# Apostille in Federal — U.S. Department of State

- **Source:** https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/federal/
- **Title:** Apostille in Federal — U.S. Department of State — United States | Andrii Co.
- **Language:** en · also published as Markdown at /{lang}/handbook/apostille/us/federal/index.md for: en

> Apostille guide for Federal — U.S. Department of State, United States: the competent authority is U.S. Department of State — Office of Authentications. Verified 2026-08-09.

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 is marked "(unverified)" — 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.

- **Jurisdiction:** Federal — U.S. Department of State, United States
- **Verified as of:** August 9, 2026

## Who issues the apostille

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 The $8.00 fee figure still shown on the HCCH authorities page is OUTDATED — the current fee is $20 per document.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

- **electronically/digitally signed federal documents (e.g., the digitally signed FBI eDO PDF):** 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)
- **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)

## Certifications you may need first

No additional certification step is required before the apostille.

## The request form

A PDF request form. Form: DS-4194 Download: https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds4194.PDF 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

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

- **$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.
- 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

- 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 request 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

> **RCW 42.45.230(5):** I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in this state. I am not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.

## Other United States jurisdictions (Markdown)

- [Apostille in Federal courts](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/federal-courts/index.md)
- [Apostille in Consular records (CRBA)](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/consular-records/index.md)
- [Apostille in Alabama](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/alabama/index.md)
- [Apostille in Alaska](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/alaska/index.md)
- [Apostille in American Samoa](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/american-samoa/index.md)
- [Apostille in Arizona](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/arizona/index.md)
- [Apostille in Arkansas](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/arkansas/index.md)
- [Apostille in California](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/california/index.md)
- [Apostille in Colorado](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/colorado/index.md)
- [Apostille in Connecticut](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/connecticut/index.md)
- [Apostille in Delaware](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/delaware/index.md)
- [Apostille in District of Columbia](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/district-of-columbia/index.md)
- [Apostille in Florida](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/florida/index.md)
- [Apostille in Georgia](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/georgia/index.md)
- [Apostille in Guam](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/guam/index.md)
- [Apostille in Hawaii](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/hawaii/index.md)
- [Apostille in Idaho](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/idaho/index.md)
- [Apostille in Illinois](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/illinois/index.md)
- [Apostille in Indiana](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/indiana/index.md)
- [Apostille in Iowa](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/iowa/index.md)
- [Apostille in Kansas](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/kansas/index.md)
- [Apostille in Kentucky](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/kentucky/index.md)
- [Apostille in Louisiana](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/louisiana/index.md)
- [Apostille in Maine](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/maine/index.md)
- [Apostille in Maryland](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/maryland/index.md)
- [Apostille in Massachusetts](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/massachusetts/index.md)
- [Apostille in Michigan](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/michigan/index.md)
- [Apostille in Minnesota](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/minnesota/index.md)
- [Apostille in Mississippi](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/mississippi/index.md)
- [Apostille in Missouri](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/missouri/index.md)
- [Apostille in Montana](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/montana/index.md)
- [Apostille in Nebraska](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/nebraska/index.md)
- [Apostille in Nevada](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/nevada/index.md)
- [Apostille in New Hampshire](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/new-hampshire/index.md)
- [Apostille in New Jersey](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/new-jersey/index.md)
- [Apostille in New Mexico](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/new-mexico/index.md)
- [Apostille in New York](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/new-york/index.md)
- [Apostille in North Carolina](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/north-carolina/index.md)
- [Apostille in North Dakota](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/north-dakota/index.md)
- [Apostille in Northern Mariana Islands](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/northern-mariana-islands/index.md)
- [Apostille in Ohio](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/ohio/index.md)
- [Apostille in Oklahoma](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/oklahoma/index.md)
- [Apostille in Oregon](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/oregon/index.md)
- [Apostille in Pennsylvania](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/pennsylvania/index.md)
- [Apostille in Puerto Rico](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/puerto-rico/index.md)
- [Apostille in Rhode Island](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/rhode-island/index.md)
- [Apostille in South Carolina](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/south-carolina/index.md)
- [Apostille in South Dakota](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/south-dakota/index.md)
- [Apostille in Tennessee](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/tennessee/index.md)
- [Apostille in Texas](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/texas/index.md)
- [Apostille in U.S. Virgin Islands](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/us-virgin-islands/index.md)
- [Apostille in Utah](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/utah/index.md)
- [Apostille in Vermont](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/vermont/index.md)
- [Apostille in Virginia](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/virginia/index.md)
- [Apostille in Washington](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/washington/index.md)
- [Apostille in West Virginia](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/west-virginia/index.md)
- [Apostille in Wisconsin](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/wisconsin/index.md)
- [Apostille in Wyoming](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/us/wyoming/index.md)

## All jurisdictions (Markdown)

- [Apostille requirements, jurisdiction by jurisdiction](https://andrii.co/en/handbook/apostille/index.md)

## Other pages on this site (Markdown)

- [All international document services. One stop location in Washington state.](https://andrii.co/en/index.md)
- [Mobile notary and expedited apostille for Greater Seattle](https://andrii.co/en/notary/index.md)
- [Book a notary or apostille appointment](https://andrii.co/en/notary/booking/index.md)
- [Form I-9 verification, done in person and on time](https://andrii.co/en/notary/i9/index.md)
- [Washington State apostille](https://andrii.co/en/apostille/index.md)
- [Service of process, served right and proven on paper.](https://andrii.co/en/service-of-process/index.md)
- [We chase the record so you don't have to.](https://andrii.co/en/vital-records/index.md)
- [A real address that answers your mail and tells you about it.](https://andrii.co/en/registered-agent/index.md)
- [A local face in Washington](https://andrii.co/en/commercial-representation/index.md)
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