How to Get an Apostille in Boston, Massachusetts

To get an apostille in Boston, take or mail your document to the Commissions Section of the Secretary of the Commonwealth at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, along with a completed Apostille/Certification Request Form and $6.00 per document by check or money order. Walk-ins are usually processed the same day. Mailed requests take two to three weeks from the date they arrive.¹

An apostille is a certificate confirming a document’s authenticity so it will be accepted in any of the 125-plus countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention.² One apostille replaces the older consulate-and-embassy legalization chain, provided the destination country is a Convention member.

Which Documents Qualify

Massachusetts can only apostille documents carrying an original signature from certain state officials. Photocopied signatures are rejected. The eligible signers are a Massachusetts Notary Public, a Justice of the Peace, a city or town clerk (or assistant), a court clerk (or assistant), and the Registrar of Vital Records.¹p>

Vital records — birth, marriage, and death certificates — qualify when issued by a city or town clerk or the Registrar of Vital Records with an original signature.¹

Private documents like powers of attorney, affidavits, and corporate records need to be notarized first by a Massachusetts Notary Public. The notary must sign exactly as commissioned, include a complete notarial certificate showing the commission expiration date, and affix a legible seal. Missing or illegible elements will get the document returned unprocessed.³

Academic documents such as college diplomas and transcripts from Massachusetts institutions follow the same route: a school registrar signs, and a Massachusetts Notary Public acknowledges the signature.¹

The Request Form and Fee

Fill out the Apostille/Certification Request Form before submitting anything. It asks for your name, mailing address, phone number, the number of documents, and — this one matters — the destination country where the documents will be used.⁴ Hague Convention members receive an apostille; non-member countries require a different certification, so the country determines what you actually get.¹

Each document costs $6.00. Payment is by check or money order only, made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. No credit cards. No online submission or electronic payment.⁴

Walking In

The Commissions Section is at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.⁵ Walk-in requests are typically apostilled the same day, which is the fastest option when an international deadline is close. The counter handles up to three documents per customer per visit.

Questions before you go: 617-727-2836 or comm@sec.state.ma.us.⁵

Mailing Your Request

Mailed requests go to the same address: Commissions Section, One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108. Enclose the original documents, the completed request form, and a check or money order for the total.⁴

You also need a prepaid return envelope. A self-addressed stamped envelope works for regular first-class return. For FedEx, DHL, or another express carrier, include a prepaid return envelope with your billing account number. The office cannot charge shipping to a credit card.¹

Processing takes two to three weeks from receipt, and that does not include mail transit either direction.¹ Plan on at least a month if you are relying on the mail.

Federal Documents Go Somewhere Else

Massachusetts can only apostille documents that originate within the Commonwealth. Federally issued documents — an FBI background check, records from a federal court, a patent — must be authenticated through the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications, not the Commissions Section.² Walk-in requests there are same-day with an appointment; mailed requests take about five weeks.⁶

If the Destination Country Is Not in the Hague Convention

An apostille only works for Hague Convention member countries. If your document is going somewhere that has not joined, you need the longer authentication and legalization route: state certification by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, federal authentication by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications, and then legalization by the destination country’s embassy or consulate in the U.S.² Fees and processing times vary at each step, and embassies often have their own format requirements, so contact the embassy before you start.

Translation and Document Age

The Commissions Section apostilles documents in whatever language they arrive in and does not require translation. The receiving country or institution abroad usually does. Some want the original apostilled first and translated afterward; others want both the document and the apostille certificate translated. Ask the foreign recipient before paying a translator.

Apostille certificates do not expire, but the overseas authority may require that the underlying document was issued recently, often within the last six to twelve months. This is a frequent problem with birth certificates for citizenship applications, criminal background checks, and certificates of good standing. If the certified copy on your desk is a few years old, order a fresh one before requesting the apostille.

1
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Apostilles and Certification of Documents
2
HCCH. Apostille Section
3
Secretary of the Commonwealth. Information on Apostilles and Certificates of Appointment
4
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Apostille/Certification Request Form
5
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Contact Information – Section: Commissions
6
U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications