How to Get an Apostille in Las Vegas, Nevada

To get an apostille in Las Vegas, submit your original signed or notarized document, a completed Apostille/Certification Order Form, and $20 per document to the Nevada Secretary of State’s Las Vegas office at 1 State of Nevada Way, Las Vegas, NV 89119.¹ You can mail the packet or bring it in by appointment. Standard processing currently runs about four weeks, so build in time before any foreign deadline.²

Make Sure Your Document Qualifies

The Secretary of State apostilles public documents that carry a recognizable signature from a Nevada state official or a commissioned Nevada notary. The office verifies that signature against its records before attaching the apostille certificate to your original.

Common qualifying documents include marriage certificates, birth and death certificates, academic transcripts and diplomas with a notarial act, powers of attorney, affidavits, business agreements, and corporate filings on record with the Secretary of State. For commercial recordings specifically, the Copies Division at 775-684-5708 can give you the specific submission instructions.²

Plain photocopies are rejected. If you only have a copy, a Nevada notary must certify it as a true copy with a complete notarial act before the office will touch it.³

Order the Underlying Certified Copy First

For vital records and marriage records, you need an official certified copy before the apostille step. Birth and death certificates come from the Nevada Office of Vital Records and Statistics, not from a local health district.² Marriage certificates come from the County Clerk’s office in the county where the license was issued; for most Las Vegas marriages, that’s the Clark County Clerk.

Private documents such as a power of attorney, an affidavit, or a translator’s declaration need to be signed in front of a Nevada notary whose commission is active. If the commission has lapsed, the Secretary of State cannot authenticate the signature.

Complete the Order Form and Payment

Download the Apostille/Certification Order Form from the Nevada Secretary of State’s website. One form can cover multiple documents. Fill in:

The country where the document will be presented
Your email address
A valid return mailing address
A daytime phone number

Missing any of these can get the packet sent back.²

The fee is $20 per document, set by Nevada law.¹ Five documents, $100. Pay by check made out to the Office of the Secretary of State, or by card using the ePayment Checklist form included with the application. Cash is not accepted at the Las Vegas location, and all payments must be in U.S. currency.³ Expedited processing is available for a higher fee, but the specific tiers are not posted; call the office to confirm pricing and turnaround if you need it.

Submit by Mail or Appointment

Mail the completed order form, the original documents, and payment to the Las Vegas office at 1 State of Nevada Way, Las Vegas, NV 89119.

If you prefer to drop off in person, book an appointment through the Secretary of State’s website first. Walk-ins are not accepted.⁴

Processing Time and Return Shipping

Standard processing is about four weeks from the day the office receives your request, and that can stretch depending on volume.² Once the signature is verified, the apostille certificate is permanently attached to your original document.

Finished packets are returned by First Class Mail, even when you’ve paid for expedited handling. Expedited service speeds up the office’s internal processing, not the post office. If you include a pre-paid return shipping label, do not list the Secretary of State as the sender under a “Bill to Sender” arrangement; those labels will be rejected.²

Reasons Applications Get Sent Back

Incomplete order form, especially a missing destination country, email, or return address.
Plain photocopies with no notarial certification as a true copy.³
A notary signature the office can’t match to an active commission in its records.
Return shipping labels with the Secretary of State listed as sender.²

If the Country Isn’t in the Hague Convention

Apostilles work only for countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention.⁵ If your destination isn’t a member, the Secretary of State issues a certification of signature instead. Same $20 fee, same submission process, same attached certificate, but the document will likely need further legalization at the destination country’s consulate or embassy before it’s accepted.¹ List the correct destination country on your form so the office issues the right certificate.

How Long the Apostille Lasts

The apostille itself has no expiration date. Its usefulness tracks the document underneath it. A birth certificate carries an apostille that’s good indefinitely; a power of attorney that expires in six months carries one that’s useful for six months. Some foreign agencies impose their own recency rules, so if you’re reusing an older apostille, confirm with the receiving institution that they’ll still accept it.

1
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 240.1657 – Authentication of Signature of Notarial Officer on Document Intended for Use in Foreign Country
2
Nevada Secretary of State. Apostille
3
Nevada Secretary of State. Submission Instructions
4
Nevada Secretary of State. Contact Us
5
Hague Conference on Private International Law. Status Table – Convention 12