How to Fill Out and Submit the Louisiana Authentication Request Form (Apostille)

To get a Louisiana apostille, download the Secretary of State’s authentication request form as a PDF, fill in your contact information, destination country, document count, and payment, then send it to the Commissions Division in Baton Rouge along with your original documents, $20 per document, and a prepaid return mailer. The Louisiana apostille request form is one page, and most requests are processed within two to three business days of arrival.¹

What the Form Covers

The Secretary of State can only authenticate documents signed or certified by someone whose signature is on record with the office. Two categories qualify:

Government-issued records such as birth, death, and marriage certificates from the Louisiana Department of Vital Records, and documents certified by Louisiana clerks of court. These must be original certified copies. Photocopies are rejected automatically.²
Notarized private documents such as powers of attorney, school transcripts, diplomas, and corporate resolutions. The notary must be a Louisiana notary public whose credentials are on file with the Secretary of State, and their printed name and identification number must appear beneath their signature. Louisiana-licensed attorneys may use their bar roll number in place of a notary ID.³

Federal documents do not go through this form. FBI background checks, federal court records, and anything issued by a U.S. government agency go to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C., on form DS-4194.

How to Fill Out Each Field

The form is short, but each field matters.

Sender information. Enter your full name, company name if applicable, mailing address, daytime phone, and email. Phone and email are how the office reaches you if something needs fixing, so fill them in.

Destination country. Write the name of the country where the documents will be used. This tells the office whether to issue an apostille (for Hague Convention members) or a certificate of authentication (for non-members). The form and fee are the same either way.

Document count and fee total. Count your documents and multiply by the per-document fee: $20 for standard documents, $10 for adoption-related records.¹ Make sure the number you write matches the actual documents in your package. A mismatch will hold up your request.

Payment method. Check the box for your payment type: personal check, money order, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover. Checks and money orders are made out to “Secretary of State.” Credit card users fill in the card number and expiration and add a $5 state surcharge to the total.¹

Return mailer. Check the box matching whatever prepaid return packaging you are including: a first-class envelope with postage, a Priority or Express Mail envelope with postage, or a FedEx, UPS, or DHL label with your account number on it. The office does not pay return postage under any circumstances.²

Sign and date the bottom.

Fees

Standard documents run $20 each. Adoption-related documents are $10 each. Five birth certificates come to $100. Credit card payments add a flat $5 surcharge regardless of how many documents you send.¹ Check or money order avoids the surcharge.

Where to Send It

Your package should include the completed form, payment, original documents, and a prepaid return mailer. Use the address that matches your shipping method.

USPS mail: Louisiana Secretary of State, Commissions Division, P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
FedEx, UPS, or DHL: Louisiana Secretary of State, Commissions Division, 8585 Archives Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70809

You can also drop the package off in person at the Archives Avenue address. If you need same-day or rush handling, call the Commissions Division at 225-922-0330 before going.¹

How Long It Takes

Most requests are processed within two to three business days after the office receives your package.¹ Overnight shipping to Baton Rouge does not shorten the internal processing window; the clock starts when staff open your package. Turnaround can stretch during high-volume periods. Your documents go back in whatever prepaid mailer you provided.

Why Requests Get Returned

The Commissions Division sends packages back without processing them for a handful of recurring reasons. Check for these before you seal the envelope.

The notary who signed the document is not on file with the Secretary of State. The office cannot verify a signature it has no record of, and the document will need to be re-notarized by a notary whose credentials are current in state records.²
The notary’s printed name or ID number is missing or illegible beneath the signature.
You submitted a photocopy of a vital record or court document instead of an original certified copy.²
No prepaid return mailer was included.
The notarial act does not comply with Louisiana notary law. Common problems include missing witness signatures and incomplete party information under La. R.S. 35:12.³

If Your Destination Country Is Not in the Hague Convention

An apostille is only recognized in countries that are parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. For countries that are not members, such as Egypt, Kuwait, or Vietnam, you use the same Louisiana form and pay the same fee, but the office issues a certificate of authentication rather than an apostille. That certificate is only the second step in a four-step chain: notarization, Louisiana certification, authentication by the U.S. Department of State, and legalization by the destination country’s embassy or consulate. If your country is on the non-Hague list, plan for the additional stages after Baton Rouge returns your documents.

1
Louisiana Secretary of State. Louisiana Apostille Authentication Request Form
2
Louisiana Secretary of State. Authenticate Signatures of Louisiana Officials
3
Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 35 RS 35-12