Colorado Apostille

Colorado Secretary of State apostilles documents issued, recorded or notarized in Colorado, for $5 per Apostille (mail-in or drop-off). Pick the document and the country to see what it needs first and how to send it. This runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Colorado office checked against official sources on October 24, 2026.

This runs in your browser. Nothing you pick is sent, saved or added to the page address.

Pick the state where the document was issued, recorded or notarized, not the state you live in.

Choose who issued the document, the kind of document and the country to see the steps.

Who issues apostilles in Colorado

Apostilles and authentication certificates for documents issued in Colorado come from Colorado Secretary of State (Authentications Program). Official page

Fees

  • Apostille: $5 per Apostille (mail-in or drop-off). (source)
  • Colorado issues one certificate for every country, in or outside the Apostille Convention.
  • Expedited walk-in service, instead of the $5 fee: $15 (source)

How to send a request

  • By mail (Denver): mail the document, request form and check or money order to the address on the form (source)
  • In person (Denver): drop off and pick up later, or expedited walk-in service for documents hand delivered before 4:30 PM; check or money order only (source)
  • Request form: Apostilles & Authentications Request Form (NAUTH)
  • The request must name the country where the document will be used.

Processing time, as the office states it:

  • The office reports longer than normal wait times and states no fixed processing time. (source)
  • Expedited walk-in service is generally completed in under an hour. (source)

What Colorado needs first, by document

Birth, death or marriage certificate

  • Send the original certified by Colorado Vital Records or by a Colorado county clerk's office. (source)

Court document (divorce decree, court order)

  • Order copies of marriage licenses, divorce decrees and other court documents from the County Clerk and Recorder or the Clerk of the District Court where they were issued. (source)
  • The rejection page lists the offices whose original certified copies it can authenticate: a Colorado notary, county clerk and recorder, the Secretary of State, State Archives or Colorado vital records. (source)

Notarized document (power of attorney, affidavit, consent letter, translation)

  • Have a Colorado notary complete the notary statement in English, with the state, county and date, original signatures and no blanks. (source)

School diploma or transcript

Colorado Secretary of State does not say on its page whether this kind of document needs a step first. Ask the office before you mail an original.

Other state-issued document (business certificate, state background check)

  • Send an original certified copy issued by the Colorado Secretary of State or the Colorado State Archives. (source)
  • A notary cannot certify a copy of a record you can get from a county clerk and recorder, the Secretary of State, the State Archives or a vital records office. (source)

Countries outside the Apostille Convention

Colorado issues one certificate for every country, in or outside the Apostille Convention.

  • For a country outside the Convention, send the state-certified document to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications, with Form DS-4194 and the $20 fee per document. (source)

Last, the destination country’s embassy or consulate in the United States legalizes it; ask it about its own steps, fees and timing before you send anything.

What the office will not accept or handle

  • Out-of-state government documents, unless a Colorado notary makes a certified copy. (source)
  • Documents for use in the United States or its territories. (source)
  • Documents with blanks. (source)
  • For a certified true copy of a Certificate of Naturalization (from the Department of Homeland Security), send it to the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications. (source)

Checked against official sources on October 24, 2026.

What this page does not do

  • It does not file anything. Requests go to Colorado Secretary of State.
  • It does not cover documents from another state or a federal agency; those go to their own office.
  • It does not list embassy legalization rules for countries outside the Convention.
  • It does not promise processing times; fees and forms change, so check the office's page before you send originals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I get an apostille in Colorado?

Colorado Secretary of State issues apostilles for documents issued, recorded or notarized in Colorado. The fee is $5 per Apostille (mail-in or drop-off). Requests can be mailed to the office in Denver. The office also serves people in person; check its page for hours and any appointment rule before going.

How do I apostille a birth certificate from Colorado?

Send the original certified by Colorado Vital Records or by a Colorado county clerk's office. Then send it to Colorado Secretary of State with the $5 fee, naming the destination country.

Does a document notarized in Colorado need a county clerk certification first?

Have a Colorado notary complete the notary statement in English, with the state, county and date, original signatures and no blanks.

What if the country is not in the Apostille Convention?

Colorado issues one certificate for every destination, in or outside the Convention. For a country outside the Convention, send that certificate to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications (Form DS-4194, $20 per document), and then to the country's embassy or consulate for legalization.

How do I get an apostille for an FBI background check?

An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal document, so a state office cannot apostille it. The U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications handles it: send Form DS-4194, the document and the $20 fee per document. The form asks for the country where the document will be used.

Do I need a paid apostille service?

No. Every office on this page accepts requests directly from the public by mail, and some take them online. A service can only file the same request with the same office for you.

Sources

Colorado office checked against official sources on October 24, 2026.

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