Why Rejections Matter
An apostille rejection means your original documents are returned to you with a rejection notice, and you must resubmit — paying the fee again. If you had a deadline (a VFS appointment, a consulate submission date, a closing date), you may miss it. Avoiding rejection the first time saves weeks and significant frustration.
Here are the eight most common rejection reasons across all 50 state offices, based on the types of errors state offices and applicants report:
1. Notarizing a Certified Vital Record Before Apostille
What goes wrong: The applicant adds a notary signature to their certified birth certificate, marriage certificate, or death certificate before submitting for apostille.
Why it fails: Certified vital records already carry the government registrar's signature — which is what the apostille authenticates. Adding a notary signature creates a competing layer of authentication. The SOS can only apostille one type of signing authority per document, and the notary's signature now obscures or conflicts with the registrar's signature.
Fix: Submit certified vital records directly for apostille — no notarization step.
2. Submitting a Photocopy Instead of the Original
What goes wrong: The applicant submits a photocopy of their birth certificate, even a notarized photocopy, instead of the original certified copy.
Why it fails: The apostille is physically attached to the original document. There is no way to apostille a copy — the office needs the original paper document with the original seal and signature.
Fix: Order a certified copy from the vital records office or issuing authority. Submit the original.
3. Submitting a Document Issued in a Different State
What goes wrong: The applicant, living in Texas, submits a California birth certificate to the Texas Secretary of State for apostille.
Why it fails: Each state can only apostille documents it issued or that were notarized by a notary it commissioned. Texas cannot verify California's registrar signature.
Fix: Submit documents to the Secretary of State of the state that issued or notarized them — not your current state of residence.
4. Expired Notary Commission
What goes wrong: A notarized document (power of attorney, affidavit, school letter) has a notary seal with an expiration date that has already passed at the time of apostille submission.
Why it fails: The SOS verifies that the notary's commission was valid at the time of notarization. If the commission was expired when the document was signed, the notarization is invalid and the apostille is refused.
Fix: Before submitting, check the notary commission expiration date on the seal. It's usually printed on the acknowledgment block. If expired, get the document re-notarized by a currently commissioned notary.
5. Submitting a Federal Document to a State Office
What goes wrong: The applicant sends their FBI background check to the state Secretary of State for apostille.
Why it fails: State offices can only apostille state-issued documents. The FBI is a federal agency — its documents must go to the U.S. Department of State for apostille.
Fix: Know which documents are federal. See our federal vs. state apostille guide.
6. Laminated Documents
What goes wrong: The applicant's original birth certificate has been laminated (a common practice from years past) and they submit the laminated version.
Why it fails: The apostille must be physically attached to the document. A laminated document cannot be attached to, and lamination may also alter the document's official appearance.
Fix: Order a new certified copy from the vital records office. Do not laminate any document you may ever need to apostille.
7. Incorrect or Missing Court Clerk Certification
What goes wrong: The applicant submits a court document (divorce decree, court order) that is either a plain printout from an online portal, an attorney-certified copy, or a copy without the court clerk's official seal and wet-ink signature.
Why it fails: The SOS can only apostille the clerk's signature on a court document. An attorney certification or portal printout doesn't carry the clerk's authority.
Fix: Contact the clerk of the court that issued the order. Request a clerk-certified copy — typically $1–$3 per page at the court — with the official court seal and clerk's signature.
8. Non-U.S. Document Submitted for U.S. Apostille
What goes wrong: The applicant submits a foreign birth certificate or foreign document to a U.S. Secretary of State, thinking the U.S. can apostille it for use elsewhere.
Why it fails: U.S. authorities can only apostille documents issued or notarized within the United States. A document issued by another country must be apostilled by that country.
Fix: Foreign documents need apostilles from the country that issued them. Contact the relevant authority in the country of origin.
Before mailing anything: (1) Is this the original certified copy — not a photocopy or laminated version? (2) Is the document from this state? (3) If notarized — is the notary commission currently valid? (4) Is this a federal document that should go to U.S. DOS instead? (5) Is the destination country listed in your cover letter? Run through these five questions and you eliminate 90% of rejection causes.