Pennsylvania Apostilles

Why would I need an apostille?

An apostille is required whenever you need to use a US government document in another country that is a member of the Hague Convention of 1961. Common situations include immigrating abroad, getting married in a foreign country, enrolling in a foreign university, applying for dual citizenship, working overseas, and adopting a child internationally. For countries outside the Hague Convention, a legalization process is required instead.

What documents can receive an apostille?

Any document bearing the signature or seal of a government official can receive an apostille. Common examples include birth certificates, marriage licenses, death certificates, divorce decrees, court orders, FBI background checks, National Archives records, powers of attorney, notarized affidavits, and federal agency correspondence such as USCIS Certificates of Non-Existence. Both wet (handwritten) and digital signatures qualify at the federal level; state-level acceptance of digital signatures varies.

Who can issue an apostille?

Only the authority that has jurisdiction over the signing official can issue an apostille. For state documents, that is the Secretary of State in the state where the document was issued. For federal documents, that is the US Department of State, Office of Authentications in Washington, DC. A state Secretary of State cannot apostille a federal document, and the Department of State cannot apostille a state document.

What is the difference between a state apostille and a federal apostille?

The issuing authority depends on which government issued the original document. State documents — birth, marriage, and death certificates, court orders, notarized documents — must go to that state's Secretary of State office. Federal documents — FBI background checks, NARA records, naturalization certificates — must go to the US Department of State. Using the wrong authority results in automatic rejection. See our state apostille and federal apostille pages for details.

How long is an apostille valid?

The apostille certificate itself does not expire. However, some underlying documents have their own time limits set by the receiving country or institution. FBI Identity History Summary (background check) documents, for example, are commonly required to have been issued within the past 6 months for immigration, employment, or visa purposes. Always confirm the currency requirements with the receiving authority.

Do I need to send original documents or can I email them?

It depends on the document. Documents originally issued on paper — birth certificates, marriage licenses, court orders, notarized instruments — must be mailed as originals. Photocopies and scans cannot be apostilled. Documents originally issued digitally — FBI background checks, certain federal correspondence — can be submitted electronically via email to info@apostille50.com or through the upload portal on your order confirmation page.

How do I send physical documents to Apostille50?

Mail originals using a trackable service (USPS Priority Mail Preferred). Do not fold the documents. Send to:

Apostille50
PO BOX 160
Germantown, MD 20875

You will receive an email confirmation when your documents arrive.

Is return shipping included?

Yes. Return shipping via USPS Priority Mail (2–3 business days) is included in every order at no extra charge. International return shipping is available for an additional fee — contact info@apostille50.com to arrange it.

What if my destination country is not in the Hague Convention?

Countries outside the Hague Convention require consular legalization rather than a simple apostille. This is a multi-step chain certification involving US Department of State authentication followed by the destination country's embassy or consulate. Apostille50 handles legalization as well — a federal legalization fee of USD 75 per document applies in addition to the standard base service fee. The Build-A-Cart tool flags non-Hague countries automatically.

How much does the service cost?

Apostille50 charges a flat USD 50.00 base service fee per order, plus the applicable state fee per apostille (ranging from USD 16 to USD 65 depending on the state). Federal apostille processing is an additional USD 75.00. You can see the exact cost before checkout on the Build-A-Cart page.

Why use Apostille50 instead of submitting directly?

Apostille50 expedites federal submissions in-person, cutting typical federal processing times from 6–8 weeks down to approximately 2 weeks. For state documents, we manage all routing, fee payments, and compliance checks across all 50 states and DC — so you submit once and we handle the rest. Every order includes real-time email updates and free return shipping.