Washington Notarized Document Apostille

What must a Washington notarization include for an apostille?

The Secretary of State looks for eight things in the notarial certificate. If one is missing, the document is not ready.

• The notary’s stamp
• The notary’s signature
• The notary’s printed name
• The notary’s title
• The commission expiration date
• The date of the notarial act
• The state and county in Washington where it was performed
• A statement in English of the act performed

The list comes from the state’s apostille resource page. Check your document against it before you send anything to Tumwater.

Which documents need notarizing before a Washington apostille?

Private documents need a Washington notarization. Public records with an official signature do not.

The state gives a clear school example. A public school transcript needs the school’s official original stamp and signature, with no photocopies. A private school document must be notarized by a Washington notary. Vital records go in as originals or certified copies. Business records must be certified copies or certificates from the Secretary of State’s own files, so notarizing a printout of a corporate record is the wrong route.

Can a notary in another state notarize my document for a Washington apostille?

No. Washington certifies Washington notaries only. A document notarized in Oregon, for example, is apostilled by Oregon.

This matters in Vancouver and the rest of Clark County, where people often sign papers on either side of the Columbia River. The apostille follows the notary’s commission, not your home address. Decide where the document will be apostilled before you sign.

Can a notarized copy of a federal document be apostilled in Washington?

Federal documents are outside the state’s scope. The Secretary of State says it “does not notarize or authenticate Federal Documents, including Certificates of Naturalization”.

An FBI Identity History Summary is the common case. It carries an FBI official’s signature and goes to the U.S. Department of State for its apostille. See our FBI background check apostille page for that route.

Does the document have to be in English?

The state requires the statement of the notarial act to be in English. That is the part the Secretary of State reads and certifies.

If the receiving country wants a translation of the document itself, ask its authority whether the translation must be done before or after the apostille. The state page does not set a rule on that.

What does it cost and how long does it take?

A notarized document costs the same $15 state fee as any other Washington document, with 7 to 10 business days of standard processing.

Expedited handling adds $100 per 10 documents and takes 2 to 3 business days. Same-day counter service adds $150 for the first 10 documents. Because the surcharges cover up to 10 documents, sending a set of notarized papers together costs less per document than sending them one at a time. Figures are from the state fee schedule.

How do I get a notarized document apostilled in Washington?

There are six steps, and the first two happen before the state is involved.

1. Sign the document in front of a Washington notary public.
2. Check the notarial certificate against the eight-point list above.
3. Complete the Apostille or Certificate of Authentication Request Form and write the destination country.
4. Add $15 per document, plus the expedite or same-day fee if you want it.
5. Mail the packet, courier it to 243 Israel Rd SE, Tumwater, WA 98501, or hand it in at the Tumwater or Cheney counter.
6. Keep the apostille attached to the document when it comes back.

What a Washington apostille looks like

For a notarized document, field 3 of the Washington apostille reads “Notary Public, state of Washington”. That line tells the foreign authority what kind of signature the state has certified.

On the sample we reviewed, the certificate is dated at Tumwater, Washington, and the state seal is printed in black. A blue ink stamp, “Washington Office of the Secretary of State, Invalid if Removed”, is placed diagonally over the top-left corner where the apostille is fastened to the notarized page. The footer explains that for a country outside the Convention the certificate is not an apostille and remains subject to additional authentication requirements. Verification is at www.sos.wa.gov/corps/apostilles.

Common reasons for rejection

The state publishes no rejection list. These are the gaps its notarization checklist is designed to catch.

• No commission expiration date on the notarial certificate.
• No date for the notarial act.
• The county or state is missing, or the act took place outside Washington.
• The notary’s name is not printed, or the stamp is missing.
• The notarial statement is not in English.
• A photocopy of the notarized document was sent instead of the original.

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.

Our Vancouver office offers notary service, so a Washington document can be notarized correctly and prepared for apostille in one visit. Mobile notary service is also available. If your document is already notarized, send us a photo of the notarial certificate. We compare it with the state’s checklist before anything is mailed to Tumwater. Clients outside the area can mail documents that already carry a Washington notarization. Request a quote for the apostille service.

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

Frequently asked questions

How much is a Washington apostille for a power of attorney?

The state fee is $15 per document, the same as for any notarized Washington document. Expedited and same-day handling cost extra.

Can I notarize a copy of my diploma for an apostille?

A private school document must be notarized by a Washington notary. A public school record instead needs the school’s official original stamp and signature.

My notary forgot the commission expiration date. What now?

The commission expiration date is one of the required elements. Go back to the notary and have the certificate completed before you submit the document.

Will Washington apostille a document notarized in Oregon?

No. Washington certifies Washington notaries. A document notarized in Oregon must be apostilled by Oregon.

Can I remove the apostille to make copies?

No. The corner stamp reads Invalid if Removed. Copy the pages while they remain fastened together.

What if the receiving country is not a Hague Convention member?

Washington issues a Certificate of Authentication instead. The state says the document will then need additional certification by the U.S. State Department, the country’s embassy, or both.

Sources

• Washington Secretary of State: Apostilles Services Information and Resource Page
• Washington Secretary of State: Fee Schedules and Priority Services
• Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities: Contact Us
• Washington Apostille or Certificate of Authentication Request Form (PDF)
• FBI: Identity History Summary Checks FAQs
• U.S. Department of State: Office of Authentications