How to Get an Apostille or Authentication Certificate

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Which certificate you need depends on the country where you will use your document. An apostille works for Hague Convention countries. An authentication certificate is different. It is for a document going to a country outside that treaty, and it often needs extra work by that country's embassy too. There is no single national apostille office. A state document, like a birth certificate or a notarized paper, goes to that state's own Secretary of State. A federal document goes instead to the U.S. Department of State. Sending a document to the wrong office is a common reason it gets rejected. For federal documents, mail-in requests take 5 or more weeks. A walk-in drop-off and pickup takes about 2 to 3 weeks, and it is capped at 15 documents a day per customer. A same-day emergency appointment exists too. It is only for documented cases, like a dying family member abroad or travel within 48 hours. Some states now offer an e-Apostille, a digital version checked online instead of printed. Connecticut's e-Apostille launched July 6, 2026. It processes within 1 business day, much faster than its usual 5 to 7 day paper process. Even there, birth, death, marriage, and adoption certificates are still excluded. Those still need the traditional paper apostille. Texas instead issues one universal certificate. It covers both Hague and non-Hague uses, though non-Hague countries still need extra embassy work.