Vermont Apostille

Vermont Secretary of State (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration) apostilles documents issued, recorded or notarized in Vermont, for $10 per apostille. 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.

Vermont 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 Vermont

Apostilles and authentication certificates for documents issued in Vermont come from Vermont Secretary of State (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration) (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA)). Official page

Fees

  • Apostille: $10 per apostille. (source)
  • Certificate of Authentication (for countries outside the Apostille Convention): $10 per authentication (same fee as an apostille). (source)

How to send a request

  • By mail (Montpelier): mail the documents, form VSARA-35 and a check or money order in U.S. dollars payable to the VT Secretary of State (no cash, no cards) to VSARA; returns go by standard USPS unless you include a prepaid label (source)
  • In person (Middlesex): deliver in person or use the drop box at the VSARA building on U.S. Route 2 in Middlesex (hours not stated) (source)
  • Online: only when ordering certified Vermont vital records at the same time through the state's Vital Records Request Service (source)
  • Request form: VSARA-35 Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request (Rev. 08/2021)
  • The request must name the country where the document will be used.
  • The office strongly encourages a preliminary review by email (SOS.StatutoryFilings@vermont.gov) before you submit; improperly notarized or certified documents are rejected. (source)

What Vermont needs first, by document

Birth, death or marriage certificate

  • Send an original certified copy from the legal record custodian; duplicate certifications and notary-certified copies are rejected. (source)

Court document (divorce decree, court order)

  • A certified court record must show the printed name of the court staff member who issued it and the date certified. (source)

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

  • Have it notarized by a Vermont-commissioned notary meeting Vermont's statutory requirements (26 V.S.A. chapter 103), with original signatures; no county step is named. (source)

School diploma or transcript

  • Academic documents need a Vermont notarized attestation by the school registrar that the document is authentic. (source)

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

  • Send an original certified copy from the agency that is the legal record custodian. (source)

Countries outside the Apostille Convention

For a country outside the Apostille Convention, Vermont Secretary of State (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration) issues its Certificate of Authentication 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.

What the office will not accept or handle

  • Notary certifications of Vermont public records; only the legal record custodian's certification works. (source)
  • Documents issued by other states. (source)
  • Documents for use in the United States or its territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam. (source)
  • Credit and debit cards, and cash by mail. (source)
  • Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office. (source)

Checked against official sources on October 24, 2026.

What this page does not do

  • It does not file anything. Requests go to Vermont Secretary of State (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration).
  • 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 Vermont?

Vermont Secretary of State (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration) issues apostilles for documents issued, recorded or notarized in Vermont. The fee is $10 per apostille. Requests can be mailed to the office in Montpelier. The office also serves people in person; check its page for hours and any appointment rule before going. The office also takes requests online.

How do I apostille a birth certificate from Vermont?

Send an original certified copy from the legal record custodian; duplicate certifications and notary-certified copies are rejected. Then send it to Vermont Secretary of State (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration) with the $10 fee, naming the destination country.

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

Have it notarized by a Vermont-commissioned notary meeting Vermont's statutory requirements (26 V.S.A. chapter 103), with original signatures; no county step is named.

What if the country is not in the Apostille Convention?

Vermont Secretary of State (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration) issues its certificate of authentication 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

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

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