An apostille is a form of certification established at the 1961 Hague Convention, to which the United States is a subscriber. A list of countries that accept apostilles is provided by the Hague Conference. An apostille certifies the authenticity of the issuing official's or notary public's signature on the document, the capacity in which the person has acted, and identifies the seal/stamp which the document bears. Any receiving party can verify the authenticity of an issued apostille by comparing the apostille number and date to the information in our electronic apostille register at the following address: http://sos.ri.gov/apostillelookup. The apostille number and date issued must be submitted to properly access the register. The number should be inputed in the exact format as it is on the apostille (i.e. 2005.01.001). The date can be keyed in or selected by clicking the calendar button on the side of the date field.

Apostilles are used as transmittal on documents executed in one subscribing country which are being sent to another subscribing country. A few examples of these public documents would include: birth or death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, school transcripts, school diplomas or degrees, and adoption papers. Certified copies of birth, death or marriage records must be obtained through Vital Records at the Rhode Island Department of Health. For more information call 401-222-2811.

An authentication is the certification that is used for countries who do not participate in the 1961 Hague Convention. It is used to certify the same things as are listed for the apostille above. These documents are generally required to be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State after receiving state authentication.

Each country designates which authorities may issue apostilles and authentications for their jurisdiction. The United States has appointed the Secretary or State (or their counterpart) in each state as said authority. In Rhode Island, the Secretary of State has expanded this authority to include his Deputy Secretaries of State and the Secretary of State's Notary Supervisor.

A request for an apostille or authentication may be made in person, by telephone, or by mail to the Secretary of State's Notary Public Section. Please be sure to provide the name of the country to which the document(s) will be sent. You must submit the original or certified copy of the document(s) that you wish to have an apostille or authentication attached to, together with a fee of $5.00 per apostille or authentication being requested. Checks or money orders should be made payable to the Secretary of State. Requests for apostilles and authentications are processed daily. If your request is by mail, the document(s) will be returned to you by first class mail. If overnight service is required, a pre-addressed, pre-paid airbill must be enclosed with the request.