How to Get an Apostille in Alaska

Educational information, not legal advice. Fees, addresses and processing times reflect the Alaska Office of the Lieutenant Governor and can change. Confirm current details on the official ltgov.alaska.gov page before you mail anything.

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Who issues apostilles in Alaska?

Apostilles in Alaska are issued by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Authentications Department, in Juneau, because Alaska is one of the few states with no Secretary of State. The Lieutenant Governor authenticates the signature of an Alaska notary, court clerk or state document custodian on a document headed abroad, issuing an apostille for Hague Convention countries and a certification for the rest. The Juneau office is the only one that can process authentications, and the apostille itself is a separate page attached to your document, signed with the Lieutenant Governor's facsimile signature and the State of Alaska seal. Hawaii and Utah share this Lieutenant Governor arrangement.

How much does an Alaska apostille cost?

An Alaska apostille costs $5 per certificate, made payable to the State of Alaska. Each document that gets authenticated is its own certificate and its own $5, so five documents means five certificates. Payment accompanies the request along with your contact information, a return address and the destination country. As everywhere, the $5 is only the state's charge, and any private courier or service adds its own fee on top. Because the amount is small and flat, the real costs for most people are ordering the certified copies and shipping the originals safely to Juneau and back.

Can you photocopy an Alaska birth certificate for an apostille?

No, you cannot photocopy an Alaska birth certificate for an apostille, and this catches people out. It is against the law to make photocopies of Alaska Vital Statistics documents, and a notarized photocopy of a vital record cannot be apostilled. What the Lieutenant Governor authenticates is an official certified copy issued by the Alaska Vital Records office, bearing the issuing official's signature and seal. So the first step for a birth, marriage or death certificate is to order a fresh certified copy from Vital Records, not to notarize a copy you already have. School diplomas and transcripts are different: those must be notarized by the school registrar before the apostille.

How long does an Alaska apostille take?

An Alaska apostille can be same day at the Juneau counter if you book an appointment, while mailed orders take longer, commonly around two weeks once received, plus transit each way. There is a small trick that helps: the office asks you to write the word "Authentications" on the envelope, because staff sort incoming mail specifically for those orders so they move faster. Given Alaska's distance from most senders, use a trackable, prepaid return method, and note that the physical street address is used for courier services like FedEx while a separate PO Box is used for regular mail.

Can Alaska apostille an FBI background check?

No, Alaska cannot apostille an FBI background check, because it is a federal document authenticated by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. Sending a federal report to Juneau means it comes back unprocessed. The Lieutenant Governor's office authenticates documents issued or notarized in Alaska, such as an official certified copy of an Alaska birth certificate or a diploma notarized by the school registrar. Anything federal, or issued by a different state, follows a separate route.

By the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: Alaska Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Authentications Department (ltgov.alaska.gov). Fees and office addresses change, so verify them on the official page first.