In Iowa, the Secretary of State issues apostilles, and the price is $5.00 each. The work is done by the Business Services Division in Des Moines. You can walk in, mail the request, or upload it online.
An apostille does not check what a document says. It confirms that the notary or elected official who signed it was commissioned or in office on that date. Read the apostille guide for the general idea, and the Iowa office guide for the rest of the office.
When do you need an Iowa apostille?
You need one when an Iowa document will be used in another country. Typical cases are a notarized power of attorney, a copy certified by a notary, or a paper signed by an Iowa elected official. The foreign office that asks for the document tells you whether it wants an apostille.
Iowa can only deal with Iowa documents. The signature must belong to an Iowa notary or an Iowa elected official. A paper from another state goes to that state, and federal papers go to the U.S. Department of State.
| Who issues it | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Des Moines (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee per document | $5.00 per apostille or certification (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| How to submit | Same-day walk-in, mail, or upload through Fast Track Filing (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Documents it covers | Only documents signed by an Iowa notary or Iowa elected official. No federal documents. (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Hague and non-Hague countries | One Single Certificate format is used for any country, Hague member or not (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Request page | sos.iowa.gov/notaries/apostilles-and-certifications (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Where to send it | 321 E 12th Street, Lucas Building, First Floor, Des Moines, IA 50319 (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | You get one certificate for each copy of a document you send. Without a prepaid shipping label, the office returns papers by USPS. (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
What does Iowa charge and how do you pay?
The fee is $5.00 per apostille or certification. The request form accepts check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. If you pay by card, the form carries a payment authorization section that you fill in and sign. Checks are payable to the Iowa Secretary of State, and the office says not to mail cash.
How to request one, step by step
- Get the document signed or certified first. A business paper usually needs a notary or a certified copy.
- Fill in the Apostille or Certification Request Form with your name, address, phone, and the country where the document will be used.
- Make a copy of the document. The office needs a copy with the form.
- Choose how you submit it: walk in, mail or upload.
- Pay $5.00 for each certificate.
For a walk-in, the office is open 8:00AM to 3:30PM, Monday through Friday. By mail, send the form and the copy to the Iowa Secretary of State at 321 E 12th Street, Lucas Building, First Floor, Des Moines, IA 50319. Keep the original and send a copy, since a lost original is hard to replace.
For an upload, sign in to Fast Track Filing, open the Business Filings tab and choose Paper Filing Upload. Scan the form and all documents into one multi-page PDF. You receive a tracking number, and requests are reviewed in date order.
Hague and non-Hague countries
Since 2025 Iowa issues a Single Certificate. It works for any destination country, Hague member or not. The certificate has an indicator at the bottom that tells the receiving country it does not necessarily make the paper an apostille.
The new format is longer than the old one. Because of the required wording, it is no longer printed on gold seal paper. If a receiving country questions the plain paper, they can call the office, which can look up the certification number.
Business documents and return mail
For company papers, the apostille only covers the signature on the paper, so get the paper itself in order first. Iowa calls its good standing paper a certificate of existence, and it is bought from the same office.
Unless you send a prepaid shipping label, the office returns your papers by USPS. Send a prepaid label if you need faster shipping. The apostille is a separate piece of paper that you attach to the original yourself. The office does not stamp the document.
You can do this at the state yourself, and state fees are separate from anything we do. If you want help, you can ask our private filing service.
Sources
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/489.122.pdf: office name, name reservation fee, LLC filing fee, foreign LLC fee, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/489.112.pdf: LLC name endings, restricted words, name rule. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/490.401.pdf: corporation name endings. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/489.113.pdf: name reservation term. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/490.122.pdf: corporation filing fee, good standing certificate. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/489.212.pdf: report due date. Checked .
- sos.iowa.gov/business/pdf/APCERT.pdf: who issues it, fee per document. Checked .
- sos.iowa.gov/notaries/apostilles-and-certifications: how to submit, hague and non-hague countries, documents it covers, request page, where to send it, worth knowing. Checked .