In person hand delivery
Submitting an apostille or authentication request by mail to the U.S. Department of State typically takes about 5 to 6 weeks to process. That is our Standard service. Our Express service hand delivers documents in person to the Office of Authentications in Washington, DC instead, which is why most Express orders are ready in about a week once the documents reach us. See processing times for the full breakdown.
Federal document specialists
We work specifically with federally issued documents, including FBI background checks, IRS correspondence, FDA and USDA certificates, USPTO patent and trademark documents, SSA letters, federal court documents, and documents notarized by a federal or consular officer. See federal document apostille for the full list. Focusing on federal documents means we know the specific requirements the Office of Authentications applies to each type, rather than treating every document the same way.
State issued documents, such as birth certificates or state notarized paperwork, follow a separate state level apostille process that we do not offer. If you are not sure whether your document is federal or state issued, see state vs federal apostille, or contact us and we will help you figure out where it belongs.
Free pre check
Before your document is submitted, we review it against the requirements described on our document requirements page, such as whether it is an original or properly certified copy, whether it carries the correct seals and signatures, and whether it has been notarized in a way that could void an authentication. This pre check is included at no extra charge and exists for one reason: to reduce the chance your document is rejected once it reaches the Department of State.
Secure handling of your originals
Your original documents matter, and often cannot easily be replaced. We handle them carefully from the moment they arrive at our receiving address, through preparation and hand delivery, to the return shipment back to you. If you send us document photos as part of your order, those images are stored privately with access limited to the people who need them to process your request.
Tracking both ways
Every order ships with tracked shipping in both directions, to us and back to you, so you always know where your documents are. See pricing for the shipping options included with each service level.
Transparent process and pricing
We explain each step of the process before you place an order, including what documents qualify, what an apostille or authentication actually does, and how long each part of the process typically takes. Our pricing page lists our service levels plainly, and our FAQ answers the questions we hear most often. If your destination country requires an authentication rather than an apostille, we explain the additional embassy legalization step you will need to complete afterward, so there are no surprises partway through.
Not a government agency
US Federal Apostille is a private document preparation and courier service. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of State, the FBI, or any other government agency. We prepare, hand deliver, and return federal documents on behalf of our customers so that the underlying federal process runs faster than a standard mailed submission would.