Maryland splits the work. SDAT, the Department of Assessments and Taxation, registers businesses. The Secretary of State certifies documents for use abroad. If you need an apostille on a company paper, you visit both, in that order.
The Secretary of State's page calls the service Certifications and Authentication. An apostille is the form it issues for countries in the Hague Convention. The authority comes from the State Government Article of the Maryland Code. The Maryland office guide covers SDAT and the business register, and our apostille guide covers the concept in general.
Fees and how the desk works
The fee is $5.00 per document. The details are below.
| Who issues it | Maryland Secretary of State, Certification Desk, Annapolis, 410-974-5521 (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee per document | $5.00 per document (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
| How to submit | By mail or in person at the Certification Desk (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
| Turnaround | FedEx or UPS about 1 to 2 days, regular mail up to 1 week (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
| Documents it covers | Birth and death certificates, marriage and divorce records, police records, good-standing certificates (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
| Hague and non-Hague countries | Hague countries get an apostille, all other countries a standard certification (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
| Request page | sos.maryland.gov/Certifications/Pages/default.aspx (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
| Where to send it | 16 Francis Street, 1st floor, Annapolis (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | Notarized papers go first to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the notary's county (sos.maryland.gov, checked ) |
The Certification Desk is open for walk-in service until 1 pm on weekdays. It closes on Maryland state holidays, and the office posts status updates when the building closes for other reasons. Call before a long trip.
What the Secretary of State certifies
The office certifies appointments and elected officials, parts of the Annotated Code of Maryland, and common documents. The common ones are birth and death certificates, marriage and divorce records, police records and corporate good standing certificates. People use them for adoptions, dual citizenship, school record transfers and business activity abroad.
The office cannot promise that another country will accept a document. Check with the receiving authority about what it wants before you pay for the certification.
Step by step for common documents
For a notarized paper:
- Get the document notarized by a Maryland notary.
- Take it to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where that notary was commissioned.
- Submit it to the Secretary of State in Annapolis for the apostille.
For a state or county issued paper, such as a vital record, skip the clerk. Bring the document with the issuing department's seal and authorized signature straight to the Secretary of State.
For a company paper, order the certificate from SDAT. Our Maryland certificate of good standing page explains that step. Then bring the certificate to the Certification Desk.
Mailing your order
Mail suits people who cannot come to Annapolis. Include the documents, a completed checklist form that names the country of use and your contact details, and one payment for the whole order. Do not staple the check. Add a stamped, self-addressed envelope. You may use prepaid express service such as FedEx or UPS. Keep your tracking numbers.
Mail timing runs from a day or two with express carriers to a week with regular mail. Plan for the return trip as well.
Hague and non-Hague countries
Countries that signed the Hague Treaty require apostilles. All other countries need a standard certification. For those, the paper goes on to the U.S. State Department for authentication, then to the country's embassy. The State Department keeps the current list of apostille countries, so check it for your destination.
If you would like help with the order, you can ask our private filing service. State fees are separate, and you can go to the state yourself.
Sources
- dat.maryland.gov/: office name, division. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/businesses/pages/charter-frequently-asked-questions.aspx: mailing address. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/pages/customer-service.aspx: street address, phone, hours. Checked .
- businessexpress.maryland.gov/: contact page, online filing, certificate ordering. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Pages/default.aspx: business search. Checked .
- egov.maryland.gov/BusinessExpress/EntitySearch: search fields. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/SDAT%20Forms/Name_reservation.pdf: name reservation fee, name reservation term, name reservation form. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/businesses/documents/fees.pdf: LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, certificate fee. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Documents/FEES.pdf: nonprofit filing fee, expedite fees, good standing certificate. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/SDAT%20Forms/llc-foreign.PDF: foreign LLC fee. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/SDAT%20Forms/PPR_Forms/2025_Form1_Instructions.pdf: report due date, late penalty. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Documents/Charter_Legal_FAQ.pdf: registered agent rule. Checked .
- dat.maryland.gov/businesses/documents/entitystatus.pdf: status terms. Checked .
- sos.maryland.gov/Certifications/Pages/default.aspx: who issues it, fee per document, how to submit, turnaround, documents it covers, hague and non-hague countries, request page, worth knowing. Checked .
- sos.maryland.gov/Documents/CertCheckList.pdf: where to send it. Checked .