United States

Apostille in North Dakota

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

North Dakota Secretary of State, Notary Unit

HCCH lists: Secretary of State; Deputy Secretary of State

Which documents this office will accept

From the source: Document must be notarized by a North Dakota notary public OR be a certified copy of an official document from the appropriate North Dakota entity; no county-level certification step

Certifications you may need first

No additional certification step is required before the apostille.

The request form

Form: No dedicated form — the office asks for a cover letter.
From the source: No dedicated form — submit original documents plus "a letter specifying for which country the document is intended"

Requesting online

Online route: There is no online request route — this office takes requests on paper.
From the source: FirstStop portal is for notary filings, not apostille requests; optional pre-submission document review by email to the Notary Unit

Where to go in person

Bismarck

600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept 108, Bismarck, ND 58505-0500 (State Capitol)

Access: The source does not state whether this office takes walk-ins, appointments or drop-offs only.
Hours: Not published for this office.
From the source: Appointment encouraged for office visits (call Notary Unit (701) 328-2900); same-day service not stated. Primary intake is by mail

What it costs

Fee	Applies to	Details
$10.00 USD per document	All documents	"$10 per authentication"
$5.00 USD per record search	record search	"$5 per record search" — charged per unique notary/official signature (SOS example: "2 documents are notarized by 2 different notaries public - $10 record search fee")

How to pay unverified

Accepted methods: The source does not itemize which payment methods this office accepts.
From the source: Not stated on official page (unverified — checks presumed payable to "Secretary of State")

“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.

Where to send your documents

Mailing address: North Dakota Office of the Secretary of State, 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept 108, Bismarck ND 58505-0500

How long it takes

By mail: "Requests are usually processed within 3 business days if all the required information and the payment are satisfactory."
From the source: Faster return via prepaid, pre-addressed shipping label (expedited return shipping, not expedited processing)

Getting your documents back

Faster return via prepaid, pre-addressed shipping label

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

Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, NDCC ch. 44-06.1 (chapter effective Aug. 1, 2011); remote notarial acts for remotely located individuals at NDCC 44-06.1-13.1, added by SB 2110 (2019), effective August 1, 2019 (date unverified — bill page unreachable; statute text confirmed current)

What the notary must register

Notification required. Before the initial remote notarial act, "the notary public must notify the secretary of state... and identify the technologies the notary public intends to use" (NDCC 44-06.1-13.1); in practice, file a Notary Public Amendment through the FirstStop portal indicating electronic and/or remote notarization and the technology provider (official SOS instruction)

How the signer is identified

One of (NDCC 44-06.1-13.1): (1) personal knowledge; (2) satisfactory evidence via oath/affirmation of a credible witness appearing before the notary; (3) "at least two different types of identity proofing" (SOS example: knowledge-based questions answered online, i.e., KBA; credential analysis is the customary second type — combination per RULONA standard). Two-way audiovisual communication required; recording retained 10 years; journal required. No biometric mandate

Fee caps

Standard notarial act: $5.00 USD

No maximum fee is recorded here for a remote act. A missing cap is not the same as “no cap” — the reason is in the notes below.

From the source

Max RON fee: $5 per notarial act plus an uncapped technology fee — allowed only if the notary incurred technology costs, the fee is agreed in advance, and it is explained as separate from the notarial fee (NDCC 44-06.1-28); no statutory dollar cap on the technology fee, so maxRonFeeCents is omitted. Max standard fee: "A notary public is entitled to charge and receive not more than five dollars per notarial act" (NDCC 44-06.1-28). Travel fee permitted if agreed in advance and explained as separate/not set by law. Same technology-fee rule applies to in-person electronic notarizations (NDCC 44-06.1-18)

Every United States jurisdiction in this handbook

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

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