Where to get an apostille in United States: competent authority and Apostille Convention status
United States is a party to the Apostille Convention, in force since 15 October 1981 (accession). HCCH lists as competent authority, among others: The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications; the state Secretary of State's office.
- Name in the HCCH table
- United States of America
- Convention
- Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (HCCH Convention No. 12)
- Status
- Contracting Party in the HCCH status table
- Type
- Accession (A)
- Ratification, accession or succession, as printed
- 24-XII-1980
- Entry into force (EIF), as printed
- 15-X-1981 (15 October 1981)
- Competent authority (Art. 6), extract from the HCCH page
- The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications; the state Secretary of State's office
- HCCH competent authority page
- United States of America - Competent Authority (Art. 6) (page last updated 02 September 2026)
- Region (UN M49)
- Americas, Northern America
- Sources
- HCCH status table, Convention 12, retrieved 5 November 2026; HCCH competent authorities of United States, retrieved 5 November 2026; UN M49 regions
What this page does not say
Which authority handles your document can depend on the type of document and, in some countries, on the place. Open the HCCH page linked above and check there. We do not say which authority you need, and this is not legal advice.
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