays through Thursdays between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m."

From the source

Same-day service exists ONLY via emergency (life-or-death) appointment, Mon–Thu 10:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (email authcert@state.gov)

What it costs

Fee

$20.00 USD per document

"$20 per document" — a "$20 nonrefundable fee for each document." (The $8.00 figure still shown on the HCCH authorities page is OUTDATED.)

How to pay

By mail

Check or money order.

In person

Card payment.

Make it payable to

U.S. Department of State

Copy that exactly as written.

From the source

Payment differs BY CHANNEL. By mail: "check or money order. Make them payable to the U.S. Department of State. Do not send cash or credit card information." In person: "credit card, debit card, or a contactless form of payment such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. We do not accept cash, check, or money order." (contactless wallets represented under the card token)

Where to send your documents

Mailing address
Office of Authentications
U.S. Department of State
44132 Mercure Circle
P.O. Box 1206
Sterling, VA 20166-1206

How long it takes

By mail

Mail: "within five weeks from the date we receive it" (page banner: "5+ Weeks")

In person

In-person walk-in drop-off: "seven business days" (banner: "2-3 Weeks") — documents are NOT processed while you wait (pick up ~7 business days later)

Expedited

Emergency appointment: processed "same day as your appointment" (banner: "Under 2 Weeks") — life-or-death emergencies only: email authcert@state.gov with "Proof of international travel within two weeks" and "Proof that an immediate family member has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness or injury"

Checking status and verifying an apostille

Verify an issued apostille

No public verification register is published for this office. That is not the same as an apostille being unverifiable — ask the office how it confirms one.

Check a request's status

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/contact-us/authentications.html

No online tracking portal. Status checks via the Contact Us web form ("We will respond to you within 7 days" / "via email or phone call in the next week") or phone 202-485-8000, hours "9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST Monday through Friday"

Remote online notarization

This authority issues apostilles but commissions no notaries, so there are no remote-notarization rules at this level. They belong to the state or province where the notary holds their commission.

Other things the source says

Documents that require the FEDERAL apostille are those signed by a "U.S. federal official," "U.S. consular officer," "Military notary or judge advocate," or "Foreign consul registered with the U.S. Department of State's Office of Protocol." Examples listed on travel.state.gov: "FBI background checks issued by U.S. Department of Justice" (FBI Identity History Summary) and "Federal court documents ... issued by U.S. Department of Justice" [sic]; "Certification of U.S. tax residency issued by Internal Revenue Service (IRS)" (Form 6166); USDA animal and plant certifications; USPTO patent and trademark applications; DHS certificate of naturalization; documents issued by the "Environmental Protection Agency, Social Security Administration, or Office of Personnel Management". FDA export certificates and DEA documents are federal-agency documents and follow the same route but are not itemized by name on the examples list (unverified as named examples — the "any U.S. federal official" rule covers them). E-register: no public online e-register for federal apostilles was located on travel.state.gov (unverified — no e-register page found as of Aug 2026); verification of an issued federal apostille is by contacting the Office of Authentications. Emergency appointments: authcert@state.gov

Every United States jurisdiction in this handbook

Other countries: Canada — Federal — Global Affairs Canada · Mexico — Federal — Secretaría de Gobernación (SEGOB)

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