What's the Difference Between State and Federal Apostilles (And Why It Matters?)

If you’ve been told you need an apostille and immediately felt confused, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most people have no idea what an apostille is until they need one, and figuring out whether you need a state or federal apostille can be even more confusing. That’s exactly why I started offering this service: to make the process easier and a whole lot less stressful.

Let’s break it down.

A state apostille is issued by the Secretary of State in the same state where your document was issued or notarized. This is the most common type of apostille. Things like birth certificates, marriage licenses, notarized documents, school transcripts, and power of attorney forms typically fall into this category. So, for example, if your document was notarized here in Texas, it needs to be processed by the Texas Secretary of State.

On the other hand, a federal apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. This is usually required when your document was issued by a federal agency, like FBI background checks, USDA or FDA documents, or Social Security letters. Because these are federal documents, they can’t be processed at the state level.

Here’s where things get tricky: it’s easy to assume any government document should go through your state, but that’s not always the case. Submitting it to the wrong office can delay your timeline by weeks, and if you’re sending paperwork overseas for a job, visa, adoption, or business, that delay can really set you back.

That’s where I come in. At Bixio Authentix, I help you figure out exactly what type of apostille you need and take care of the process from start to finish. I’ll review your documents, confirm whether they need state or federal processing, and handle all the behind-the-scenes work to get them where they need to go—fast and stress-free.

Apostille service pricing starts at $175 and includes everything from document prep to secure delivery. If you’re not sure what you need, just reach out. I’m happy to take a look and walk you through your options.

Let’s make this easy.