District of Columbia
Federal Apostille in Washington, DC
Federal document authentication for Washington and the District of Columbia — processed through the U.S. Department of State. Order online or by mail; all government fees included.
Quick answer
Washington, D.C. is the one place in the country that issues federal apostilles — every U.S. federal document authenticates here at the Department of State, Office of Authentications. Our D.C. headquarters handles that submission directly. It’s our processing office and isn’t open to the public — clients anywhere in the U.S. order online or by phone and send documents by mail. For in-person FBI background checks or document drop-off, book at our West Palm Beach or Miami office.
- Office
- 1050 Connecticut Ave NW, F-510, Washington, DC 20036
- Office type
- Headquarters & processing — not open to the public
- Authenticated at
- U.S. Dept. of State, Washington, D.C.
- Federal court district
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Turnaround
- 10–12 business days + shipping
Washington, D.C. is where federal apostilles actually happen. Every U.S. federal document — from any agency, issued to a resident of any state — is authenticated at the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications here in D.C. Our D.C. headquarters is steps from it, and it is the processing hub for every order, from all nineteen offices.
Federal documents from Washington authenticate in Washington — not locally
An apostille certifies that the seal and signature on a document are genuine. For a federal document — one issued by a federal agency or federal court — the only office in the country that can do that is the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. A state Secretary of State cannot authenticate it, and there is no local federal-apostille counter anywhere, Washington included.
That is why Washington residents route federal documents through us: Washington sits in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia — home to the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse — so many local federal records originate here, but the apostille that makes them usable abroad still happens in D.C. We bridge that gap.
How it works from Washington
Order online
Start your order and tell us the document and destination country. No payment up front — we confirm the exact price and route first.
Mail us the document
Send your original federal document to our processing office. We accept USPS, FedEx, UPS and DHL, and review it before anything is submitted.
We process in Washington, D.C.
Our team hand-delivers your document to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications — no mail queue, no lost packages.
You receive it
We return the apostilled document by tracked courier. Non-Hague countries include embassy legalization.
Federal documents vs. D.C. documents
Washington is the one city with two apostille offices. Federal documents — FBI reports, naturalization certificates, IRS and SSA letters, federal court records — are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications. That is the submission we handle.
District of Columbia documents — D.C. birth, death and marriage certificates, D.C. Superior Court records, and documents notarized by a D.C. notary — are apostilled by the Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia instead — you request that directly; we don’t provide it. If a D.C. document is going to a non-Hague country, get it authenticated there first and we handle the U.S. Department of State and embassy steps. See apostille in Washington, D.C.. Not sure which you have? Call us before you send anything.
Where your document is going decides the route
Hague Convention countries accept the apostille on its own. Non-Hague countries need the same Department of State authentication followed by embassy or consulate legalization — we handle both.
| Destination | What you get | Extra step |
|---|---|---|
| Hague country | Apostille from the U.S. Department of State | None |
| Non-Hague country | Authentication certificate | Embassy legalization |
Documents in Washington, DC
The exact route for each document from Washington, DC:
Washington federal apostille — FAQ
Is there an apostille office in Washington?
A federal apostille can only be issued by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. — no state or city office can authenticate a federal document. Our Washington office coordinates that submission by phone and online. It isn’t open to the public, so you order online or by phone and send the document by mail.
How long does a federal apostille take for Washington residents?
Federal apostille processing runs about 10–12 business days once your document reaches us. Non-Hague destinations add embassy legalization; we confirm the full timeline before you order.
What does it cost?
Federal apostille is $299 per document, with government authentication fees and U.S. shipping included. We confirm your exact price before any payment.
Which documents do you handle for Washington?
FBI background-check reports, DD-214 and military records, IRS documents, Social Security letters, certificates of naturalization and citizenship, federal court documents, and other federal-agency records — plus the full authentication chain for Florida documents going to non-Hague countries.
Official sources: Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia — Apostilles & Authentications · U.S. Department of State — Authenticate Your Document · HCCH — Apostille Convention status table (Hague countries) · U.S. Courts — Federal Court Websites.
Ready to start?
Order online in minutes, or call and we will walk you through it. Federal documents from anywhere in the U.S. — one flat price, all government fees included.