Deadline? Read this first.
Rush and expedited apostille
Our end is fast. The state's end is what it is. Here is exactly what each tier buys you, and the honest version of "how fast."
Rush
$199per document, our fee
- Our processing: 5–7 business days
- Priority queue on our end
- State's expedite channel used where one exists
- Status updates at each stage
Best for: deadlines two to three weeks out.
Expedited
$299per document, our fee
- Our processing: 1–3 business days
- Work starts the day your documents arrive
- Hand-delivered or overnighted to the state office where possible
- Overnight return shipping available
Best for: visa appointments, job start dates, court and school deadlines measured in days.
State filing fees and shipping are additional and quoted before you pay. If a state charges extra for its own expedited handling, that appears as its own line so you can see exactly where the money goes.
The honest version of "how fast"
There are two clocks. We only control one of them.
Our clock starts when your documents arrive in Wichita. Expedited means we review them that day, prepare the submission, and get them to the state by the fastest channel the state offers: courier, overnight mail, or a walk-in window if the state has one and we have a runner there.
The state's clock starts when the Secretary of State receives the request. Some offices turn expedited requests around in a day or two. Some process strictly in the order received with no expedite option at all, and it does not matter what anyone pays. We check the current picture for your state before you commit, and we tell you what it is.
So when someone advertises a "same-day apostille" nationally, ask which state. In most states, by mail, it is not a real thing.
What actually slows things down
In order of how often we see it:
- The wrong kind of copy. A photocopy of a birth certificate, a hospital certificate instead of a state one, a diploma that has not been notarized. The state rejects it and the whole thing starts over. We catch this before submitting.
- A defective notarization. Expired commission, missing seal, wrong venue line, no date. Same result.
- Federal versus state. Someone sends an FBI background check to a state office. It cannot apostille it. Federal documents go to Washington.
- Non-Hague destination. The document is going to the UAE or Qatar, which do not accept apostilles. It needs embassy legalization, a longer chain, and nobody mentioned it until step three.
- The state's queue. Sometimes it is just busy. Nothing anyone can do except know that going in.
The first four are avoidable, and avoiding them is most of what you are paying us for.
If you are truly out of time
Tell us the exact date and what the document is for. Two things sometimes help:
- A different document may work. If the requirement is "proof of X," there may be a faster document that proves it. A certified letter from a state agency can sometimes stand in for a slower record.
- Direct return shipping. We can overnight the finished document straight to the consulate, the school, or the lawyer abroad, skipping a leg.
If neither helps, we say so. You will hear "no" from us before you pay, not after.
Get your exact price, all fees included
Two business hours to a written total. Nothing to pay and nothing to mail until you have it.
Start My ApostilleFrequently asked questions
Can I get a same-day apostille?
Only in a handful of states that offer walk-in service, and only if someone physically walks the document into that office the same day it is ready. By mail, no. Expedited is the fastest realistic option: our end is done in 1 to 3 business days, and we use the fastest channel the state offers.
What is the difference between rush and expedited?
Both prioritize your order on our end. Rush ($199) is 5 to 7 business days of our processing and suits deadlines two to three weeks out. Expedited ($299) is 1 to 3 business days and we hand-deliver or overnight to the state where possible. Both then wait on the state's own processing, which we tell you the current estimate for before you commit.
Which states are fastest?
It changes month to month. States with walk-in or courier windows tend to be fastest. States that only accept mail, or that process in strict order with no expedite option, are slowest regardless of what any service charges. We check the current picture for your state when you request a quote.
What if my deadline cannot be met?
We tell you before you pay. There is no charge for finding that out. Sometimes there is a workaround (a different document that serves the same purpose, or a state that issues faster) and we will suggest it if one exists.