Getting an Apostille in Connecticut in 2026

To get an apostille in Connecticut, you need to order online through the Secretary of the State's portal at sots.service.ct.gov/apostille, since paper order forms are no longer accepted. Then, either mail your original document to Hartford for a paper apostille or upload it for a digital e-Apostille if your document qualifies.

The state fee for a Connecticut apostille is $40 per document, or $15 for adoption documents. And processing takes 5 to 7 business days for regular paper orders or within 24 hours for e-Apostilles, not counting mail time.

If you wish to work, marry, adopt a kid, issue power of attorney, or even start a business in another country , you must get the documents and/or certificates apostille. A few things changed in 2026 alone, so even people who have done this before should not assume the old process still applies.

Short on time? Check here is the whole process at a glance.

A lot has changed since 2025. If you're going by an older guide, or you did this a few years ago, some of it no longer applies.

e-Apostilles launch (July 2026)

Connecticut started issuing e-Apostilles on July 6, 2026. An e-Apostille is a digital certificate. You upload your document online and download the finished apostille. This is what you need to know before you choose it:

• It is processed within one business day of a complete application.
• It carries a secure electronic signature, and anyone can check it online.
• It is not valid if you print it.
• Birth, death, marriage, and adoption certificates are not eligible. They still get a paper apostille.
• Not every document type qualifies yet.
• State law (Public Act 26-81) gives an e-Apostille the same legal force and the same fee as a paper one.

Tip: Ask the school, consulate, or employer whether they accept e-Apostilles before you order. Connecticut can issue one, but the office reading it abroad decides whether to accept it.

Paper Apostille vs e-Apostille in Connecticut

Online-only ordering and the APO Work Order number

Since September 2, 2025, every apostille request has to be placed online. You create an account, place your order, and the system gives you an APO Work Order number. This is your tracking number for the whole process.

If you're mailing paper documents, print the order receipt and put it in the envelope. If you can't print it, write the APO Work Order number on a sheet and include that instead. Without it, the office can't match your documents to your order.

When you send a Connecticut document to another country, the officials there can't know whether your Town Clerk's signature or your notary's seal is genuine. The apostille answers that for them.

The Secretary of the State attaches a certificate that confirms the signature, official position, and seal of the person who signed your document. It does not check what the document says. It only confirms that the person who signed it had the authority to do so. 

The rules come from a 1961 treaty called the Hague Apostille Convention. About 130 countries have joined it. In a member country, one apostille is usually enough. You don't need to visit an embassy.

People usually need one when they study, work, marry, adopt, do business, or claim citizenship abroad. It's about your documents, not you. The country you're heading to decides which documents it wants apostilled.

If your destination is not a Hague country, you may need more steps, such as legalization by the US Department of State or the destination country's embassy.

Connecticut can apostille documents signed by a Connecticut public official: notaries public, town clerks, local registrars of vital statistics, clerks of the Superior and Probate Courts, state agency commissioners, and justices of the peace. If a Connecticut official signed it, you're usually in good shape.

These are the most common types, with examples.

Vital Records (certified copies from the Town Clerk, registrar, or DPH)

• Birth certificates, for dual citizenship, foreign visas, or marriage abroad
• Marriage certificates
• Death certificates, for settling an estate overseas
• Adoption records, for international adoption

Court and Probate Documents (certified by the court clerk)

• Divorce decrees and court orders
• Probate documents, such as an estate appointment certificate

Notarized Personal Documents (signed before a Connecticut notary)

• Powers of attorney
• Affidavits and sworn statements
• Parental consent letters for a child traveling abroad

School Documents

• Diplomas from Connecticut schools and universities
• Transcripts, which the school registrar certifies and a notary then notarizes. Students can't certify their own transcripts.

Business Documents

• Articles of incorporation, merger records, and other corporate filings
• Certificates of good standing from the Secretary of the State
• Notarized company resolutions and powers of attorney

Certified Copies of Documents

A copy can be authenticated if it comes with a written statement that it is a true copy, sworn and signed before a Connecticut notary.

Tip: Need a Connecticut State Police criminal record check for a visa or job abroad? Call the Authentication Unit first at 860-509-6002 (option 4). Whether it can be apostilled depends on who signs it, and it's better to ask before you order.

What Connecticut can't apostille

Connecticut can only vouch for Connecticut officials. That's why some documents have to go somewhere else first. Below is the list from the Secretary of the State, with where to go instead:

Moving to Puerto Rico or another US territory? Connecticut can't issue an apostille for documents used in Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands. These territories aren't foreign. A properly notarized or issued Connecticut document can be used there directly.

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Step 1: Confirm the Destination Country and Whether it's a Hague Member

Start with the country, not the paperwork. It tells you what kind of certificate you need and what else the office abroad may ask for.

Ask the receiving office (consulate, university, employer, or court) these three questions:

• Do you need an apostille, or something else?
• How recent must the document be? Many countries prefer certified copies issued in the last 6 to 12 months.
• Do you need a certified translation?

Then check the Hague Conference status table at hcch.net to see if the country is a member. If it is, one apostille is usually enough. If not, plan for extra steps, like embassy legalization.

Step 2: Get the Right Document

Your document must be an original or certified copy, notarized by a Connecticut notary or certified by a Connecticut official, with an original signature or seal. Which route you take depends on the type of document.

Route A: Records Issued by a Government Office

Birth, death, and marriage records come from your Town Clerk or the State Vital Records Office.

• A certified birth certificate costs $20 from the town of birth and $30 from the state.
• You'll need a valid photo ID. Birth records are private, so only you, a parent, a grandparent, a spouse, an adult child, or other eligible people can request one, unless the record is over 100 years old.

Route B: Documents You Sign Yourself

Powers of attorney, affidavits, and consent letters need a Connecticut notary.

• Sign in front of the notary, in ink, on the day. Don't sign ahead of time.
• Since July 1, 2026, a notary can charge up to $10 per notarial act. Some towns keep lower rates for residents. Bloomfield, for example, still charges its residents $5.
• The Secretary of the State has a city search tool to help you find a notary near you.

Finally, check the date. The notarization or certification must be within the last 10 years.

Step 3: Create a Portal Account and Place Your Order

• Now go online. Every order starts at sots.service.ct.gov/apostille.
• Create an account and log in.
• Enter your details, including the foreign country where the apostille will be used
• Choose paper apostille or e-Apostille (see Step 4).
• Pay the fee as the portal instructs.
• Write down your APO Work Order number and print the receipt.

Keep the receipt handy. If you're sending paper documents, it goes in the envelope.

Step 4: Paper Apostille or e-Apostille

You may get to choose:

• Choose e-Apostille if your document is eligible, the destination accepts digital apostilles, and you're in a hurry.
• Choose a paper apostille if it's a vital record, or if the receiving office wants a physical stamp.

Step 5: Send Your Request

If you chose a paper apostille, this is the step where your documents travel to Hartford. Put these three things in your envelope:

• Your original or certified documents.
• The printed order receipt, or your APO Work Order number.
• A prepaid, pre-addressed return envelope or shipping label.

Then choose how to send it:

Step 6: Track Order in Your Online Account

Your online account shows real-time order tracking and lets you send secure messages to the office. Log in any time to see where your order stands.

If something looks wrong, or you've heard nothing for longer than expected, don't wait. Call 860-509-6002 (option 4) or email BSD@ct.gov, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Have your APO Work Order number ready.

The state fee is small, but the total isn't. Certified copies, notary fees, and shipping (both ways) add up. Check the full picture here:

Note: Fees and shipping rates change often, so please confirm the current amounts before you pay for anything.

The state's processing time is short. The waiting mostly comes from mail and from getting your documents ready. Regular orders are processed within 5 to 7 business days of the office receiving your documents. e-Apostille and expedited orders are processed within 24 hours. That does not include mailing time, which can take from 1 to 3 business days. Business days don't include weekends or holidays, so add a few calendar days.

Tip: Work backward from your deadline. Count your consulate appointment, your translation, and your shipping. Then start the apostille with a week of extra room.

The 10-Year Rule

Your document must have been notarized or certified within the last 10 years. This could be a surprise for people who dig out an old birth certificate from a drawer. The person who signed an older document may no longer be in the state's signature records.

Order a fresh certified copy from your Town Clerk or DPH. It's also safer, since foreign offices often want recent copies too.

Wrong Notary or Non-Ink Signatures

The notary must be a Connecticut notary. An out-of-state notary won't work, even if the document is otherwise perfect. The Secretary of the State requires original ink signatures from both the signer and the notary.

Remote and electronic notarizations are reported as not acceptable for apostilles. Connecticut does allow remote online notarization for many other purposes, so don't assume it works here. Meet a notary in person and sign in ink.

Wrong Document Type

For birth, death, and marriage records, a notary's stamp on a photocopy is not enough. Notarized copies of vital records are not eligible. You need a certified copy issued by a Town Clerk, a registrar, or DPH.

Other documents work differently. A copy of a document can be authenticated if it comes with a written statement that it's a true copy, sworn before a Connecticut notary. When in doubt, ask the Authentication Unit before you pay for anything.

Attorney-Signed Documents

Connecticut can't authenticate documents an attorney signed as a Commissioner of the Superior Court. Many people assume a lawyer's seal is as good as a notary's, but for apostilles it isn't.

Have the document signed in front of a commissioned Connecticut notary instead. Many attorneys are notaries too, so just ask them to use that role.

Missing Work Order Number or Return Label

Two small things cause big delays. Your paper documents need the printed order receipt, or your APO Work Order number, or the office can't match them to your order.

The return label matters too. Without a prepaid label, the office returns your documents by first class mail. For international returns, the office won't provide a label, so you must include your own. Put the label in the envelope, and take a photo of it.

Pre-2003 Birth Certificate Ordered From the Wrong Office

For older births, you can't order from just any town. For births before January 1, 2003, you can request a certified copy only from the town where the birth occurred, the town where the mother lived at the time, or the State Vital Records Office.

For example, if you were born in Norwalk but your mother lived in Stamford, either town can issue it. A clerk in a different town can't. For births on or after January 1, 2003, any town vital records office or the State Vital Records Office works.

You can do this yourself, or hire a service to handle it. Neither is wrong. It depends on your time, your deadline, and how many documents you have.

DIY

Doing it yourself is the cheapest option. You pay the state fee, the notary or certified copy fee, and shipping. There's no middleman.

It works well for a single, simple document, like one birth certificate from your own town, with a comfortable deadline. The state's online system makes it easier than it used to be. But one big con is that every detail is on you: the right document type, the 10-year rule, the Work Order number, the return label.

Professional Connecticut Apostille Service

A good service reviews your documents, places the online order, and handles the shipping. Since Connecticut moved to online ordering, some people find the extra steps confusing, especially when they live out of state or abroad.

It makes the most sense when you have several documents and a tight deadline. You pay a service fee on top of the state fee, but a rejection can cost you more in time and second fees.

How to Spot a Legitimate Service vs a Look-Alike Scam

Some businesses send mailers or run ads designed to look like government notices. Connecticut has been cracking down. Starting January 1, 2027, anyone who advertises a paid service to file documents with, or get records from, the Secretary of the State must follow strict disclosure rules. Until then, use this checklist.

Signs of a Legitimate Apostille Service:

• It says plainly that it's a private company, not a government office.
• It shows the state fee ($40, or $15 for adoption) separately from its own fee.
• It has a real physical address, not just a P.O. box.
• It explains what it will do for you and how long it takes.
• It uses secure upload for your documents and ID.
• It tells you where you can apply directly with the state.

Red Flags:

• A solicitation designed to look like it's from a government agency, or that sets deadlines as if you had a legal duty to respond.
• Missing disclosures. From 2027, offers must say they're an advertisement and not from a government agency, and mailed offers must say "THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT" on the envelope.
• A "state fee" listed above $40 (or $15 for adoption documents).
• Pressure to pay right now, or payment by gift card or wire transfer.
• No physical address or contact details you can check.
• Emails that pretend to come from the Connecticut business registry. The Secretary of State issued warnings about phishing and spoofing in mid-2026.

The only official place to order is sots.service.ct.gov/apostille. Anything else is a private company. Some are honest and helpful, but you should always know who you're paying.

Getting an apostille takes many small steps. You have to prepare the right documents, send them off, and make sure every detail is correct. It makes sense to have a reliable partner through all of it.

Globeia helps you through the entire Connecticut apostille process. We're with you until the apostille is attached and your apostilled document reaches you safely.

How it works with Globeia:

• Fill out our SmartForm - Add your personal details, ID documents, and everything relevant to your request.
• Upload scans of your documents through the portal - Our experts check that everything is complete and correct.
• Mail us your original documents after approval - Send them to our office, Globeia Inc.
• We take it from there - We submit your documents to the relevant authorities on your behalf and arrange delivery to your doorstep, anywhere in Connecticut.

The whole process is digital. You use our simple, automated online portal, with no paper forms to print or fill out. You can do it all from your home.

Start Your US Apostille Process Here!

Once your apostille arrives, one more step is to check that it's real. Connecticut provides an online registry and verification portal that can confirm the authenticity of a paper apostille or an e-Apostille.

It takes a few minutes and gives you peace of mind. It's also what the office abroad may do, so it's good to know your apostille passes.

How to verify your Connecticut apostille:

• Go to the Connecticut Apostille and e-Apostille Registry and Verification Portal at sots.service.ct.gov/apostille/apostilleverification.
• Find the certificate number on your apostille, along with any other details the page asks for.
• Enter those details in the portal and submit the search.
• Compare the result with your paper or digital apostille. The details should match.

Apostilles are crucial in Connecticut because they verify your documents and make them globally recognized. Having the appropriate apostille ensures that your documents, including your education and birth certificate, are valid, especially if you need them for official or legal purposes.

The bottom line is this: always ensure that your documents bear the apostille stamp. It's like approving your documents internationally and making overseas business hassle-free.

Don't skip this step obtaining the correct apostille not only simplifies life in Connecticut but also strengthens and validates your documents globally. So, to keep things simple and formal, go ahead and get that apostille!