Illinois Apostillé Services
Certified Corporate Documents & Good Standing

Fast & Reliable International Apostille Service for Documents from Illinois

As an attorney and authorized apostillé agent, I provide clients worldwide with expedited international apostille services for documents originating from Illinois. I handle the full range of Illinois documents, including: certified company records (Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization, amendments, dissolution records, annual reports, Certificate of Good Standing), corporate resolutions, vital records (certified copies of Birth/Death Records), Judgment for Dissolution of Marriage, power of attorney, academic diplomas & transcripts, real property deeds and records, and copies of Illinois certified court judgments/orders.

I ensure your documents are properly verified and legalized for international use. My attorney-supervised process guarantees that your paperwork meets the multi-step authentication requirements of the Illinois Secretary of State and the Hague Apostille Convention (1961), minimizing the risk of delay or rejection.

Fast turnaround • Attorney review included • Multi-county/city process management

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SUPPORTED STATES

We process apostilles nationwide. If you need apostillé or corporate records from other states, click the link: California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, Nevada, Delaware, Minnesota, District of Columbia (D.C.).

Illinois State Apostillé

Apostillé Process for Illinois Documents
How to Legalize Illinois Documents for International Use

An apostillé is handled exclusively by the Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department. The type of certificate issued depends on the destination country:

An Apostille is issued for documents to be used in countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention.
A Certificate of Authority is issued for documents intended for use in non-Hague Convention countries.

Unlike New York, Illinois does not require an intermediate County Clerk authentication step for properly prepared documents.

Processing Time: the normal processing time for documents received by mail is 7 to 14 business days, not including mailing time.

Corporate Records. Documents related to business entities fall into two categories for authentication:

Documents on File with the Secretary of State: these must be certified copies obtained directly from the Illinois Secretary of State, Corporation Division.
- Examples: Articles of Incorporation (for Corporations), Articles of Organization (for LLCs), Certificates of Merger, Certificates of Limited Partnership, and Certificates of Existence or Fact.
- No additional notarization or steps are required if the document is signed by a State official.
Organizational Documents Not on File: documents that are not state-filed must be notarized.
- Examples: Bylaws, Meeting Minutes, and Corporate Resolutions.
- These documents must first be notarized by an Illinois Notary Public before being submitted for an Apostille.

Real Property Deed or Records: must be certified. Real property records, such as Deeds, must be certified. These records are typically filed with a local government official, such as the County Recorder, and a certified copy bearing that official's seal and signature must be obtained before being submitted to the Illinois Secretary of State.

Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates, Divorce Decrees): must be certified by the issuing government authority and should not be notarized for authentication.

Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates): These must be a certified copy obtained from the local County Clerk, local registrar, or the Illinois Department of Public Health's Vital Records Division. The document must bear the signature of one of these officials.
Divorce Judgments / Decrees: This document must be a certified copy obtained from the Circuit Clerk of the court where the divorce was granted.

Academic Records (Diplomas, Transcripts): the person in charge of the records (normally the registrar or principal) must certify and sign the record in the presence of an Illinois Notary Public, who then notarizes that statement. The notarized document is then submitted to the Secretary of State's office.

Power of Attorney, Affidavits: in order to obtain an Apostille, the power of attorney or affidavit has to be properly notarized by an Illinois Notary Public. The notary has to complete the notarial Jurat or Certificate of Acknowledgmentto make the document eligible for further authentications. Simple attachment of a notary stamp does not result in proper notarization.

Illinois Apostille Certificate

OUR SIMPLIFIED, MULTI-STEP PROCESS

1. SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST— Tell us which Illinois documents require an apostillé and the destination country.

Attorney Review & Preparation — We verify compliance with Illinois' complex pre-certification requirements.

2. LOCAL CERTIFICATION (if required) — We secure the necessary county clerk certification (if applicable) on your behalf.

3. SECURE RETURN — Your documents are shipped to you or your foreign representative via tracked courier.

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Corporate Records &
Good Standing Certificates

Seamless Corporate Records Authentication for International Business

We specialize in retrieving certified corporate documents filed with the Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services Department, and obtaining an apostillé for use abroad—a frequent requirement for opening foreign bank accounts, mergers, and establishing overseas subsidiaries.

CORPORATE RECORDS IN ILLINOIS: A GUIDE

1. CONFIRMATION OF A COMPANY’S EXISTENCE (GOOD STANDING/STATUS). The key document for confirming a company’s active legal status in Illinois is the Certificate of Good Standing, which is also sometimes referred to as a Certificate of Existence or Certificate of Fact. This document is issued by the Business Services Department and verifies that the entity is currently active, compliant with statutory filing requirements (such as Annual Reports), and has not filed for dissolution.

Illinois Note: Certificate Types. Unlike New York, the distinction between certificate formats is more pronounced in Illinois. While a Certificate of Good Standing confirms the company's active legal status, the Illinois Secretary of State also provides a Long Form Certificate of Fact or certified copies of the entire business history. Foreign authorities frequently require these certified copies of all documents filed to show a complete chronological history of the entity (e.g., original incorporation/organization documents, amendments, mergers, and name changes).

2. CONSTITUTIONAL (FORMATION) DOCUMENTS. These are the public documents that establish the entity and are on file with the Illinois Secretary of State.

For Corporations: Articles of Incorporation
For Limited Liability Companies (LLCs): Articles of Organization

We retrieve certified copies of these documents, which are signed by an official from the Business Services Department and are ready for the apostillé process.

3. LIST OF SHAREHOLDERS AND OFFICERS:

Shareholders and LLC Members: This information is not public record and is not maintained on file with the Illinois Secretary of State. If confirmation is required by a foreign authority, we assist in obtaining an internal document, such as a notarized affidavit signed by a current corporate officer or manager, verifying the current shareholders or members, which can then be authenticated with an Apostille.
Directors and Officers: The names and addresses of current officers and directors are not listed on the formation documents or the standard Certificate of Good Standing. This information is contained in the entity's Annual Report filed with the state. The most common solution to authenticate this information is to obtain a certified copy of the latest filed Annual Report from the Secretary of State, which lists the current directors and officers.

4. OUR CORPORATE RETRIEVAL & APOSTILLE PROCESS:

Identify Needed Documents: Determine the specific certified document (Certificate of Good Standing, certified Articles of Incorporation, etc.) required by the destination country.
Certified Copy Retrieval: We obtain the necessary official and certified copies directly from the Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services Department.
Document Preparation: We arrange for any necessary notarization for non-public documents (like affidavits or corporate resolutions) to make them eligible for state authentication.
Apostille Authentication: We handle the full authentication process with the Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department.
International Delivery: We ship your apostilled documents anywhere in the world.

Processing Time: Regular processing is 7 to 14 days.

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New York Certificate of Status (Short Form)

Why Choose an Attorney for Illinois Apostille Services

Attorney-Led Expertise You Can Trust

Unlike generic courier or mail-in services, our attorney-led apostillé process ensures your documents meet Illinois' specific, multi-layered requirements from the start.

Our Advantages:

Legal Oversight: Every document is reviewed by a U.S. attorney experienced in cross-border certification.
Risk Reduction: Prevents costly rejections or delays caused by missing the mandatory County Clerk certification step required for most vital records and notarized documents.
Nationwide Access: We process documents from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Department of State (federal).
Global Clients: Trusted by businesses, law firms, and individuals worldwide.

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Our Fees, Shipping, Useful Information

OUR FEES

Certified business records: we charge flat of $100 per certified document (certified copy of documents available for request and certification by the Illinois Department of State).

Apostille: we charge Apostille flat fee of $200 per document for regular processing.

If you need us to ship your documents overseas, we charge according to DHL international shipping fees.

USEFUL CONTACTS OF ILLINOIS APOSTILLE AUTHORITIES

Mailing Address (Standard and Express Services): the primary mailing address for Apostille and Authentication requests is the Springfield office of the Index Department. This address should be used for all mail-in submissions, including those via USPS, UPS, Federal Express, DHL, etc.

Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department
- 111 E. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62756

In-Person Apostille Service: the Illinois Secretary of State's Index Department has two locations where you can submit documents for in-person (walk-in) service. Walk-in service often results in same-day processing.

In Springfield:
- Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department, 111 E. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62756
In Chicago:
- Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department, 17 N. State St., Suite 1030, Chicago, IL 60602

General Contact and Information:

Springfield Phone: (217) 782-7017
Chicago Phone: (312) 814-2067
General Apostille Website: cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/index/apostilles.html
Illinois Business Search (for certified copies and company data): The database for searching Illinois business entities is available through the Secretary of State's website here.

Apostille Verification

The Illinois Secretary of State's office, which issues Apostilles in Illinois, does not to offer a direct, publicly accessible online verification tool similar to the one provided by New York.

To verify the authenticity of an Apostille or Certificate of Authentication issued by the Illinois Secretary of State's Index Department, you would generally need to:

Contact the Office Directly: You would typically need to reach out to the Illinois Secretary of State's Index Department (the office that issues the Apostille) via phone or mail and provide the document's details (such as the document number, date of issue, etc.) for them to confirm its validity against their records.
- Springfield Office Phone: (217) 782-7017
- Chicago Office Phone: (312) 814-2067