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Apostille/Authentication

How to obtain an Apostille or Authentication

  1. Make sure the document is a current, certified copy or notarized by an Indiana notary.
    1. Birth/Death Certificates require state certification. Identification of this version is done by locating a multi-colored signature stamp on the bottom of the certificate.  If the certificate does not consist of the said stamp, contact Indiana Vital Records to obtain this version before submitting to us.
    2. Marriage/Divorce Documents are required to be signed by the current clerk of courts in the county of which the event took place. To confirm the current clerk of each county visit https://www.in.gov/judiciary/files/court-directory.pdf . Once the correct version is obtained, an apostille or authentication can be granted.
    3. School/College Documents need to be notarized by an Indiana Notary. Mentioning these documents need to be notarized for apostille or authentication at the time of request from the school may be beneficial as some schools have a process in place that eliminates some mailing time.
    4. All Other Documents are required to be correctly notarized by a current Indiana notary. Do not know where to find a notary? Start by asking a local bank to notarize the document(s).
  2. Prepare a request form/cover letter. This may be obtained from our website, typed, or handwritten. When creating a request form/cover letter, please include:
    1. Submitter name
    2. Phone number
      1. The phone number included will need for the person we can contact in case of any questions we may have.
    3. Return mailing address
      1. Please make sure to include the city, state and zip code along with the mailing address.
    4. The destination country
      1. The destination country is the country of which is requesting the document(s). If turning them to an embassy, do not list the location of the embassy but the actual country.
  3. Stamp and address a return envelope.
    1. If mailing out of the country, please be sure to include all the correct and required postage.
  4. If applicable, prepare payment of $2 per authentication/apostille. The following documents are exempt from charges:
    1. Birth/Death Certificates
    2. Documents generated by the Indiana Secretary  of State’s office.
    3. School/College Documents
    4. Adoption Documents
  5. Package up the request form/cover letter, document(s) needing authenticated or apostilled and the return envelope and send to:

Indiana Secretary of State

Attn: Authentication Dept.

302 West Washington Street Room E-018

Indianapolis, IN 46204

 

Authentication FAQ

 

US Department of State, Authentications


 

 

Authentication Request Form