Washington State Apostille Service

Key facts

State government fees and times, verified October 1, 2026. They are not AI Fingerprinting’s fee or turnaround.

Is the Washington apostille office in Olympia or Tumwater?

The counter is in Tumwater. The Corporations and Charities Division, which issues apostilles, moved from the Dolliver Building in Olympia to 243 Israel Road SE, Tumwater, and opened there on June 18, 2025.

Olympia is now only a mailing address. Regular mail goes to a PO box in Olympia, WA 98504. Overnight couriers deliver to the Tumwater street address. The Secretary of State announced the move in 2025.

How much does a Washington apostille cost?

Washington charges $15.00 per document. Faster handling is optional and costs extra: $100 per 10 documents for expedited, or $150 for the first 10 documents for same-day counter service.

So one document is $15 standard, $115 expedited, or $165 same day. Same-day orders above 10 documents add $100 for each further 10. Fees are non-refundable, per the state fee schedule. These are state fees. Our service fee is quoted separately.

How long does a Washington apostille take?

The state lists 7 to 10 business days for standard service, 2 to 3 business days for expedited, and while-you-wait processing for same-day counter requests.

For same-day service, documents must arrive at least 30 minutes before the counter closes. Mailing time in both directions is on top of the state’s processing time.

Where can I walk in for a Washington apostille?

Washington has two counters: Tumwater in Western Washington and Cheney in Eastern Washington.

Hours are from the division’s Contact Us page.

Can I order a Washington birth certificate and apostille together?

Yes. The Washington State Department of Health sells the certificate for $25 and takes the apostille order for $15 per apostille at the same time.

The Department of Health processes the order in 3 to 5 business days. It then forwards the certificate to the Secretary of State, which issues and mails the apostille, usually within one week. This route covers state-issued vital records. Details are on the Department of Health apostille page.

Which documents can Washington apostille?

Washington apostilles originals or certified copies of Washington documents. Records from another state must be apostilled in the state that issued them.

Covered vital records are birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates and letters of single status. Notarized documents need a complete Washington notarization. Public school transcripts need the school’s original stamp and signature. Business records must be certified copies or certificates from the Secretary of State’s own files. Federal documents are excluded. The state says it “does not notarize or authenticate Federal Documents, including Certificates of Naturalization”.

How do I get a Washington apostille step by step?

A Washington request has five steps. Choosing the service level is the only real decision.

1. Get the original or a certified copy of the Washington document.
2. Complete the Apostille or Certificate of Authentication Request Form and name the destination country.
3. Choose standard, expedited, or same-day service and total the fees.
4. Mail the packet to the division’s Olympia PO box, send it by courier to Tumwater, or take it to the Tumwater or Cheney counter.
5. Receive the apostille and confirm it with the state’s online Apostille Search tool.

What a Washington apostille looks like

A Washington apostille is a one-page certificate headed “State of Washington, Secretary of State” in serif type, with ten numbered fields under the title “Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)”.

On the sample we reviewed, field 5 reads “Tumwater, Washington”. Field 7 names Steve R. Hobbs, Secretary of State. The state seal, with the portrait of George Washington and the year 1889, is printed in black. A diagonal blue ink stamp in the top-left corner reads “Washington Office of the Secretary of State, Invalid if Removed”. It sits over the corner where the certificate is fastened to your document, so do not separate the pages. The footer gives the verification address, www.sos.wa.gov/corps/apostilles, and repeats the notice in French and Spanish.

Common reasons for rejection

Washington does not publish a rejection list. These follow from the requirements on its resource page.

• The document is a photocopy rather than an original or certified copy.
• The document was issued in another state.
• It is a federal document, such as an FBI background check or a Certificate of Naturalization.
• The notarization is missing a required element, such as the commission expiration date or the county.
• The request form does not name the destination country.

How AI Fingerprinting helps

AI Fingerprinting is a private document service at 201 NE Park Plaza Dr #221, Vancouver, WA 98684. We are not a government agency and not a law firm. We accept mail-in requests from anywhere in the United States.

Washington is our home state. You can bring Washington documents to our Vancouver office, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, or mail them from anywhere in the country. Mobile service is available in Clark County. We check the document against the state’s requirements, complete the request form, and submit it to Tumwater at the service level you choose. If a document still needs a notary, our office offers notary service too. Request a quote. We will show the state fee and our fee separately.

Get a quote Call (360) 998-7302 Book an appointment