Notary services near you
An apostille is not a notary stamp. For a private document (power of attorney, affidavit, consent), you notarize it in the same state that will issue the apostille, then file with that Secretary of State (or equivalent). Birth, marriage, and death records start as certified copies from the issuing vital records office. Court records come through the clerk. Federal papers go to the U.S. Department of State. The apostille itself certifies only that the signature and seal on the document are genuine. It says nothing about whether the contents are true or legally sufficient. This page is the notary step and the map of which office does the rest.
Confirm whether the destination country wants an apostille or embassy legalization
If the document is a vital record, order a certified copy from the issuing office first
If it is a private document, book a notary commissioned in the apostille state. Do not pre-sign
In New York, route the notarized document through the county clerk where the notary is qualified before the Department of State
File with that state's authentications unit using their current cover sheet and fee
Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State, not a state SOS
If the destination country is in the Hague Apostille Convention, one apostille from the correct U.S. authority is usually enough. If it is not, you may need state authentication, U.S. Department of State authentication, and then the foreign embassy. Ask the school, consulate, or counsel which path they want before you spend a week in the wrong line.
Texas, Florida, Nevada, and California accept notarized private documents directly at the Secretary of State's authentications unit. New York adds a step: a document signed by a notary public generally has to be certified first by the county clerk of the county where that notary is qualified, and only then does the Department of State issue the apostille. Skipping the clerk is the most common reason a New York packet comes back unprocessed.
County clerks also matter in the other direction. A document already issued by a court or a county office (a certified marriage record, a probate order, a recorded deed) usually needs the clerk's or court's own certification of the signer before the state will apostille it. Call the issuing office and ask what they attach; each one words it differently.
Notary law is state law. These pages cover the filing office, what the notary actually does, and when remote online notarization is or is not available.
A Texas notary does not issue an apostille. Private documents get a Texas notarial certificate, then the SOS Authentications Unit. Vital records start at DSHS or the county clerk. Federal papers go to the U.S. Department of State.
Florida apostilles are issued by the Department of State, not a notary. Private documents get a Florida notarial certificate first. Vital records start at Vital Statistics. Name the country of use on the cover letter.
Nevada apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State Authentications office, not a Strip notary. Private documents need a Nevada notarial certificate. Vital records go through Nevada Vital Records first. Do not notarize in California and ask Nevada to apostille it.
California apostilles come from the SOS Authentications unit (Sacramento or Los Angeles). Notaries cannot certify vital-record copies. They can certify a copy of a POA. California RON is not available for this packet.
New York apostilles are issued by DOS. Many notarized documents need county clerk authentication first. Vital records have a separate certified-copy path. Notary fee is $2; clerk and DOS fees are extra.
$15-$75
Notary fee for the certificate only. The apostille fee goes to the state and is separate: roughly $15 in Texas, $20 in California and Nevada, $10 in Florida and New York, and $20 per document at the U.S. Department of State. Confirm current amounts before you mail anything.
Straight answers about what the notary does, what you need to bring, and what the state or receiving party still controls.
No. The notary completes the notarial act on eligible private documents. The Secretary of State (or the U.S. Department of State for federal documents) issues the apostille or authentication.
No. Order a certified copy from the vital records office or clerk that issued the record, then request the apostille on that certified copy.
The state that will apostille a notarized document is the state that commissioned the notary. Do not notarize in Florida and ask Texas to apostille it.
The apostille certificate itself has no expiration date. The receiving party often imposes one anyway, and many consulates and registries refuse anything older than three to six months. Ask them how fresh they want it before you file.
That depends on the receiving country. Where a translation is required, the usual pattern is a translator's signed certificate of accuracy that gets notarized, and the apostille is issued on that notarized certificate, not on the underlying foreign-language text. Some countries only accept translations done by their own certified translators after the document arrives.
Nearby topics that often come up with apostille notary services.
Headed to a country outside the Hague Apostille Convention? Your document needs the longer legalization chain: notary, sometimes county clerk, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, then the embassy. We handle the notarial step and map the rest.
Learn moreCopy certification is one of the most restricted notarial acts. Roughly half the states allow it, and California allows it for almost nothing. We tell you whether your state permits it, and use the custodian affidavit route when it doesn't.
Learn moreRead our complete guide
What Is an Apostille, and How Do I Get One?
Connect with a licensed notary near you for mobile, in-office, or online notarization when your state and the receiving party allow it.
