Authentications

• Cover letter

• Payment by money order or check, payable to “NC Secretary of State” for $10/document

• Original documents with all certifications attached

• Return prepaid envelope or carrier label

You can mail or deliver your document in person to:

Mail the whole package to: Hand-delivery to:
Authentication Office Authentication Office
NC Secretary of State NC Secretary of State
PO Box 29622 2 South Salisbury St
Raleigh NC 27626-0622 Raleigh NC 27601-2903

In-Person Appointments

We do take appointments scheduled online. See Make an Appointment for the step-by-step process.

These are appointments for the dropping off of documents only. If submitted by 10 a.m., the documents can be picked up same-day after 4 p.m. If submitted after, the pickup is at 4 p.m. the next day. Usually these appointments are for emergency situations such as funeral home requests and adoptions. Please read the Getting Documents to and from Us and the Courier Policies pages before scheduling an in-person appointment with Authentications. These pages contain valuable information about properly delivering your documents to the Department.

Submissions for Authentication and Authority Certificates

The submission guidelines for Authentication and Authority Certificates are identical except for the last part when you receive the certificate(s). When you receive an Authentication or Authority Certificate from the NC Secretary of State, you will need to take an additional step at the federal level. Once you receive the certificate, send it to the U.S. State Department at the address listed at the bottom of this section.

Make sure your document is notarized and it is in English. If the document is not in English, get a certified and notarized translation for the document.

Copies

If the document is a copy of the original, you can use a True Copy Affidavit saying that the document is a “true copy” of the original. Affidavits can be downloaded on the Forms page.

Document Age

Your document’s official signature must not date back further than April 1, 2000.