JUNE 1, 2021

Illinois apostilles are issued by the Index Department of the Office of Illinois Secretary of State.

We've noticed that Illinois apostilles have changed. What is different?

Feb. 1, 2017 apostille (left) vs. Mar. 29, 2017 apostille (right)

So, what is different?

(1) The country of destination is now to the left. It was in the center before.

(2) The title ("APOSTILLE") looks different now.

(3) The signature of Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State is now in black. It was in blue ink before.

(4) The Seal of the State of Illinois is smaller.

Illinois apostille: general description

In the State of Illinois, as in all states of the United States of America, an apostille is a separate page attached to the document. It has the  Seal of the State of Illinois (black and white) and is stapled to the document it authenticates. A gold foil seal is put over the staple in the upper left corner. As required by the Hague Apostille convention, each apostille has the title "Apostille", the reference to the Hague Convention, and the following ten items: (1) country where the apostille is being issued ("United States of America"); (2) name of the official (whose signature is being certified by an apostille, in the image above it is "David Orr"; (3) the position or capasity of this official ("County Clerk, Cook County"); (4) name of of the seal on the attached document ("State of Illinois", (5) name of the city where the apostille is being issued ("Springfield, Illinois"); (6) the date when the apostille is being issued; (7) position of the official person who signed the apostille ("Secretary of State"); (8) consecutive number of the apostille; (9) the seal of the apostille issuing agency (Seal of the State of Illinois, this seal is black and white); (10) signature. Read more about Illinois apostille guidelines and tips.

Illinois apostilles also have additional language. Above the word "Apostille" it states the name of the country the document is intended for. In the image above it is "ITALY". At the bottom there is the following phrase: "The Apostille only certifies the signature and the seal it bears. It does not certify contents of the document for which it is issued. THIS APOSTILLE IS NOT VALID WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."

Not sure if your document qualifies for an Illinois apostille? Email a copy of your document for a free evaluation

Illinois apostille: price, processing time, order form

Apostille Order Form (PDF file)

Our apostille guarantees:

Not many companies provide this guarantee but we do: if, for some reason, your documents are rejected by the state after we assured you that they are acceptable, we will issue a 100% refund, no questions asked. We do not keep any service fees.

We apostille many kinds of documents from Illinois and from all other U.S. states. The most common documents we process for Illinois apostilles and foreign embassies are Illinois birth, marriage, death certificates, divorce records, single status affidavits, criminal records, diplomas and transcripts, corporate documents including articles of incorporation, certificates fo good standing, bylaws and llc agreements, powers of attorney, minutes, resolutions, and many more.

After we have reviewed your documents, in most cases we will ask you to mail the originals to us. Sometimes, documents can be submitted by email or will qualify for our 24-hour apostille service. Please note that 24-hour apostilles are processed in Washington, DC. The price for our 24-hour apostille service is $175.

Processing times differ depending on nature of your documents. In each case will provide the time estimate, and will do our best to meet the deadline.

Delivery by FedEx (2nd day) is included in the price. We also ship internationally. FedEx (2nd day): $20
FedEx (standard overnight): $30 to most countries (except for Eastern Europe and Latin America, which is ).

We accept all kinds of payment, including personal and corporate checks, money orders, credit and debit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, Western Union, and MoneyGram.

Apostilles and embassy legalization procedures are not complicated if you entrust your documents to legalization experts who know the requirements of U.S. apostille agencies, foreign consulates and embassies and the requirements of the receiving organizations in foreign countries.

We process documents for ALL foreign countries. Please call us!