How to Get an Apostille in Maine: Notarization, Forms, and Filing

To get an apostille in Maine, send your eligible document, a completed Apostille/Authentication Request Form, and $10 per signed document to the Secretary of State’s Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions in Augusta. Processing runs 10 to 15 business days once the office receives your materials, and the certification is valid for use in any of the 129 countries that participate in the Hague Apostille Convention.¹

Check Whether You Need an Apostille or an Authentication

The destination country decides which certification you request. Member countries of the Hague Convention accept an apostille as the final step. Non-member countries require an authentication, which the Maine office issues at the same $10 fee, but you then have to take the authenticated document to that country’s U.S. embassy or consulate for consular legalization before it will be accepted.¹ Check the current member list on the Hague Conference on Private International Law’s status table before you file.²

Which Documents the Maine Office Will Apostille

The Secretary of State only certifies documents that originate in Maine or carry a Maine notary’s signature. A document issued in another state has to go to that state’s own Secretary of State.

Vital records are the most common. Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates issued by Maine municipal clerks, courts, or the State Registrar of Vital Statistics all qualify, as do court records like divorce decrees and probate documents finalized in Maine.¹ You need a certified copy from the original issuing office; a personal photocopy will be rejected. These documents do not need to be notarized because they already carry the issuing official’s signature and seal.

Private documents such as powers of attorney, business agreements, affidavits, and corporate filings can be apostilled if they carry a valid Maine notarization. Academic credentials from Maine institutions, including diplomas and transcripts, usually need to be notarized before the Secretary of State will process them.¹

If you need a Maine criminal history report for immigration or overseas employment, order a notarized copy through the Maine State Bureau of Identification’s online portal, then submit it to the Secretary of State like any other notarized document.³

Get the Notarization Right the First Time

A missing or incomplete notarial statement is the most frequent reason the Secretary of State rejects a request.¹ A rejection means a round trip in the mail and weeks of lost time, so it is worth checking the notary’s work before you send anything.

Maine law sets out short-form notarial certificates that cover what has to appear on the page. A proper statement includes the state and county of notarization, the date, the name of the person whose signature is being notarized, the type of notarial act (acknowledgment, oath, or signature witnessing), and the notary’s signature, printed name, title, and commission expiration date.⁴ If any of those elements is missing, the apostille request will come back.

The notary’s commission must also be active and on file with the Secretary of State on the date of the notarization. An expired or unfiled commission makes the whole notarization invalid, and the problem often only surfaces after the documents have reached Augusta. Confirm the notary’s credentials before you sign.

How to Submit the Request

Fill Out the Form

Download the Apostille/Authentication Request Form from the Secretary of State’s website. The form asks for the destination country, your phone and email so staff can reach you about problems, and the number of documents you are submitting.⁵

Pay the Fee

The fee is $10 per signed document, in U.S. funds. It applies per signature, not per page, so a multi-page contract with one notarized signature costs $10, while two separately notarized documents cost $20. Pay by check or money order made out to the Secretary of State, or by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express using the credit card section of the request form.⁵ A mismatch between the payment and the number of documents will hold up processing.

Mail Everything to Augusta

Send the form, your original or certified documents, and payment to:

Secretary of State
Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

Include a way for the office to get the documents back to you. For a domestic return, that means a self-addressed envelope with prepaid postage. International returns require a prepaid shipping label, and courier returns require a prepaid label with your account information.⁵ Without a return method, your documents sit in Augusta.

Walk In Instead

The Augusta office takes in-person requests. If you are bringing more than five documents, call 207-624-7752 to schedule an appointment. The office follows the State of Maine holiday schedule.¹

Plan for the Processing Time

The posted turnaround is 10 to 15 business days from receipt, which works out to roughly two to three calendar weeks of processing alone.¹ That window does not include mail time in either direction. For a visa appointment, school enrollment, or overseas closing, build in the full round trip and submit early.

Once the apostille is attached, leave it attached. Removing, separating, or altering it invalidates the certification, and you will have to resubmit the document and pay the fee again.

Federal Documents Do Not Go Through Maine

The Maine Secretary of State cannot apostille documents issued by a federal agency. FBI background checks, federal court records, and documents certified by other federal offices must go through the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications, which charges $20 per document and takes up to five weeks by mail.⁶ If your packet for the receiving country includes both federal and Maine documents, start the federal request first because it takes considerably longer.

1
Maine Secretary of State. Authentications and Apostilles
2
HCCH. Convention of 5 October 1961 – Status Table
3
Maine.gov. Maine Criminal History Record and Juvenile Crime Information Request
4
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 4 – 1917 Short Form Certificates
5
Maine Secretary of State. Apostille/Authentication Request Form
6
U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services