Pricing
One price. Government fees inside it.
The $20 State Department fee and tracked US return shipping are both in the number below, and both are itemised on your receipt. Nothing is added at checkout.
$299
Everything included
Typical turnaround about 3 weeks
What is included
- ✓Federal apostille from the U.S. Department of State
- ✓The DS-4194 request form, completed for you
- ✓Hand delivery and collection in Washington
- ✓Scanned PDF on the day it is collected
- ✓Tracked, insured return shipping within the US
- ✓The $20 State Department fee
No charge
- ✓Recency check against your destination
- ✓Live Scan location lookup
- ✓Status updates at every stage
- ✓We tell you if your timing will not work
Add-ons
- +Priority, overnight return — $399
- +International delivery — from $99
- +Sworn translation, Spain and Italy — from $89
- +Certified translation — from $39
Invoiced, not charged. You get an invoice by email after we confirm your timing. No card details on the site.
Nothing recurring. One document, one price. There is no subscription and no registered-agent style renewal.
Fees at cost. The $20 federal fee is what the government charges. We do not mark it up.
What it costs to do it yourself
You can. Here is the honest comparison.
| On your own | ExpatPapers | |
|---|---|---|
| Channeler fee | ~$50 | ~$50, you pay it direct |
| State Department fee | $20 | Included |
| Postage both ways | ~$30 | Included |
| Time at the State Department | 5 to 6 weeks | 2 weeks, hand delivered |
| Total time | 6 to 7 weeks | About 3 weeks |
| If it is sent to the wrong office | Another month lost | Cannot happen |
About $70 of that is unavoidable either way. What you are paying us for is the three weeks and not losing a month to a wrong envelope.
We are not the cheapest. Here is what you get instead.
Other services sell the same federal apostille for less. That is true and we will not pretend otherwise. The stamp is the same stamp. Read this before you decide.
See seven services compared, with every price quoted from their own page →
We check your consulate before you pay
Tell us your destination and your appointment date. We check the rule the office holding your case actually publishes, and we read it from that office, not from another apostille website. If your timing does not work, we say so and we do not take your money.
The rules are not what the industry prints
Spain is six months, not the 90 days everyone repeats. Italy differs by consulate. Germany usually wants a Führungszeugnis for 13 euros instead of this document. New Zealand does not want an apostille at all. We have told people not to order. It costs us a sale and it saves them three weeks and $299.
See all ten corrections, with sources →
What we will not claim
- No same-day service. The Office of Authentications has no appointment system
- We cannot get your FBI report. Federal rules release it only to you
- Nothing beats about two weeks at the State Department. Not us, not anyone
When you should use somebody cheaper
If you already hold your report, you already know your consulate's rule, and your deadline is comfortable, then you are buying a courier run. Buy the cheap one. We would rather tell you that here than take the order and have you find out later.