Apostille Service in Boston, MA

An apostille is a certificate that authenticates a public document so another country accepts it as genuine. Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention, more than 120 of them, recognize it. Boston residents need an apostille for dual citizenship, marriage abroad, work and study visas, international adoption and business filings in other countries.

Massachusetts apostilles are issued by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section, at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston. Federal documents, such as FBI background checks, are authenticated by the US Department of State in Washington, DC. We route your document to the correct office for you.

State documents are usually complete in about five business days once we receive them. Federal authentication takes longer because the document travels to Washington. When you have a tight deadline, ask about express handling and we will tell you what is realistic.

No. Most Boston clients use our secure mail-in service. You order online, ship the document to our Tewksbury office and we return the finished apostille by tracked mail or courier. In-person drop-off is available if you prefer to hand the document over.

The Commonwealth charges $6 per document. Our state document service starts at $149.95 and federal authentication starts at $199.95. Every quote is itemized, so you see the government fee and the service fee before you pay.

Yes. The certificate has to be a certified copy from the City of Boston Registry Division at City Hall, Room 213. A hospital keepsake certificate or a photocopy will not qualify. If you are unsure what you have, send us a photo and we will confirm it.

FBI identity history reports are federal documents. They are authenticated by the US Department of State, not the Massachusetts Commonwealth. We handle the federal process and return the apostilled report to you.

Yes. Documents bound for non-Hague countries need embassy or consular legalization instead of an apostille. That is a longer process with extra steps. Tell us the destination country and we will explain exactly what it requires.

We do. We authenticate articles of incorporation, certificates of good standing, commercial invoices, contracts and board resolutions for Boston companies working abroad. Volume orders are welcome and we can set up a recurring process for firms that need it.

Yes. Many countries require an apostilled document to arrive with a certified translation into the local language. We arrange certified translations and coordinate the timing so the translation and the apostille are ready together. Tell us the target language when you place the order.

Yes. An apostille is attached to a single document, so a birth certificate and a marriage certificate each receive a separate apostille and a separate state fee. When you send several documents at once, we process them together and itemize each one on your quote.

Yes. A document is authenticated by the state that issued it, so a New York birth certificate goes to New York and a Florida record goes to Florida. We handle out-of-state orders for Boston clients and route each document to the correct state authority for you.

Complete the online application form or call (978) 424-4629. Tell us the document and the destination country, and we will confirm the steps, the price and the timeline before anything moves.