Missouri Apostille

Missouri Secretary of State apostilles documents issued, recorded or notarized in Missouri, for $10 per certification or authentication (per notary when one document has notarizations by different notaries). 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.

Missouri 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 Missouri

Apostilles and authentication certificates for documents issued in Missouri come from Missouri Secretary of State (Commissions). Official page

Fees

  • Apostille: $10 per certification or authentication (per notary when one document has notarizations by different notaries). (source)
  • Authentication (for public officials) or Certification (for notaries) (for countries outside the Apostille Convention): $10 per Apostille/Authentication (same fee). (source)
  • Cap on the state's total fee for adoption documents, per child per adoption: $100 (source)

How to send a request

  • By mail (Jefferson City): mail the documents with the cover letter and a check, money order or the credit card payment sheet; include a prepaid envelope for anything other than regular mail return (source)
  • Request form: Apostille/Authentication Cover Letter
  • The request must name the country where the document will be used.

What Missouri needs first, by document

Birth, death or marriage certificate

  • For a birth certificate, send a certified copy from the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records. (source)
  • For a marriage license, send a certified copy from the Recorder of Deeds of the county of the marriage, or a marriage statement from the Bureau of Vital Records. (source)

Court document (divorce decree, court order)

  • For a divorce decree, send a certified copy from the Circuit Clerk of the county where the divorce is recorded. (source)

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

  • Make sure the notarization is complete, with the notarial paragraph, the notary's signature and seal. (source)

School diploma or transcript

  • Send a certified copy from the school. (source)

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

  • The office authenticates the signatures of recorders of deeds, circuit clerks, judges, county clerks and the State Registrar. (source)

Countries outside the Apostille Convention

For a country outside the Apostille Convention, Missouri Secretary of State issues its Authentication (for public officials) or Certification (for notaries) instead of an apostille. Then:

  • 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.

Checked against official sources on October 24, 2026.

What this page does not do

  • It does not file anything. Requests go to Missouri 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 Missouri?

Missouri Secretary of State issues apostilles for documents issued, recorded or notarized in Missouri. The fee is $10 per certification or authentication (per notary when one document has notarizations by different notaries). Requests can be mailed to the office in Jefferson City.

How do I apostille a birth certificate from Missouri?

For a birth certificate, send a certified copy from the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records. For a marriage license, send a certified copy from the Recorder of Deeds of the county of the marriage, or a marriage statement from the Bureau of Vital Records. Then send it to Missouri Secretary of State with the $10 fee, naming the destination country.

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

Make sure the notarization is complete, with the notarial paragraph, the notary's signature and seal.

What if the country is not in the Apostille Convention?

Missouri Secretary of State issues its authentication (for public officials) or certification (for notaries) 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

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

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