Apostille cost
State filing fees, service charges, rush processing, and federal apostilles — what you'll actually pay to authenticate a document for international use.
$75–$150
Standard
$150–$450
Rush
$5–$40
State fee
$125–$300
Federal
An apostille is a Hague Convention certificate authenticating a public document for use abroad. The cost has four components: (1) underlying notarization if required ($10–$25), (2) state Secretary of State filing fee ($5–$40), (3) processing and courier service ($50–$150), and (4) return shipping ($15–$40 for trackable courier). Federal documents (FBI background checks, IRS forms, federal court records) require a U.S. Department of State apostille at $20 per document, plus expedited courier handling to Washington D.C.
Standard 5–10 business day processing: $75–$150 per document, all-in. Expedited 1–3 business day processing: $150–$250 per document. Same-day or next-day rush: $250–$450 per document. Federal apostilles (Washington D.C.): $125–$300 per document, 7–15 business days. Multi-document packages (5+): typically priced at $50–$100 per document after the first. Translation, if required by the receiving country, is billed separately at $0.10–$0.30 per word from a certified translator.
Some receiving countries require an additional 'embassy legalization' step on top of the apostille — this is not actually an apostille, but a separate consular fee that can add $50–$200 per document. Documents must usually be apostilled in the state where they were issued or notarized. A California birth certificate cannot be apostilled in Texas. If you've moved, you'll pay courier fees to ship to the issuing state and back.
Apostille total cost typically runs $50–$250 per document. This includes the state Secretary of State filing fee ($5–$40 depending on the state), processing/service fees ($30–$150), and any required prior notarization ($10–$25). Federal apostilles from the U.S. Department of State are $20 per document plus service fees.
Each state Secretary of State sets its own filing fee — California is $20, New York is $10, Texas is $15, Florida is $10. Rush processing surcharges vary widely: some states charge $25 extra for same-day, others have no expedite option at all and require a private courier service.
Per document. A folder of five separate documents going to one country needs five apostilles, each with its own state filing fee. Multi-page documents (a marriage certificate with an attached translation, for example) are typically apostilled as one document if they are physically bound.
A service like NotarySeal handles document preparation, courier delivery to the Secretary of State, payment of state filing fees, status tracking, and return shipping. Service fees of $50–$150 per document are typical; rush handling adds $50–$100.
If you live near your state capital and have time, you can file in person at the Secretary of State and pay only the statutory fee ($5–$40). Most people pay $100–$200 total because they need the document returned within days, not weeks.