An apostille is a certificate that lets a foreign government accept a US paper. In Virginia it does not come from the office that registers your company. It comes from the Authentication Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, a separate Richmond office that deals with notaries, clerks and vital records.
The office confirms one thing. The Virginia notary, circuit court clerk or deputy state registrar who signed your paper is listed in its system and did the job correctly. It does not judge what the paper says. The Virginia office guide explains who runs the business register, and our general apostille guide covers the idea for all states.
When you need a Virginia apostille
You need one when a paper from Virginia will be used in another country. Typical cases are a power of attorney, a school record, a vital record or a company document for a foreign bank or registry. The destination country decides what it wants. The Virginia office says it does not set those rules.
You cannot use state authentication inside the United States or its territories. For that, ask the court clerk where the notary took the oath for a notary certification of good standing.
What the Virginia office accepts
The kind of paper decides how you prepare it. The office lists four common groups.
- Notarized papers need a Virginia notary, and the notarization must be within the past 12 months and original.
- Vital records must come from the state health department or a local DMV within the past 12 months, and they cannot be notarized.
- Court records come from the Circuit Court within the same period, with the clerk's certification.
- State Corporation Commission papers must come from the Commission only, signed by its Clerk, and they cannot be notarized.
Electronic notarizations are not accepted for an apostille or a Great Seal at this time. Papers in another language are fine, but the notarization has to be in English.
Business documents: get the SCC paper first
For a certificate of good standing or any company record, you make two stops. First ask the State Corporation Commission for a certified copy and tell the specialist it is for international authentication. Then send that paper, a cover letter, the fee and a return mailer to the Authentication Division.
Do not notarize the SCC paper. A notarized copy will be turned away. Our Virginia certificate of good standing page explains how the Commission names and prices those certificates.
Fees, mail and appointments
| Who issues it | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentication Division, Richmond (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee per document | $10.00 for the first document, $5.00 for each additional one in the same set (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| How to submit | By mail, or by appointment booked online on Fridays at 10:00 AM, up to 10 documents (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Turnaround | Mail takes 7 to 10 business days (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Documents it covers | Documents notarized by a Virginia notary within the past 12 months (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Hague and non-Hague countries | Issued as a Great Seal or an Apostille, depending on the destination country (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Request page | commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/authentications (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Where to send it | 400 East Cary Street for couriers, 1111 East Broad Street for USPS, Richmond (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | Business papers must be issued by the SCC and signed by its Clerk; they cannot be notarized (commonwealth.virginia.gov, checked ) |
For mail, build a package with the papers, a cover letter made on the office's website, payment and a self-addressed prepaid return mailer. The sender and recipient on a courier envelope should both be you. The office suggests allowing 7 to 10 business days before you ask about status.
Appointments are for individuals, Monday to Thursday. You book them online on Fridays at 10:00 AM for the following week only, with up to 10 documents. Couriers and apostille companies cannot use appointments. They use a drop box, and papers go back by mail.
Why papers get sent back
Missing information, missing fees and improperly notarized or issued papers lead the list. The office does not warn you before it returns a package. The reason is attached to the papers. Read the requirements page before you mail anything.
You can ask our private filing service for help with the order. State fees are separate, and you can submit to the state yourself.
Sources
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/about-the-clerks-office/bus-service-of-process/: office name. Checked .
- cis.scc.virginia.gov/EntitySearch/Index: division, business search. Checked .
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/cis-faq/: search fields, online filing. Checked .
- law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title13.1/chapter10/article5/: LLC name endings, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/business-entity-names/: name reservation fee, name reservation term. Checked .
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/forms-and-fees/virginia-limited-liability-companies/: LLC filing fee. Checked .
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/annual-registration-fees/: report fee, report due date. Checked .
- law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter10/section13.1-809/: good standing certificate. Checked .
- www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/authentications/how-to-submit/: who issues it, fee per document, how to submit, turnaround, where to send it. Checked .
- www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/authentications/types-of-documents/: documents it covers, worth knowing. Checked .
- www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/official-documents/authentications/: hague and non-hague countries, request page. Checked .