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Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
William Francis Galvin

Commissions

Apostilles and Certification of Documents

Certain documents need to be certified or legalized to be accepted in a foreign country.
Examples of documents that require certification include:

  • Documents for international adoption
  • Diplomas issued by an American college or university
  • Various types of records and contracts integral to a company

Apostille and Certification Authentication Form

Complete the following form. You can mail it or drop it off along with the documents to be certified. If you’re dropping them off, we encourage you to complete the form before arriving. The form is available here.

Information on Apostilles and Certificates of Appointment Brochure

Certifications can only be obtained for documents with an original signature of a valid:

  • Massachusetts Notary Public
  • Justice of the Peace
  • City/Town Clerk or assistant
  • Court clerk or assistant
  • Registrar of Vital Records

Photocopied signatures can’t be certified. It is important to identify which country will receive the records. Different countries require different types of certification. If the country is a signatory to the Hague Convention, the document will be called an apostille.

Certifications and apostilles cost six dollars ($6.00) per document to be certified. An individual may receive the certification by coming in person to: Commissions Section, Room 1719, One Ashburton Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02108

Up to three documents can be done per customer at the counter. If you have four or more documents, you can pick them after 3pm on the next business day. Any document dropped off after 4pm will need to be picked up the next business day. There will be no exceptions.

Certifications may also be processed at the following Regional Offices:

Number of documents and turnaround times will vary.

Mailed requests are processed within two to three weeks. If mailing, please be sure to include:

  • The country of destination for the documents
  • A check made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • Please enclose a prepaid return envelope to have the documents returned to you.
  • If you wish to have the documents returned via Federal Express, DHL, or any other express mail service, please enclose a prepaid return envelope with a billing account number.
  • Please be advised that we do not accept credit cards as a form of pre-payment for express mail services.
A failure to provide all of the necessary information may result in a delay in the issuance of the certification.