How to Fill Out and Submit the Missouri Apostille Request Form

To request an apostille from Missouri, you fill out the Secretary of State’s Apostille/Authentication Cover Letter, attach your Missouri-issued documents and $10 per certificate, and send the package to the Commissions Division in Jefferson City or drop it at a branch office for same-day counter service. The Missouri apostille request form is a short one-page cover letter rather than a traditional application, and the office uses the country you list on it to decide whether to attach an apostille (for the 129 Hague Convention nations) or an authentication certificate (for countries outside the treaty).¹

Where to Get the Form

Missouri does not use a numbered application. The document you need is the Apostille/Authentication Cover Letter, downloadable as a PDF from the Secretary of State’s website.² Print it, fill it out by hand or type into the PDF fields, sign it, and include it as the top page of your submission. If you plan to pay by credit card, download the separate credit card payment sheet from the same page and include it as well.¹

How to Fill Out Each Section

The cover letter is short. Every field matters, though, because a missing entry can send the package back to you unprocessed.

Contact information. Your name, mailing address, phone number, and email. Staff use this to reach you if something is wrong with the submission.
Number of documents to process. Count each document separately. Three birth certificates is “3.” The number here must match the physical documents in the envelope, or the office may process only what you wrote or return the entire package for clarification.
Country of use. The specific country where the documents will be presented. This is the field the office uses to decide between an apostille and an authentication certificate. Do not leave it blank. A missing country is one of the most common reasons packages come back.
Return or shipping information. The name and address where the finished documents should be sent. This can differ from your contact address if you want the documents delivered directly to a family member, attorney, or recipient abroad.
Shipping method. Check whether you have enclosed a pre-paid return envelope or want the office to return your documents by regular U.S. mail.
Payment method. Indicate whether you are paying by check, money order, or credit card.
Signature and date. Sign at the bottom.

The form does not ask you to list or categorize each document by type. You provide the total count and place the actual documents behind the cover letter.²

What to Include With the Form

Qualifying Documents

The Secretary of State can only apostille or authenticate documents that bear the signature of a Missouri public official or notary. The office verifies that the official’s signature is genuine, not that the underlying document is accurate. Documents that qualify include:

Birth and death certificates that are certified copies from the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records. Long-form certificates are recommended for international use.³
Marriage records, either a certified copy of the original marriage certificate from the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the license was issued, or a Certified Statement Relating to Marriage from the Department of Health and Senior Services.¹
Notarized documents such as powers of attorney and affidavits, as long as the notary’s commission is active and the document includes a complete notarial paragraph, the notary’s signature, and the notary’s seal.¹
School documents such as transcripts, diplomas, and enrollment verifications. They need to be certified copies from the school and then notarized by a Missouri Notary Public. Many universities handle both steps in-house.⁴

Fees and Payment

The fee is $10 per apostille or authentication certificate.¹ If a single document has multiple notarizations that each need separate verification, you pay $10 for each. Three documents with one notarization each costs $30.

Checks and money orders should be made payable to the Secretary of State’s Office. The office also accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover; credit card payments carry a convenience fee from the processing vendor, and you’ll need to include the completed credit card payment sheet.¹

Return Envelope

The office returns documents by regular U.S. mail unless you include a pre-paid envelope with an addressed air bill.¹ For international delivery or anything time-sensitive, enclose a pre-paid FedEx, UPS, or DHL envelope with the shipping label filled out. Regular international mail is slow and offers no tracking.

Where to Send or Deliver It

By Mail

Send your cover letter, documents, payment, and return shipping materials to the Commissions Division at either address:⁵

James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center
600 W. Main St., Room 322
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Or by post office box:

Office of Secretary of State
PO Box 784
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0784

Mail-in requests generally take seven to ten business days from the date the office receives them, though volume can shift that window.

In Person

Walk-in requests are handled at the Jefferson City office and at branch offices in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield. All locations are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and closed on state holidays.⁶ Counter service is typically same-day, often while you wait. Branch office addresses:

Kansas City: State Office Bldg., 615 E. 13th St., Ste. 513, Kansas City, MO 64106 — (816) 889-2925
St. Louis: U.S. Customs House & Old Post Office Building, 815 Olive St., Ste. 210, St. Louis, MO 63101 — (314) 340-7490⁵

Mistakes That Get the Package Sent Back

Most rejections come from a short list of recurring problems. Check for each before sealing the envelope:

Incomplete notarization. A notarized document is sent back if it is missing the notarial paragraph, the notary’s signature, or the notary’s seal. All three must appear.¹
Expired notary commission. If the commission has lapsed, the office cannot verify the signature. Check the commission expiration date on the notarial certificate.
Wrong issuing authority. A birth certificate from an online genealogy site or a hospital souvenir certificate will not work. It must be a certified copy from the Bureau of Vital Records. A marriage certificate must come from the county Recorder of Deeds, not a church or officiant.³
School documents without notarization. A transcript straight from the registrar is not enough on its own; it needs to be certified by the school and then notarized by a Missouri Notary Public.
Missing country of use on the cover letter. Without it, the office cannot decide which certificate to issue.
Document count mismatch between the cover letter and what’s in the envelope.

Federal Documents Use a Different Form

The Missouri cover letter only works for documents that originate from Missouri officials. Federal documents, including FBI Identity History Summaries, records from federal agencies, and documents certified by federal courts, must be apostilled by the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications using Form DS-4194.⁷ Do not have an FBI background check notarized before sending it to the State Department; the Office of Authentications verifies the FBI official’s signature directly, and an added notarization breaks that chain.

1
Missouri Secretary of State. Certification, Authentication, and Apostilles
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Secretary of State of Missouri. Apostille/Authentication Cover Letter
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Department of Health and Senior Services. Order a Copy of a Vital Record
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University of Missouri. Notarization and Apostille
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Missouri Secretary of State. Office Contact Information
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Missouri Secretary of State. Contact Notaries and Commissions
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U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services