How Much Does an Apostille Cost?
An apostille has two cost layers. Here is what the government charges, what services charge, and exactly what you pay with us.
An apostille has two cost layers. The first is the government fee, the amount the issuing authority charges to place the apostille, which is commonly about $10 to $40 per document depending on the state. The second, if you use a service, is the service fee, which across the market runs roughly $75 to $275 per document. Our flat price combines into one number: $149 per document plus a $19 government processing and handling fee, which is $168 all-in per document, with no inbound shipping because you upload a scan instead of mailing an original.
Government Fees, Explained
The government fee is set by the office that issues the apostille: the Secretary of State for state documents, or the U.S. Department of State for federal documents. It is a per-document fee and it varies. Here are a few verified examples so you can see the typical range.
| Issuing authority | Government fee per document |
|---|---|
| Texas Secretary of State Texas Secretary of State | $15 per document |
| California Secretary of State California Secretary of State | $20 per document |
| New York Department of State New York Department of State | $10 per document |
| U.S. Department of State (federal documents) U.S. Department of State | $20 per document |
Last verified: June 2026
These are independently verified anchor examples, not a complete list. Government fees genuinely vary by state, and some states charge a different amount for documents going to non-Hague countries.
For the fee, processing time, and rules in a specific state, use our state directory: See apostille details by state
Service Fees, Explained
If you hire a service to handle the apostille for you, you pay a service fee on top of (or, in our case, including) the government fee. Across the U.S. market, service fees commonly run roughly $75 to $275 per document. The wide range reflects different speeds, different inclusions, and very different billing structures.
We compared the major services side by side, line by line, including what each one charges and what each one leaves out.
See our detailed service comparisonWhat is usually NOT included in a quoted service fee
Our $168 all-in is the opposite of that: one number, government processing and handling included, with no inbound shipping because you upload a scan.
Our Pricing, in Plain Numbers
We price one way, the same way, for everyone.
Multi-document orders cost less per document. If you are apostilling a stack of records for a citizenship or visa application, the price per document drops as the count rises. The pricing page has a calculator that shows your exact total before you order.
See full pricing and the bulk calculatorIs It Cheaper to Do It Yourself?
In raw dollars, yes, IF you have the time. Going directly to the issuing office means you pay only the government fee, which on its own is about $10 to $40 per document. What you trade for that saving is your time and your certainty.
The do-it-yourself path means preparing the right form, paying the state or federal fee, and handling the document by mail or in person. Mail-in queues can run weeks depending on the state, and you have to route the document to the correct office: a federal document like an FBI background check goes to the U.S. Department of State, not a Secretary of State, and sending it to the wrong place means a rejection and a restart.
A service buys you three things the government fee alone does not: speed, correct routing, and, in our case, the ability to keep your original at home because we work from a notarized true copy of your scan.
Compare current processing timesNever 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 worksFrequently Asked Questions
An apostille has two cost layers. The government fee is commonly about $10 to $40 per document depending on the state, and the U.S. Department of State charges $20 per document for federal documents. If you use a service, the service fee across the market runs roughly $75 to $275 per document. Our flat price is $149 per document plus a $19 government processing and handling fee, which is $168 all-in, with no inbound shipping because you upload a scan.
Related Resources
One Flat Price, No Surprises
Upload a scan and pay one all-in price of $168 per document, government processing and handling included. Not sure what you need? Start with a free review.
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. Government apostille fees are set by those authorities and change over time; the fee examples above were last verified in June 2026 and link to the issuing authority's own page. Our service pricing is shown in full before you pay.