Apostille court orders, judgments, criminal records, and sentencing documents for visa applications, legal proceedings, or employment abroad. State and federal court documents handled. Free consultation.
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What type of court document do you need apostilled?
The most important distinction for court document apostilles is state vs. federal jurisdiction:
Submitting a federal document to a state office — or vice versa — results in automatic rejection. Our document review identifies the correct authority before any submission.
Some visa categories require disclosure of any criminal convictions, or require court documents proving the resolution of past legal matters. An apostilled court document from the relevant jurisdiction is required. We handle US state and federal court documents.
If a US court order, judgment, or decree needs to be enforced or recognized in another country, it typically requires apostille authentication. We prepare court documents for recognition in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Italy, and other Hague member countries.
State-level criminal court records used for background check purposes abroad (as distinct from the federal FBI check) may require apostille. We advise on whether you need a state criminal record, FBI federal check, or both for your specific purpose.
| Document | Issuing authority | Estimated time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified copy of court document | Court Clerk of the issuing court | Varies by court — typically 5–15 business days | Must be a certified court copy bearing the court clerk's signature and official court seal. Documents printed from online portals or personal file copies cannot be apostilled. |
| Apostille certificate | Secretary of State of the state where the court is located | 1–10 business days | Court documents are apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where the court sits — NOT the state where you currently live or where the parties reside. |
| Certified translation (if required) | Sworn / certified translator | 2–4 business days | Court documents are often lengthy and legally complex. Translation must be accurate and complete. Required for submission to foreign courts, immigration bodies, or registries. |
| Copy of valid government-issued ID | Applicant | Current | For identity verification when requesting certified copies from the court. |
Send us a description or scan of your court document. We identify the issuing court's jurisdiction, the correct Secretary of State office, whether a new certified copy is needed, and the complete process for your destination country.
If you don't have a certified court copy with the clerk's seal, we guide you through requesting one — or handle the request on your behalf for supported jurisdictions. This step is critical: the wrong type of copy will be rejected.
We submit your certified court document to the Secretary of State of the state where the court is located. We track the submission, handle any queries from the state office, and provide status updates.
If a certified translation is required, we arrange a complete and legally accurate translation of your court document. Final apostilled and translated documents are delivered by express tracked international courier.
Information on this page is based on procedures from recognized government and intergovernmental bodies — not third-party estimates.
Reviewed by
Laura ChenLegal Document Expert
Specialist in documents for the English-speaking market with a focus on fast and secure processing.
The Secretary of State of the state where the court is located. For example, a court order from a New York court is apostilled by the New York Secretary of State. Federal court documents (from US District Courts, Courts of Appeals, or the Supreme Court) require a federal apostille from the US Department of State — not a state Secretary of State.
You need a certified copy issued by the court clerk — with the official court seal and the clerk's original signature. Copies printed from online portals, attorney file copies, and personal photocopies cannot be apostilled. If you don't have a certified copy, we guide you through obtaining one.
Once you have a certified court copy, apostille processing takes 1–10 business days. If you also need to obtain a certified copy from the court, that adds 5–15 business days depending on the court's current processing time. We advise on how to sequence these steps to minimize total turnaround.
A state criminal record contains records from that specific state's courts. An FBI Identity History Summary (federal background check) covers your entire US history across all states. For most immigration purposes abroad — including Spain, Italy, and Canada — the FBI federal check is required. We advise on which is needed for your specific destination and purpose.
Apostille authentication confirms the document's legitimacy — it does not automatically enforce a judgment. Enforcement of foreign judgments is governed by the receiving country's laws and typically requires a separate legal recognition process. However, apostille is always the required first step. We prepare the document; local legal counsel in the destination country handles enforcement proceedings.
If submitting to a foreign court, immigration authority, or registry in a country with a different official language, yes. Court documents are complex — they require a precise, complete translation by a certified translator. We provide translations accepted by courts and administrative bodies in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Italy, and beyond.
Yes. We apostille court documents issued in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Spain, and other Hague Convention countries. The authority and procedure vary by country — we handle the full coordination.
Our court document apostille service starts at $99 (apostille only). With certified translation: from $179. If we also need to obtain a certified court copy, costs vary by court. Contact us for a precise quote based on your document type and destination.
Message us today for a free document review and guidance.