Federal office · Bureau of Consular Affairs, Passport Services
The Office of Authentications certifies eligible documents for use abroad. The issuing state or territory remains responsible for apostilles on its own state documents when the destination is a Hague Convention country.
What the office manages
- Apostille certificates under the U.S. Department of State seal for eligible federal and consular documents used in Hague Convention countries.
- Authentication certificates for eligible documents used in countries outside the Hague Apostille Convention.
- Federal requests submitted with the current Form DS-4194, documents, fee, and required return-delivery information.
- Mail, walk-in, qualifying emergency appointment, status, and customer-support information published on Travel.State.Gov.
What the office does not manage
- It does not issue state or territory birth, death, marriage, divorce, court, corporate, or notarized records.
- It does not normally issue the apostille for a state document used in a Hague Convention country; the issuing jurisdiction’s competent authority does that.
- It does not certify that the facts in the underlying record are true. The certificate concerns the signature, seal, or official capacity.
- It does not decide whether a foreign authority will accept the document.
Current federal request
The Department’s current request page links Form DS-4194, edition 01-2023. It lists a fee of $20 per document and provides current mail and in-person instructions. Applicants should check the official page immediately before filing because forms, payment methods, addresses, appointments, and processing times can change.
Official public channels
- About the Office of Authentications
- Requesting authentication services
- Contact and status inquiry
- Foreign Affairs Manual — authentication of documents