Submit Your Request

Follow the steps below to submit your document to the RI Department of State for legalization. If you are ordering a vital record for legalization, you can request that the RI Department of Health send the record directly to the RI Department of State for legalization. Contact us at [email protected] for instructions.

STEP 1

Gather Required Document(s) and Know Your Destination Country

Documents submitted for legalization must meet certain standards. Review the document you wish to submit. You should verify the following:

  • The document was issued by a RI official or certified by a RI Notary Public
  • The document was properly notarized
  • The document contains an original signature and/or seal
  • If your document contains multiple pages, all pages must be stapled together
  • Whether the destination country is a contracting party to the 1961 Hague Treaty

To learn more about verifying your document, see Before You Begin

STEP 2

Submit Your Document(s)

Your documents must be accompanied by a completed request form and a fee of $5 per document. You can submit your document(s), fee and form in person or by mail to:

RI Department of State
Business Services Division/Apostille
148 West River Street
Providence, RI 02904

Your check or money order should be made payable to RI Department of State. Do not send cash by mail.

If you are unable to pay by check or money order, please contact us at [email protected] for further instructions.

By default, all orders are returned by USPS first class mail. If you would like expedited delivery or are requesting that your documents be mailed internationally, you should enclose a pre-paid shipping label from an international carrier such as DHL, FedEx, or UPS. Please note we can only accept pre-paid shipping labels. You may not submit a label that asks the carrier to bill you later or include your credit card information on the label.

STEP 3

Track Your Filing

Documents submitted for legalization are processed within 10 business days of receipt. You can check if your documents have been processed by searching our database.

Take Additional Steps to Legalize Your Document, If Necessary

After you receive your processed document from the RI Department of State, you may need to take additional steps to complete the legalization process depending on the country in which you intend to use the document.

To avoid delaying legalization of your document, you should verify whether the destination country is a part of the 1961 Hague Convention. Documents legalized for use in countries that are contracting members of this Hague Treaty can immediately be used overseas.

If the destination country is not on this list, the document will require further legalization through the federal US Department of State prior to being sent overseas.

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