U.S. Department of State Apostille Services

Federal Apostille &
  Authentication Services

Federal Apostille &
Authentication Services

If you’re on this page, it’s probably because you want to hire an international document services company to help you obtain a federal apostille or federal authentication certificate from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

If that’s the case, you’re in the right place. We’ll explain exactly how the federal apostille and authentication process works from start to finish.

Through easy-to-understand videos and two detailed step-by-step graphics below, you’ll learn how federally issued U.S. documents receive a federal apostille certificate for use in

Hague Apostille Convention countries or a federal authentication certificate for use in countries where the Hague Apostille Convention does not apply.

The U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications, located at 600 19th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, issues federal apostille certificates and federal authentication certificates for eligible U.S. federal documents that will be used in foreign countries.

A federal apostille certificate is issued for eligible federal documents being used in countries that participate in the Hague Apostille Convention.

A federal authentication certificate is issued for eligible federal documents being used in countries where the Hague Apostille Convention does not apply.

A U.S. embassy or consulate, foreign embassy or consulate, Secretary of State office, or notary public cannot issue a U.S. Department of State federal apostille or federal authentication certificate. State authorities issue their own state-level certifications, while the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications handles eligible federal apostille and authentication requests.

You also cannot email, scan, fax, or text documents to the U.S. Department of State to obtain a federal apostille or authentication certificate. The State Department requires the appropriate documents, Form DS-4194, and applicable filing fees to be submitted according to its current procedures.

Below are examples of an official federal apostille certificate and federal authentication certificate issued by the U.S. Department of State.

When we hand-file eligible documents in person at the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C., we use its walk-in drop-off and pickup service. The State Department currently states that walk-in requests are processed within 7–9 business days, excluding Fridays from the processing time.

Once issued, the federal apostille or authentication certificate becomes permanently attached to your document. Do not remove, separate, or tamper with the attached certificate or fastening. Doing so could create problems when your document is presented to a foreign government, embassy, consulate, business, school, court, or other international authority.

If the certificate becomes detached or damaged, you may need to have the document processed again. Please handle your federally apostilled or authenticated documents carefully when copying, scanning, storing, or shipping them.

What Is a U.S. Federal
Government Document?

You’re probably wondering what types of documents are officially classified as U.S. federal government documents.

A U.S. federal government document is generally a document issued or signed by a U.S. federal government agency or official. Examples include documents issued by the FBI, DOJ, USDA, DHS, EPA, SSA, USPTO, IRS, and other U.S. federal agencies.

For example, an FBI Identity History Summary (FBI background check) is a federal document that may be submitted directly to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications for a federal apostille or federal authentication certificate, depending on the destination country.

A city, county, or state criminal background check is different because it is not a federal document. If the document will be used in a country where the Hague Apostille Convention does not apply, it must first be authenticated by the appropriate state authority before it can be submitted to the U.S. Department of State for federal authentication.

Depending on your document type, where it was issued, and the destination country where it will be used, there are two primary routes for obtaining the required U.S. Department of State federal apostille or federal authentication certificate.

Please keep in mind that Apostille Texas provides state-level apostille and authentication services only for Texas documents. We do not perform the state-level authentication step for documents issued or notarized in the other 49 states.

Route #1: State Authentication
& Federal Authentication

You’ll first need to have your document authenticated by the appropriate state authority in the state where it was issued or notarized.

Once your document has been issued a Texas authentication certificate (or the appropriate authentication certificate from another U.S. state), it may then be submitted to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C., for a federal authentication certificate when required for use in a country where the Hague Apostille Convention does not apply.

Please note that Apostille Texas provides same-day rush state-level apostille and authentication services only for Texas-issued and Texas-notarized documents.

If your personal, business, academic, or corporate documents were issued or notarized in another state, we cannot assist with that state’s apostille or authentication step.

Don’t worry—we can still help you obtain the required U.S. Department of State federal authentication certificate and, when required, legalize or attest your documents through the appropriate foreign embassy or consulate in Washington, D.C.

This additional federal authentication and embassy legalization process may be required when your documents will be used in countries where the Hague Apostille Convention does not apply, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, or Egypt, depending on the document and the destination country’s current requirements.

Have questions about federal document requirements, processing times, pricing, or the U.S. Department of State? Browse our Federal Apostille Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for clear answers and helpful videos.

Route #2: Direct Federal Apostille
& Authentication

The second route allows you to skip the state-level authentication step entirely when your document is eligible for direct submission to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C.

This route commonly applies to eligible federally issued U.S. documents, which may be submitted directly to the U.S. Department of State for either a federal apostille certificate or a federal authentication certificate, depending on the destination country.

A federal apostille certificate is generally issued when an eligible federal document will be used in a country where the Hague Apostille Convention applies. A federal authentication certificate is generally issued when an eligible federal document will be used in a country where the Hague Apostille Convention does not apply.

Apostille Texas can rush-file eligible federal documents directly with the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications and retrieve them once processing is complete.

U.S. Department of State
Apostille Walk-In Service

There is a lot of outdated and inaccurate information online about how quickly an apostille courier company can obtain a federal apostille certificate or federal authentication certificate from the U.S. Department of State.

Fortunately, the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications reopened to routine walk-in document drop-offs and pickups in October 2024, after being closed to regular public walk-in service for more than four years.

Today, the U.S. Department of State allows customers and authorized representatives—including apostille courier companies—to hand-file and pick up documents in person at the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C.

Walk-in document drop-offs and pickups are currently available from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. ET, Monday through Thursday.

Yes, you read that correctly. There is only a 90-minute walk-in window, four business days a week, for document drop-offs and pickups. The State Department continues processing requests on Fridays, but the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications is closed to public walk-ins and appointments that day.

When we hand-file your documents at the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications, we receive a document receipt that is required to retrieve your completed documents. The State Department authorizes representatives and apostille courier companies to submit and retrieve documents on a customer’s behalf.

Federal Apostille
& Authentication
Processing Times

The U.S. Department of State’s federal apostille and authentication processing times can change without notice because of workload, federal holidays, office closures, severe weather, and other unforeseen delays.

Based on our firsthand experience hand-filing and retrieving federal apostille and authentication documents in Washington, D.C., actual processing times have varied considerably over the years.

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, federal apostille and authentication processing times increased dramatically. Between 2020 and 2024, customers often experienced turnaround times ranging from several weeks to several months.

Thankfully, those unusually long processing times improved after the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications reopened for routine walk-in document drop-offs and pickups in October 2024.

The U.S. Department of State currently states that walk-in federal apostille and authentication requests are processed within 7–9 business days. Because actual processing times can vary, turnaround times should never be considered guaranteed until the State Department completes and releases your documents.

U.S. Department of State
Apostille Walk-In Rules

The current U.S. Department of State walk-in rules for federal apostille and authentication requests are as follows:

1. Any apostille service company, authorized representative, or individual may hand-file a maximum of 15 documents per day.
2. Walk-in document drop-offs and pickups are available Monday through Thursday, excluding federal holidays. The U.S. Department of State continues processing requests on Fridays, but the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications is closed to public walk-ins and appointments.
3. Walk-in federal apostille and authentication requests are currently processed within approximately 7–9 business days.

The U.S. Department of State does not provide ongoing status updates while documents are being processed. Unfortunately, we cannot provide status updates after we hand-file your documents.

Once your federal apostille or authentication request is complete and your documents are ready for pickup, we’ll retrieve them from the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications and promptly return them to you.

*Every apostille service company and authorized representative must follow the same U.S. Department of State walk-in submission and processing rules, regardless of how much they charge for their services.

9-Step Federal Apostille &
Authentication Process