Massachusetts has one answer to "who gives an apostille": the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The Commissions Section handles it, which is a different group from the Corporations Division that files your company. The Massachusetts office guide covers the business side. For the general idea, see our apostille guide.
The fee is $6.00 per document. Many requests fail before they reach the counter because the notarization has a gap, so most of this guide is about preparing the paper.
What the office issues
An apostille verifies the authenticity of the signature on a document, the capacity in which the person signing acted, and the identity of any stamp or seal. It is the standard form for countries that take part in the Hague Convention of 1961.
The office also issues a certification for notarized documents going to a foreign country. The state says it recommends checking with officials in the destination country, since the steps it describes are generally accepted but not guaranteed in every case.
| Who issues it | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section, Boston (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee per document | $6.00 per document (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| How to submit | Walk-in at Boston, Springfield or Fall River (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| Documents it covers | Out-of-state documents must be certified by their state of origin (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| Hague and non-Hague countries | The Apostille is the form used for Hague Convention countries (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| Request page | sec.state.ma.us/divisions/commissions/download/apostille_and_certification_information.pdf (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| Where to send it | One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108 (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | The notary must have signed exactly as commissioned, with a legible seal and expiry date (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
Check the notarization first
Before you present a document, look at four points on it.
- The notary signed exactly as he or she was commissioned.
- The notarial certificate is filled in.
- The notary's expiration date is on the document, correct and clear.
- The notary seal is affixed and the imprint is legible.
A certification of appointment is a related paper. It confirms that the person who notarized was a qualified Massachusetts notary at that time.
Where to go
You can walk in at any of the offices. The Boston office is at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108. The other two are in Springfield and Fall River.
Pay the $6.00 fee by check or money order made out to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the right amount. Cash is accepted when you apply in person, but the office does not recommend sending it.
Business documents and other papers
For a company document, get the right base paper first. Ask the Corporations Division for a Certificate of Good Standing, which our Massachusetts good standing guide explains. The apostille office handles notarized papers, so ask the Commissions Section how it treats a state record before you send one.
For personal documents the office points elsewhere for the original. A marriage certificate comes from the city or town clerk. A divorce decree comes from the district court clerk. A birth certificate comes from the Office of Vital Records or the local clerk. A photograph cannot be authenticated, though a notary can notarize a statement about it.
Out-of-state papers
Massachusetts does not certify out-of-state documents. They must be certified by the state of origin. That also covers out-of-state school transcripts and diplomas.
For an in-state school transcript, the registrar certifies the record in front of a notary, and the notary notarizes the registrar's signature. Only then does the paper go to the Secretary for the apostille or certification.
Our private filing service can handle the paperwork for you. State fees are separate, and you can take your document to the Secretary of the Commonwealth yourself.
Sources
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/about-us/contact-us.htm: office name, division, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page, hours. Checked .
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/cis/guide/secretary.htm: officeholder. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspx: business search. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/CorpSearch/SearchOnlineHelp.aspx: search fields, search tips. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/NameReservation/SearchNameRes.aspx: name check. Checked .
- malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXII/Chapter156c/Section3: LLC name endings, name rule. Checked .
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/download/Fee_Schedule.pdf: name reservation fee, corporation filing fee, report fee. Checked .
- malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXII/Chapter156c/Section12: LLC filing fee, report due date. Checked .
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/general-information/corporations-filing-fees.htm: expedite fees, certificate fee. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/CorporateOnlineFilings/OnlineFilingsWelcome.aspx: online filing. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/Certificates/CertificateOrderForm.aspx: good standing certificate, certificate ordering. Checked .
- www.mass.gov/doc/950-cmr-104-business-corporations/download: status terms. Checked .
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/commissions/download/apostille_and_certification_information.pdf: who issues it, fee per document, how to submit, documents it covers, hague and non-hague countries, request page, where to send it, worth knowing. Checked .