Who apostilles my documents for a Spain visa in the US?
It depends entirely on who issued the document. Federal documents, above all the FBI background check, are apostilled by the US Department of State in Washington DC for a fee of about $20 per document. Documents issued by a state, such as a birth certificate or a notarised letter, go to the Secretary of State of that state, at a fee that varies state by state. Sending a document to the wrong office gets it returned unprocessed, which is the single most common way US applicants lose weeks.
The rule in one line
Who issued it decides who apostilles it. The FBI is a federal agency, so its certificate goes to the federal authority. A county clerk or a state registrar is not federal, so those documents go to the state. There is no central US office that handles both, which is the big difference from countries like the UK where a single authority apostilles everything.
Which of your documents goes where
- FBI Identity History Summary: US Department of State, Washington DC
- Birth certificate: Secretary of State of the issuing state
- Notarised sponsor or parental letter: Secretary of State of the state where it was notarised
- Documents from a different country: that country's own apostille authority
Cost and time
- US Department of State: around $20 per document. Confirm the current fee and processing time on travel.state.gov
- Secretary of State fees genuinely differ by state, and some require notarisation first, so check your own state rather than a figure you read elsewhere
- Apostille agencies charge substantially more but hand-deliver and can turn documents around in days
Do this before translating
The sworn Spanish translation has to cover the apostille as well as the document underneath it. Translate first and you will be paying a translator twice for the same document. Apostille, then translate, then book your appointment.
Streamline the whole process
Visado puts every step in the right order for your course date and walks you through them one at a time. Nothing missed, nothing late.
Start my free planFrequently asked
Does the FBI background check go to my state's Secretary of State?
No. It's a federal document, so it goes to the US Department of State in Washington DC. Sending it to a state office gets it returned.
How much is an apostille in the US?
About $20 per document at the US Department of State. State-level fees vary by state, so check your own Secretary of State.
Can I apostille a photocopy?
Generally no. Apostilles are issued on originals or properly certified copies, which is why you should never send the only copy you have without checking first.