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Get an Apostille Without Sending Your Original Document

Yes. Upload a scan, we produce a notarized true copy and obtain the apostille; your original never leaves your hands.

From $149 per document · No hidden fees · Tracked shipping included

Industry's Fastest
24-hour turnaround
Official Apostille
Hague compliant
120+ Countries
Accepted worldwide

50+

States & Territories

120+

Countries Accepted

1-Day

Express Available

100%

Hague Compliant

You do not have to mail your original document to get a U.S. apostille. For most documents, we work from a notarized true copy (copia fiel) of your uploaded scan: we print the scan, a notary certifies it as a true and complete copy of what you provided, and the Secretary of State issues the apostille on that notarized copy. Your birth certificate, diploma, or FBI report stays with you the entire time.

Why People Search for This

Most people who land here have one specific fear: mailing an irreplaceable document and never getting it back. A birth certificate lost in transit can take months to replace. A foreign diploma or a deceased relative's death certificate may be impossible to reissue at all. That fear is reasonable, and it is the main reason people look for an apostille service that does not require the original.

The standard flow at most mail-in services still asks you to ship your physical originals both ways, then trust that they arrive, get processed, and come home safely. We built our process around the opposite default: you keep your documents, we work from a notarized true copy. Here is why that matters.

Your original document never enters the postal system, so it cannot be lost, delayed, or damaged in transit.

There is no replacement scramble if a package goes missing, because nothing irreplaceable was ever mailed.

You can apostille a document you physically cannot part with, such as a passport you still need to travel on or a single surviving copy of an old record.

You start the entire order from your phone or computer in minutes instead of printing forms and standing in line at the post office.

If a destination authority later asks for the apostille on the physical original instead, you still have your original in hand and ready to use.

How It Works

How It Works

Three steps, no trips to the post office, and your original stays on your desk the whole time.

1

Upload a clear scan

Submit a color scan or PDF of your full document, all pages, through our secure portal. A phone photo works if every line is legible and the edges are not cut off.

Takes about 2 minutes

2

We print and notarize a true copy

We print your scan and a notary executes a certified true copy statement, attesting under their commission that the printout is a true and complete copy of the document you provided. This notarized packet is what gets apostilled.

Same-day processing available

3

The apostille is issued and shipped to you

The Secretary of State (for state documents) or the U.S. Department of State (for federal documents like an FBI background check) issues the apostille on the notarized true copy. We ship the finished, apostilled packet directly to you with tracking.

Domestic and international delivery

The legal basis is the notary certified-copy or custodian-affidavit mechanism recognized in most U.S. states. The apostille authenticates the notary's signature and seal on the true copy certificate, which is a valid public act under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. This is why a true copy apostille is accepted for Hague Convention use in the large majority of cases.

When You DO Need to Mail the Original

We will always tell you the truth, even when it costs us the order. A notarized true copy works for the large majority of documents and destinations. There is one genuine exception.

  • A handful of destination countries or institutions specifically demand the apostille on the original physical document rather than on a true copy. When that is the rule, we process it under Original Protocol and you mail the original.

If your destination is one of those cases, we will flag it during your free review before you pay, and you can switch to the Original Apostille path. Being upfront here is the whole point: it prevents a rejected apostille and an avoidable refund.

Mail-In Services vs Apostilles.us

The difference is not just price. It is whether your irreplaceable document ever leaves your possession.

FactorTypical mail-in serviceApostilles.us
Original leaves your possessionYes, you ship it both waysNo, you keep your original
Risk of a lost documentReal, every shipment is a chance for lossNone, nothing irreplaceable is mailed
Shipping costYou pay outbound and return postageNo inbound shipping; we ship the finished apostille to you
Typical all-in price$175 to $249 plus shipping$149 per document plus a $19 government processing and handling fee
How you orderPrint forms, package documents, visit the post officeUpload a scan online in a few minutes
Turnaround startsAfter your package physically arrivesAs soon as your scan is uploaded and reviewed

Last verified: June 2026

Never mail your original documents

We process apostilles from a notarized true copy of your uploaded scan. Your birth certificate, diploma, or FBI report never leaves your hands, so it can never be lost in the mail.

How true copy processing works

Simple, Transparent Pricing

$149/ document · Economy Standard

Our standard true copy apostille is $149 per document on the Economy Standard tier, plus a $19 government processing and handling fee per document. There is no inbound shipping to pay, because you never mail us anything; we ship the finished apostille to you with tracking.

Faster tiers are available when you have a deadline, and bulk pricing applies when you apostille several documents in one order (common for citizenship-by-descent and visa packages). Everything is priced per document with no surprise add-ons.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Correct. We work from a notarized true copy of your uploaded scan, so your original stays with you. The only exception is when your destination country or institution specifically demands the apostille on the original physical document; then we process it under Original Protocol and you mail the original. We tell you upfront during your free review if your destination is one of those cases.
In the large majority of cases, yes. A true copy apostille authenticates the notary's certification under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, and Hague member countries accept it for legal use. A small number of countries or specific institutions require the apostille on the original document instead; if yours does, we will process it under Original Protocol with your original.
Birth, marriage, and death certificates, diplomas and transcripts, powers of attorney, affidavits, corporate documents, FBI background checks, and most other personal and business documents work from a notarized true copy. Use our free review and we will confirm your exact document before you pay.
Then we process your apostille under Original Protocol, where you mail us the original and the apostille is placed on the physical document. Because you kept your original the whole time, you can switch to this path without having lost anything. We will let you know if your destination is one of the few that requires it.
Yes, as long as the photo is clear, well lit, and shows the entire document with every line legible and no edges cut off. A flatbed or phone scanner usually gives cleaner results, but a careful phone photo is acceptable. If the quality is too low to certify, we will ask you for a better scan before processing.
Economy Standard runs about 4 to 6 business days, Standard Priority about 2 to 3, and Priority Express as fast as 24 hours for eligible state documents. Federal documents processed by the U.S. Department of State take longer (commonly several weeks) and cannot be expedited. Because you upload a scan, your turnaround begins immediately instead of after a package arrives.
The true copy apostille is $149 per document on Economy Standard, plus a $19 government processing and handling fee per document. There is no inbound shipping cost because you do not mail anything to us. Faster tiers and bulk pricing for multi-document orders are available.
An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal document, so its apostille is issued by the U.S. Department of State, not a state office. You can upload the PDF and we handle the federal path; you never mail anything. See our dedicated FBI background check apostille guide for the full process and country freshness windows.
If you still have a scan or photocopy of the lost document, the true copy path can usually work from that. If you have no copy at all, order a replacement from the records office (or let our document retrieval service handle that for you) and upload the scan once it arrives. Our free review will tell you which path applies to your situation.

Related Resources

Can You Apostille a Copy of a Document?

True Copy vs Original Apostille Explained

FBI Background Check Apostille Guide

Apostille Pricing and Turnaround

Ready When You Are

Keep Your Original. Get Your Apostille.

Upload a scan and we handle the notarized true copy and the apostille, then ship the finished document to you. Not sure if your document qualifies? Start with a free review.

Trusted Nationwide · All 50 States + DC

We are an independent service provider and are not affiliated with any government authority, including the U.S. Department of State or any state Secretary of State office. Acceptance of true copy apostilles depends on the requirements of the receiving country or institution. Document and processing rules change over time; we verify your specific document during the free review before you pay.

From $149per document
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