How This Tool Works
This tool uses the specific combination of your state, document type, and destination country to produce a checklist tailored to your situation. It accounts for: whether your document needs notarization before apostille; whether it is a federal document requiring the U.S. Department of State instead of your state SOS; whether your destination is a Hague member or requires chain authentication; Georgia's unique GSCCCA split; walk-in availability; and your state's current fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Select the state where the document was issued or notarized — not where you live now. For a birth certificate, that is the state of birth. For a notarized document, it is the state of the notary's commission.
Select "Federal Document" from the state dropdown and "FBI Background Check" from the document dropdown. The FBI background check is apostilled by the U.S. Department of State — no state SOS is involved regardless of where you live.
Check whether your country is a Hague Convention member at hcch.net. If it is, the apostille process is identical to any other Hague country. If not, you need chain authentication — see our apostille vs. authentication guide.
Yes. Combine all documents from the same state into one package with one cover letter and one check for the total amount. Documents from different states must go to their respective state SOS offices separately.