Office of Authentications
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About the Office of Authentications
Preparing your Document for an Authentication Certificate
Requesting Authentication Services
Preparing your Document for an Apostille Certificate
Notarial and Authentication Services at U.S. Embassies and Consulates
Get U.S. Academic Credentials Authenticated
About the Office of Authentications
We issue apostille certificates and authentication certificates. The country in which you will use the document determines the type of certificate you get:
Apostille certificates are for documents you use in countries
in the
1961 Hague Convention
Treaty.
Authentication certificates are for documents you use in countries
not in the
1961 Hague Convention Treaty.
To request authentications service, follow these steps:
Prepare your document
Apostille Certificate
Authentications Certificate
Complete
Form DS-4194
Submit your form
, fees, and documents to us by mail or in person
Services We Offer
Consider your travel date and our processing times when requesting services.
Mail your request
5+ Weeks
Send your request by mail
. We will process it within five weeks from the date we receive it.
Walk-in to drop off and pick up
2-3 Weeks
Walk-in
to drop off and pick up your request. You can submit one request per day with a limit of 15 documents for one customer or company. We will process the request in seven business days.
Make an appointment
Under 2 Weeks
You may qualify for
an appointment
if you need to travel to a foreign country in the next two weeks because your immediate family member outside of the United States has died, is dying, or is suffering from a life-threatening illness or injury. We will process your request on the same day as your appointment.
Address and Hours of Operation
Mailing Address:
U.S. Department of State
Office of Authentications
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1206
Sterling, VA 20166-1206
Physical Address
Office of Authentications
600 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Hours
7:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., Mondays to Fridays (closed federal holidays)
Walk-ins
(drop off and pick up): 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Mondays to Thursdays
Appointments
(life-or-death emergencies only): 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays to Thursdays
We process requests on Fridays but do not take walk-ins or appointments on this day.
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