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Official website of the State of North Carolina

Hague Convention of 5 October 1961

Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents

Apostille Certificates

The Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 replaced the time consuming and often costly processes of a full legalization. It only affects those countries that have agreed to the standard “Hague Convention” requirements and are considered “member states."

The Convention applies to public documents which are certified or notarized by an authority or official in North Carolina. Examples of public documents for which Apostilles are issued include: birth, marriage and death certificates; extracts from commercial registrars and other registers; court rulings; notarial acts; academic diplomas issued by public institutions, etc.

The Convention does not apply to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents nor to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations (e.g., certificates of origin or import or export licenses).(Hague Convention.)

Once an Apostille is obtained, the document may be delivered directly to the country of intended use and bypass further certification from the US Department of State.

Process for Obtaining Apostille

Document Needs to be in English

Obtain a certified or notarized English translation of the document if the document is in a language other than English.

Notarization of Document

  1. Appear before a North Carolina Notary Public to sign the document;
  2. Obtain a certified copy which is notarized by the issuing entity (i.e., diploma, etc.);
  3. If necessary, you may use a "True Copy" affidavit for North Carolina documents and obtain a notary acknowledgment of your signature;
  4. Documents from the following entities will not need to be notarized:.

    • Register of Deeds
    • Clerk of Superior Courts
    • North Carolina Department of Agriculture
    • North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
    • North Carolina Vital Records
    • North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (Raleigh, NC office only)
    • North Carolina Attorney General's Office
    • North Carolina Legislative Services

School Diploma or Transcripts

Documents (transcripts, report cards, diplomas, etc.) issued by a North Carolina university, college, community college or high school must be notarized by a North Carolina Notary Public. A school seal applied to the document by the school registrar is not acceptable.

True Copy Affidavit

Requesting an apostille using a "copy" of a document will require a notarized Affidavit saying that the document is a "true copy" of the original. A "true copy" affidavit sample can be found on the "Cover Letters & Templates" page.

Time Requirement

Note: All North Carolina agency documents must be certified since April 1, 2000.

Submission of Documents

  • Cover Letter
  • Payment in form of money order or check
  • The original document(s) with all certifications attached
  • A return pre-paid envelope or carrier label (see Delivery Policy on Authentications Home Page).
  • Documents may be directed on to a third party as a convenience. Include that information on the cover letter and address the pre-paid envelope to the third party.
  • Any documents received without a pre-paid return envelope will be delivered by regular mail to a United States address. Note: A pre-paid courier label is not a handwritten or typed label with account information. A pre-paid courier label is obtained online and paid for at the time you print the bar-coded label.

Processing Fee

  • $10.00 (US currency) per document.
  • Adoptions only processing fee for a duplicate original is $5.00 (US currency) when requested at the same time.
  • As an exception to the NC Secretary of State Refund Policy, Authentications in the amount of $10 may be refunded, if the document is rejected, not processed, and a request is made for a refund.

Payment

Payment is made to the "North Carolina Secretary of State. "

Getting Documents To and From Us

Mail or deliver the documents in person to the address at the bottom of the main Authentication webpage. A detailed schedule is available on the “Getting Documents to and from Us” page.

Emergencies

Emergencies can happen. Review the "Turn Around Times." page. There is an option for same or next day documents if you can bring them into the office in Raleigh.

Certified North Carolina Statutes

You may obtain a certified copy of a North Carolina General Statute from the Reviser of Statutes. The Reviser does not issue any other type of certification. The Reviser is located in the Legislative Drafting Division of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Vital Records

Contact Vital Records to obtain marriage, birth or death certificates. Vital Records phone number is 919-733-3526. They will accept credit/charge cards. You may also be able to order the document online at North Carolina Vital Records Expedited Online Orders.