Illinois apostille by mail
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What it costs
$129for the first document, all-in
- Each additional
- $59
- Included
- Our service, the $2 Illinois Secretary of State fee per apostille, and return shipping within the United States.
How it works
- You send
A photo of each document, then the original by mail.
- We do
Check the original against the photo, prepare the request with the $2 fee, and send it to the Illinois Secretary of State. Each step shows on your tracking page.
- You get back
Your original with the apostille attached, after we check that the name, country and signing official match your order.
How long it takes
- Our part
- We send your document to the authority within 1 business day of receiving it, and ship it back within 1 business day of getting it back.
- The state, by mail
State's website says 7 to 14 business days.
Illinois Secretary of State, checked Nov 13. A current figure, not a promise.
What can go wrong
Illinois has its own rules for what it will apostille, listed below. Our check looks at each document before you pay.
An incomplete notary section
We will review it by hand. If it needs a new notarization, you can add notarization arranged by us.
A document from another state
An apostille has to come from the state that issued the document, and we do not take Nevada orders online yet. Change the issuing state and we will take a quote request.
If an authority still rejects a document, we resubmit it at no service charge. Refund policy
What Illinois asks for
- A birth certificate must be a certified copy from the county clerk, local registrar or Illinois Department of Public Health.
- A marriage license must come from the county clerk, and a divorce decree from the circuit clerk.
- For school records, the school's records official certifies and signs before a notary.
From the Illinois Secretary of State’s own pages, read November 13, 2026.
Or do it yourself
If your document is ready and you are not in a hurry, doing it yourself costs less: the $2 fee per apostille plus postage.
| Compared on | Yourself | With us |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $2 per apostille, plus postage both ways | $129 all-in for the first document |
| You prepare | The request form or letter, a check or money order, a return envelope, and the original | A photo and the original |
| Before you send | No check; problems show up when the state reviews it | Each document is checked before you pay |
| If it is rejected | You fix it and send it again | We resubmit at no service charge |
What a mailed request needs
The fee is $2 per apostille, by check or money order payable to “Illinois Secretary of State”.
- The original document.
- A completed Application for Authentication.
- One single check or money order.
- A self-addressed, stamped return envelope; for tracking, prepaid postage and a shipping label.
Mail it to
Illinois Secretary of StateIndex Department160 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 100Chicago, IL 60601Questions
How much does an apostille cost in total?
A state apostille by mail costs $129 for the first document and $59 for each additional one, for every state we take orders for. For California documents, the same-day Los Angeles counter costs $249. A federal apostille costs $149. Each price includes our service, the government fee and return shipping within the United States. There are no other fees.
How long does it take?
We send your document to the authority within 1 business day of receiving it, and ship it back within 1 business day of getting it back. The authority's time is separate and we cannot promise it. Where a state publishes a figure, that state's page here shows it with the day we read it. For example: On November 12, 2026 the California Secretary of State reported it was processing mailed apostille requests received on November 3, 2026. In-person requests at the Los Angeles office are typically processed within 30 minutes.
What do I need to send?
You send the original document, not a copy. Before you pay, you upload a photo or scan of it so we can check it. For a birth, death or marriage certificate, that means the certified copy you were issued.
Do you check my document before I pay?
Yes. You upload a photo or scan of each document, and the check tells you in plain language whether it looks ready or what needs attention and how to fix it. A needs-attention result does not stop the order; it explains what we will do or what you need to do.
What happens if the authority rejects my document?
If an authority rejects a document, we tell you why and what is needed, and we resubmit it at no service charge.
Which states do you take orders for?
We take online orders, at an instant all-in price, for documents from Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas, and for federal documents. An apostille has to come from the state that issued the document, so we send each one to its own state. For a document from any other state, request a quote in the order form and we reply by email with a price.