Maryland Secretary of State Apostille Authentication 518-956-5673

Maryland Secretary of State Authentication and Apostille Services

The Maryland Secretary of State offers two types of authentication: Apostille and Certificate of Authentication. An Apostille, also known as "Hague Authentication," is only valid within member countries of the Hague Convention. Since Chinese consulates are currently not part of the Hague Convention, documents submitted to Chinese consulates in the United States must use a "Certificate of Authentication."

If you do not have time to handle the process yourself, you can contact CHV for assistance. Call our customer service at: 1-518-956-5673 (US). We provide authentication services for personal or corporate documents from all 50 U.S. states, including consular three-level authentication or Hague Apostille. Expedited processing is available, with completion in as fast as 3 business days.

In-person or mail-in processing:

Maryland Secretary of State
Certifications Desk
16 Francis Street, Jeffrey Building, 1st Floor
Annapolis, MD 21401

Website: http://www.sos.state.md.us/Certifications/Certifications.html
Email: acowley@sos.state.md.us

Maryland Authentication and Apostille Processing Reminders

Maryland Document Guidelines:

To obtain a Hague Apostille from the office of Maryland Secretary of State John P. McDonough in Annapolis, please follow these guidelines when submitting Maryland documents:

• Birth and death certificates issued in Maryland must be certified originals and signed by the currently recognized State Registrar, Julia Davidson Randall or Geneva Sparks. If you need to request a new copy of vital records, please contact www.vitalchek.com.
• Notarized documents: Must first be authenticated by the County Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the notary is commissioned. The notary's signature confirms the identity of the document signer.
• Divorce decrees: Court documents must be certified by the Maryland Clerk of the Circuit Court.
• University diplomas, transcripts, grades, or any school records issued by institutions such as the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Towson University, or University of Baltimore must be notarized and certified by the County Clerk. Please request a notarized copy from your school's registrar.
  To obtain a copy of a document, contact the corresponding local County Clerk: Allegany County, Carroll County, Harford County, St. Mary's County, Anne Arundel County, Cecil County, Howard County, Somerset County, Baltimore City, Charles County, Kent County, Talbot County, Baltimore County, Dorchester County, Montgomery County, Washington County, Calvert County, Frederick County, Prince George's County, Wicomico County, Caroline County, Garrett County, Queen Anne's County, and Worcester County.