How Do I Obtain an

Apostille or
Certification?
Starting Monday, October 17th, 2022, Apostilles & Certifications will be handled in
room 201 of the North Office Building. Customers can have apostilles and
certifications processed in-person or by mail.

For 24/7 drop-off, the Department of State's drop box is still available. It is labeled
"The Department of State", is a royal blue color, and is located across the street
from the Department on North Street at the entrance of the Keystone
Building. Processing time for the drop box is approximately five (5) to seven (7)
business days. Of note, processing time does not include mailing time for the
documents to be returned.
For documents that are submitted by mail, typically, allow about two (2) to three
(3) weeks. Processing time does not include mailing time.

Walk-in requests are accepted from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday
(except State holidays). Since walk-in requests are processed while the requestor
waits, you are encouraged to arrive by 4:00 PM so your documents are processed
before the end of the business day.

If using a GPS device for driving directions, please use 401 North Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120 for the street address. Once you get to the North Office
Building, come upstairs to room 201.

The cost is $15.00 per document.

Do not remove the staple from any document that has been processed.
To mail requests, submit the following to:
Pennsylvania Department of State
:
 Apostilles & Certifications
North Office Building, Room 201
401 North Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0029

1. Original document(s)
2. Include a cover letter or you may use our
Request for Legalization of Documents form
(/OtherServices/Certifications_Apostilles/Documents/apos-
tilles%20and%20authentication.pdf)

. Identify the country where the documents will be used, as well as the
requestor's name, contact phone, email, and full mailing address.
3. Enclose a personal check, money order, or cashier's check made payable to
"Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" in the amount of $15 per document (not per
page). Checks and money orders must be issued by a U.S. institution or, if issued
by a foreign bank, must be in U.S. dollars and contain a routing number. Cash
cannot be accepted by mail or drop-box.
4. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of your documents. If
you wish the order to be returned by a courier service, you must enclose a
prepaid air bill with your order. Effective October 1, 2009, the Department no
longer accepts FedEx or DHL for the return shipment of documents. NOTE: If
requesting your documents to be returned via UPS (United Parcel Service),
please list yourself as the sender and recipient on the air bill that you will be
providing. Otherwise, the air bill will be changed accordingly. We recommend
purchasing tracking services for both the original envelope and the
return envelope, and keep a record of your tracking numbers.

For Certificates of Good Standing for Notaries Public, write a letter requesting a
Certificate of Good Standing and providing the full notary name and commission
ID, if known, your name and full mailing address and payment in the amount of
$15 per certificate.
:
 Questions concerning apostilles or certifications may be directed to the
Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Notaries, Commissions, and
(717) 787-5280 
Legislation by calling (tel:(717) 787-5280) , by email:
RA-CERTIFICATIONS@pa.gov
(mailto:RA-CERTIFICATIONS@pa.gov) or by writing to the
address listed above.
You may contact the U.S. Department of State concerning the legalization of FBI
background checks and other federal documents at
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html 
(https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html) .
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