Authentications

The NC Department of the Secretary of State is no longer accepting/taking appointments. To submit documents for authentication, either bring them to our office located at 2 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, North Carolina or mail them to PO Box 29622, Raleigh, NC 27626-0622. If you will be using a courier, please use the physical address, 2 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27602. You may also view the Authentications Webpage at https://www.sosnc.gov/authentications

The Authentications Unit is experiencing a high demand with fewer resources. If your authentication request is complete, authentications turn-around time can take up to 45 days, so plan accordingly.

The answer depends on:

• Whether your authentication request was complete,
• Whether you sent us a pre-paid return envelope or some kind, and
• What kind of pre-paid return envelope you sent us.

The Authentications Unit is experiencing a high demand with fewer resources. If your authentication request is complete, authentications turn-around time can take up to 45 days, so plan accordingly.

That means you have to include all of these things with your authentication request:

• The original document(s) to be authenticated with original signatures.
• A cover letter with:
  • A contact name
  • Daytime phone number
  • The country where the document will be used
• The correct fee.
• A certified or notarized English translation of the original document if it is in a different language.
• A pre-paid return envelope from the US Postal Service, a commercial delivery service, or a self-address stamped envelope.

It depends. We will not send your document outside the Unites States using regular U.S. Mail or any third party courier service, (i.e, UPS or FedEx). However, we will send it using USPS Express Priority with your prepaid envelope and shipping label.

• Decide which delivery service you want to use. We can’t recommend a service to you. We can tell you that some of the delivery services we see people use are:
  • FedEx: 1-800-gofedex (1-800-463-3339)
  • UPS: 1-800-pickups (1-800-742-5877)
  • USPS Express Mail or Priority Mail from your local Post Office
• Decide what kind of delivery service pick-ups you want to use. There are 2 kinds of delivery service pick-up at our office:
  • Ground pick-up
  • Air pick-up

  For any kind of “ground” pick-up, we’ll call you when the documents are ready. Then you’ll have to call your delivery service and get them to pick up the documents.

  If you choose UPS or FedEx “air” pick-up, the pick-up happens automatically. That’s because those 2 delivery services make scheduled air pick-ups at our office every day.

• Send us your documents, cover letter, pre-paid shipping label, envelope, payment, etc.
• We’ll send the documents back to you. How that happens depends on you. If you don’t send a pre-paid label, we’ll use regular US mail. If you do send us a pre-paid label:
  • If it’s a “ground” pick-up label, we’ll call you at the number you put on the cover letter. Then you have to call your delivery service and tell them to come get your documents.
  • If it’s a FedEx or UPS “air” pick-up label, they’ll pick it up automatically when they make a scheduled trip to our office.

  Either the USPS or the delivery service you chose will deliver the documents to you.

It is a shipping label (PDF) printed from the vendor’s (i.e., FedEx or UPS) website that has already been paid for or purchased directly from their store. The label indicates the address where it is to be sent has a barcode, tracking number and you pay for it online or in person. It must be a computer printed label.

Shipping Documents (label)

If you want your documents back faster than USPS regular mail, you may want to use a delivery service. To do that, you’ll have to send us a pre-paid shipping label for the delivery service with your documents.

Online

• Go to your delivery service’s website. We’ve provided some of those websites below but there are others you can use.
• Follow the directions at the website.
• At most of the websites, you can pay by:
  • Using an account number you have Or
  • Making a payment with a credit card
• Then print your pre-paid shipping label.
• Be sure to keep a copy or at least the number on your label.

In person

• Go to the physical location of the delivery service or one of its outlets.
• Explain what you need.
• Give them the information to go on the label.
• Pay.
• They’ll give you the pre-paid shipping label.
• Be sure to keep a copy or at least the number on your label.

Remember: If you don’t give us a pre-paid shipping label, we’ll return your documents by regular USPS mail.