How to Get Tennessee Secretary of State Apostille/Authentication 518-956-5673

Tennessee Secretary of State Authentication comes in two types: Apostille and Certificate of Authentication. An Apostille, also known as "Hague Authentication," can only be used within member countries of the Hague Convention. Since Chinese consulates are currently not part of the "Hague Convention member states," only a "Certificate of Authentication" can be submitted to various Chinese consulates in the United States.

If you don’t have time to handle it yourself, you can contact CHV for agency services. Please call us at 518-956-5673 (US). We provide notarization and authentication services for personal or corporate documents from all 50 U.S. states, including consulate three-level authentication or Hague Authentication. Expedited processing is available, with completion in as fast as 3 business days.

In-office or mail-in processing:

Tennessee Department of State
Division of Business Services
Apostilles & Authentications
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Snodgrass Tower, 6th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-0536

Fee: $2 per Apostille payable to the "Tennessee Secretary of State."
Processing time: Same-day for counter service or 3 days for mail-in orders.
Website: http://www.tn.gov/sos/bus_svc/apostilles.htm

Reminders for Tennessee Authentication Processing

To obtain an Apostille or Authentication issued by the office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, please follow these guidelines:
Documents issued or certified by state-certified (Department of Health) county clerks can be used for Apostille or Authentication.

Notes on notarized documents: Ensure the notary provides a complete notarization, including seal, signature, date, and notarial act (or jurat).
Please note that after notarization, the document must be authenticated by the county clerk where the notary is registered before it can be processed for Apostille or Authentication.

Notes on vital records: Certified copies issued by the Vital Records Office, stamped with the vital records seal and signed by State Registrar Teresa S. Hendricks, are acceptable.
If you need a new copy of a vital record, please contact the Tennessee Department of Health:
Central Services Building, 1st Floor
421 North 5th Avenue
Nashville, TN 37243
Website: https://tn.gov/health/article/vr-certificate

Notes on academic documents: Issued by universities such as Vanderbilt University, University of Tennessee, University of Tennessee at Martin, University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University, East Tennessee State University, and Belmont University. Please request a notarized copy of the document from the school registrar.

Documents commonly Apostilled or Authenticated in Tennessee include: birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates; articles of incorporation; bylaws; powers of attorney; diplomas; and transcripts.