How to Get an Apostille in Delaware

Educational information, not legal advice. Fees, addresses and processing times reflect the Delaware Secretary of State and can change. Confirm current details on the official corp.delaware.gov page before you mail anything.

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Delaware apostille cost and time calculator

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Who issues apostilles in Delaware?

Apostilles in Delaware are issued by the Secretary of State's Division of Corporations in Dover, the same division that keeps the state's famous corporate registry. That corporate role shapes the work: a large share of Delaware apostilles are for business documents such as a Certificate of Good Standing or certified Articles of Incorporation destined for use abroad. The office authenticates the signature of a Delaware public official or notary, issuing an apostille for Hague Convention countries and a certification for the rest. Personal documents qualify too, so a Delaware birth certificate or a Delaware-notarized power of attorney is fine, but the document must originate in Delaware.

How much does a Delaware apostille cost?

A Delaware apostille costs $30 per document, on the higher end of state fees, and the amount is the same regardless of page count. Payment is by check or money order payable to the Delaware Secretary of State, by credit card, or by cash if delivered in person. The important budgeting point is that Delaware charges per document and will not bundle several under one certification, so plan the fee as $30 multiplied by the number of documents. As always, the state fee is only the government charge; a private service adds its own handling on top. Before submitting, make sure the fee is still current.

Why does Delaware make you certify each document separately?

Delaware requires each document to be certified separately, with its own cover sheet, because a single one-cover certification is not accepted for the issuance of an apostille. In plain terms, you cannot staple several documents under one certification and pay once; the office treats each as its own request, with its own $30 fee and its own apostille. This is easy to miss when you have a stack of related papers, and getting it wrong means part of your batch comes back unprocessed. There is a second rule in the same spirit: any document in a foreign language must have a notarized English translation attached before Delaware will authenticate it.

How do you get an apostille in Delaware, step by step?

You prepare each document with its own cover sheet, and submit them with the per-document fee. The route below is the standard process.

1. Get the right document: a Delaware-issued certified copy, a Delaware business record, or a Delaware-notarized document.
2. Give each document its own cover sheet: a one-cover certification for several documents is not accepted.
3. Attach translations if needed: a foreign-language document needs a notarized English translation.
4. Submit with payment: mail or deliver to the Division of Corporations in Dover with $30 per document and a return envelope.
5. Receive it: normally around five business days, plus mailing time each way.

Can Delaware apostille an FBI background check?

No, Delaware 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 Dover means it comes back unprocessed. The Division of Corporations handles documents issued or notarized in Delaware, such as a Delaware Certificate of Good Standing, a Delaware birth certificate, or a power of attorney notarized by a Delaware notary. A federal document, or one from another state, goes to its own issuing authority.

By the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: Delaware Secretary of State, Division of Corporations (Apostilles and Authentications, corp.delaware.gov). Prices and addresses are updated periodically, so verify them before sending.