United States

Apostille in Massachusetts

Verified as of August 9, 2026

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: Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — Commissions Section

Which documents this office will accept

From the source: Document must bear the original signature of the Secretary of the Commonwealth or of a valid Massachusetts Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, City/Town Clerk or assistant, Court clerk or assistant, or Registrar of Vital Records. The office "does not perform authentications on notarized copies of federal, in-state or out-of-state government issued documents"; out-of-state documents must be apostilled by the issuing state

Certifications you may need first

In-state school transcripts/diplomas

School registrar certifies the record, then a notary notarizes the registrar's signature
The reference's §2.3 overview table lists Massachusetts notary pre-certification as "None"; this school-document chain comes from the state detail block (table variance — the detail block wins)

Complete these before the apostille request itself.

The request form

Form: A PDF request form.
Where to get it: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/commissions/download/authentication-form.pdf

Requesting online

Online route: There is no online request route — this office takes requests on paper.
From the source: Printable PDF request form only

Where to go in person

Boston

One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108

Access: Open for walk-in service.
Hours: Not published for this office.
Same-day service: Available.
Document limit: 3 documents
From the source: 617-727-2836; walk-in/drop-off; same-day for ≤3 documents

Springfield

436 Dwight Street, Room 102, Springfield, MA 01103

Access: Open for walk-in service.
Hours: Not published for this office.
From the source: 413-784-1376; walk-in/drop-off

Fall River

218 South Main Street, Suite 206, Fall River, MA 02721

Access: Open for walk-in service.
Hours: Not published for this office.
From the source: 508-646-1374; walk-in/drop-off

What it costs

Fee

$6.00 USD per document

"$6.00 per document"

How to pay

By mail

Check or money order.

Make it payable to

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Copy that exactly as written.

From the source

"Checks/Money order only, made payable to: Commonwealth of Massachusetts" (office advises against sending cash)

Where to send your documents

Mailing address: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section, One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108

How long it takes

This office publishes no turnaround commitment. What it does say:

In person: In person: same day for up to 3 documents; "Any more than three (3) documents hand delivered must be left overnight and picked up the next business day, no exceptions."
From the source: Mail: not stated on official pages (unverified)

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: No status-tracking page is published for this office.

Remote online notarization

Status: Remote online notarization is permitted here.
Legal basis: G.L. c. 222, § 28 (enacted by St. 2023, c. 2, §§ 23–33); remote notarization effective January 1, 2024
In force since: January 1, 2024
What the notary must register: Yes — before the first remote act the notary must register with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, state intent to perform remote notarizations, and identify the communication technology to be used; technology provider must be on the Secretary's registry, carry E&O insurance (min. $250,000 annual aggregate) and appoint the Secretary as agent for service of process. Secretary's office has directed notaries not to perform RON until required training/notification is completed (unverified — training availability status not confirmed on a current official page)
How the signer is identified: (1) notary's personal knowledge; or (2) oath/affirmation of a credible witness unaffected by the transaction who personally knows the signer; or (3) at least 2 different types of identity proofing processes or services — e.g., credential analysis using commercially available automated software/hardware plus a second process such as KBA (statute requires "not less than 2 different types")
Fee caps: No maximum fee is recorded here for a remote act or for a standard notarial act. A missing cap is not the same as “no cap” — the reason is in the notes below.
From the source: No statutory cap on RON or standard fees for ordinary notarial acts — G.L. c. 262, § 41's $1.25 fee applies only to "noting" a protest (Richardson v. The UPS Store, Inc., 486 Mass. 126 (2020)). Certain notarial acts must be performed free of charge per G.L. c. 222, § 23 (unverified detail). Communication technology provider registry maintained by Secretary of the Commonwealth

Every United States jurisdiction in this handbook

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

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