How to Get an Apostille in Oregon

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

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Can you send a vital record straight to the Oregon apostille office?

Yes, Oregon lets you have a vital record delivered directly to the apostille office, which quietly removes a whole mailing leg from the process. When you order a certified birth, death or marriage record through VitalChek, you can enter the Corporation Division's Salem address as the shipping address, so the certified copy arrives at the Authentication Section rather than coming to you first and then being forwarded. You still send your request form and fee, but the record and the apostille request meet at the same office. This is worth knowing because ordering the certified copy and then mailing it onward is where people lose the most days. For an ordinary notarized document, though, you simply have it notarized by an Oregon notary and send the original in.

Who issues apostilles in Oregon?

Apostilles in Oregon are issued by the Secretary of State, Corporation Division, through the Authentication Section in Salem, the only authority in the state that can do so. It authenticates the signature of an Oregon public official or notary, issuing an apostille for Hague Convention countries and a certification for the rest; the certificate looks the same regardless of the destination country. It handles Oregon documents only, so a document from another state goes to that state. A private document such as a power of attorney, a diploma or a transcript must be notarized by an Oregon notary first, and a background check from an Oregon agency must be notarized before submission; photocopies are rejected.

How much does an Oregon apostille cost?

An Oregon apostille costs $10 per apostille certificate. You pay by check or money order made payable to the Oregon Secretary of State or the Corporation Division, or by credit card for in-person submissions. You need a separate apostille for each notarized document, though one request form is acceptable when you clearly list all the documents on it. As always, the $10 is the state charge only, and it is on top of what you may have paid for certified copies or notarization; a private service adds its own handling fee beyond that. Check today's fee before you send payment, because it is updated from time to time.

How long does an Oregon apostille take?

An Oregon apostille is usually processed the same day for in-person requests at the Salem office, while mailed requests take about a week during normal periods, though the current turnaround fluctuates with volume. Helpfully, the Secretary of State posts the date of the mailed requests it is currently processing, so you can gauge the real backlog before you send. For faster movement, the office accepts documents by FedEx or UPS as well as regular mail. Add transit time in each direction, and if a foreign deadline is firm, an in-person visit or a courier submission is the most reliable route.

Can Oregon apostille an FBI background check?

No, Oregon 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 Salem means it comes back unprocessed. The Oregon Secretary of State authenticates documents issued or notarized in Oregon, such as an Oregon birth certificate from the Center for Health Statistics or a power of attorney notarized by an Oregon notary. A background check from an Oregon state agency can be apostilled once notarized, but a federal FBI check cannot; documents from other states go to their own authority instead.

By the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division, How to Get an Authentication or Apostille (sos.oregon.gov). Verify the latest fee and where to send it before relying on this page.