Boston Secretary of State Apostille Guide
Updated: Nov 7
BOSTON NOTARY SERVICE · APOSTILLE GUIDE Filing an apostille in Boston?See where to file, what to bring and how to plan around your deadline. If you want help, we can review your documents and coordinate the agreed submission and return. Boston filing guidance · Document review · Return delivery |
Who issues a Massachusetts apostille?
The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth issues apostilles for eligible Massachusetts public documents and qualifying Massachusetts notarizations. The certificate verifies the authenticity of the official signature, the capacity in which the person signed and the seal or stamp where applicable. The receiving organization sets its own rules for document format, age and translations.
Boston Notary Service is an independent document service. We can help with preparation, eligible record retrieval, submission and return delivery. The government office issues the certificate.
What to prepare for each type of document
Birth, marriage and death certificates
Start with an official certified copy from the appropriate city or town clerk or the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. A scan or photocopy can help with initial review. For submission, use the official copy with the custodian’s certification. Before ordering, ask the receiving office whether it requires a particular format or a recently issued copy.
Some records have restricted access. If you’re requesting a record for someone else, check what proof of eligibility or authorization the issuing office requires before making delivery plans.
Divorce judgments and other court records
Ask the court clerk for the specific certified record named by your recipient. A divorce judgment, certificate of divorce and other court documents serve different purposes. If the request lists more than one item, confirm which ones need separate certifications.
Diplomas, transcripts and enrollment letters
Check with the registrar before sending your only diploma. Tell the school exactly what your receiving institution wants and ask how it prepares that record for use abroad. If the recipient requests both a diploma and a transcript, confirm whether both need their own apostille and whether the school can release the prepared documents to you or an authorized representative.
Powers of attorney, affidavits and company records
Get the final document and any signing instructions from the receiving organization or your counsel before booking a notary. For a document already notarized in Massachusetts, review the certificate for a complete notarial act, signature, seal and commission expiration. For a state-issued corporate record, ask which certified filing or certificate your recipient requires before ordering a copy.
Where to file in Boston and what to bring
The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Commissions Section is at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108. If you file directly, bring the state’s completed apostille and certification form, your eligible documents and payment. Identify the destination country on the form. The posted government fee is $6 per document.
The Boston counter handles up to three documents per customer at the counter. The state says four or more can be picked up after 3 p.m. on the next business day, and items dropped off after 4 p.m. move to next-business-day pickup. For mailed requests, the state lists two to three weeks for processing and asks for a prepaid return envelope. Check the official instructions before traveling or mailing originals.
When your paperwork goes to a different office
An FBI Identity History Summary follows the federal route through the U.S. Department of State. A document issued in another state generally starts with that state’s competent authority. Your current address or return shipping address does not determine which office can certify the document.
If the Apostille Convention does not apply to the destination, the recipient may ask for authentication and additional legalization. Get the destination’s written requirements before paying for any step. In a packet with a Massachusetts birth certificate and an FBI check, for example, the two records go through separate government routes even if they are for the same application.
How to plan for a deadline
Work backward from the date the completed packet must be in the recipient’s hands. Allow time for three separate stages: obtaining or preparing the document, government processing, and final delivery. A replacement record, a registrar’s release schedule, or an extra legalization step can change the whole timeline.
Applying from outside Massachusetts? Tell us where the documents are now and where they need to go afterward. We can review whether eligible local retrieval, submission assistance and tracked domestic or international delivery can be coordinated in one request. For a tight deadline, send the document list and required arrival date first so we can check available options before you send originals.
What to include for a useful quote
List each document, the office or agency that issued it, the destination country and how many copies need certification. Tell us whether you have an official copy, an already notarized document or a scan, and include the recipient’s written instructions if available. Mention retrieval, notarization or shipping if you need help with those steps. If the recipient requires a translation, arrange it with your chosen provider and share its timing requirements with us.
We’ll review the proposed route and confirm the work, price and available timing before you authorize it. The state’s filing fee is separate from the scope of services you ask us to coordinate.
Common questions
Can I email a scan to get started?
A scan can help identify the document and its issuer. We’ll confirm whether the government submission needs an official certified copy or another eligible original, and explain how to send it.
Does the apostille expire?
Ask your recipient whether it has a document-age rule. A receiving office may require a newly issued underlying record or have its own timing requirements, so confirm those dates before ordering a replacement or scheduling submission.
Should I translate the document before or after the apostille?
Ask the receiving organization which pages it wants translated, whether it requires the apostille to be translated too, and what translator credentials it accepts. That determines the order of the work.
Get a plan for your documents
Share what you have, where it’s going and when it needs to arrive. We’ll confirm what’s needed and quote the work before you send originals. Your initial request does not collect payment.
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