Michigan Apostille

Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) apostilles documents issued, recorded or notarized in Michigan, for $1 per document (per authentication, not per page). 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.

Michigan 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 Michigan

Apostilles and authentication certificates for documents issued in Michigan come from Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) (Office of the Great Seal). Official page

Fees

  • Apostille: $1 per document (per authentication, not per page). (source)
  • Certificate of Authority (for countries outside the Apostille Convention): $1 per authentication (same fee as an apostille). (source)

How to send a request

  • By mail (Lansing): mail the signed request form, the documents, a check or money order payable to the State of Michigan and a stamped self-addressed return envelope to the Office of the Great Seal (source)
  • In person (Lansing): by appointment only, Mondays or Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Office of the Great Seal in Lansing or select Secretary of State offices (source)
  • Request form: Authentication Request Form Apostille/Certification (Rev. 8/23)
  • The request must name the country where the document will be used.

Processing time, as the office states it:

  • The office's FAQ says turnaround is 1 to 2 weeks. (source)
  • The request form says to allow 4 to 6 weeks after the office receives the request, and expedited service is not available. (source)

What Michigan needs first, by document

Birth, death or marriage certificate

  • Get a certified copy from the Michigan State Registrar, a Michigan county clerk, or a city clerk in Wayne, Macomb or Oakland County. (source)
  • The office cannot authenticate an original birth, death, marriage or divorce record; it must be a certified copy. (source)
  • For a birth certificate, the certified copy must have been produced within the last 15 years. (source)

Court document (divorce decree, court order)

  • Order the certified copy from the county clerk's office (in Wayne, Oakland or Macomb County, the city clerk) or the State Registrar, not from a court or probate clerk. (source)
  • If the copy is certified only by the court and a court official, add a true copy statement signed before a Michigan notary. (source)
  • Only the person named in the document or the person who produced it can make the true copy statement. (source)
  • Exception: for someone under 18, a parent can make the statement. (source)
  • Exception: for a deceased person, a family member or an attorney of the estate can make the statement. (source)

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

  • Use a Michigan notary with original signatures; stamped, photocopied or facsimile signatures are refused. (source)
  • Make sure the notary includes their full name, signature, date, commission expiration date, county of commission and, if different, county of execution. (source)
  • A Michigan notary cannot certify a true copy; the notary only acknowledges the signature of the person who makes the true-copy statement. (source)

School diploma or transcript

  • Have an official of the school that issued the diploma certify that the copy is a true copy (or make the true-copy statement yourself as the person named). (source)
  • Then have a Michigan notary acknowledge the signature on that true-copy statement. (source)

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

  • Send certified copies of Articles of Incorporation issued by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. (source)

Countries outside the Apostille Convention

For a country outside the Apostille Convention, Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) issues its Certificate of Authority instead of an apostille. Then:

  • Many countries outside the Hague Convention only accept documents certified at both the state and the federal level. (source)
  • 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

  • Stamped, photocopied, carbon-copied or facsimile signatures. (source)
  • Foreign-language documents without a written English translation. (source)
  • Documents for use in the United States. (source)

Checked against official sources on October 24, 2026.

What this page does not do

  • It does not file anything. Requests go to Michigan Department of State (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 Michigan?

Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) issues apostilles for documents issued, recorded or notarized in Michigan. The fee is $1 per document (per authentication, not per page). Requests can be mailed to the office in Lansing. 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 Michigan?

Get a certified copy from the Michigan State Registrar, a Michigan county clerk, or a city clerk in Wayne, Macomb or Oakland County. The office cannot authenticate an original birth, death, marriage or divorce record; it must be a certified copy. For a birth certificate, the certified copy must have been produced within the last 15 years. Then send it to Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) with the $1 fee, naming the destination country.

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

Use a Michigan notary with original signatures; stamped, photocopied or facsimile signatures are refused. Make sure the notary includes their full name, signature, date, commission expiration date, county of commission and, if different, county of execution. A Michigan notary cannot certify a true copy; the notary only acknowledges the signature of the person who makes the true-copy statement.

What if the country is not in the Apostille Convention?

Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State) issues its certificate of authority instead of an apostille. Send it next to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications (Form DS-4194, $20 per document); the destination country's embassy or consulate then legalizes it.

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

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

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