Massachusetts Apostillé Services
Certified Corporate Documents & Good Standing

An apostillé issued issued by the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC), Commissions Section, certifies the authenticity of public documents so they can be recognized abroad in countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. For countries that are not members of the Convention, the SOC issues a standard Certification (sometimes referred to as Legalization).

 

Crucial Note for Massachusetts: the Massachusetts apostillé process is typically streamlined and does not require the intermediate, mandatory step of county-level certification (County Clerk authentication) that is often required in New York. The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth will directly authenticate the original signature of any of the following valid Massachusetts officials:

• Massachusetts Notary Public

• Justice of the Peace

• City or Town Clerk (or Assistant Clerk)

• Court Clerk (or Assistant Clerk)

• State Registrar of Vital Records

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Processing Time: Regular processing is 2 to 3 weeks. 

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​Corporate Records (Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Organization, Certificate of Status):

 

• Formation/Status Documents: Documents like a Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Organization, or Certificate of Good Standing must be obtained as a certified copy from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division. The SOC will then authenticate their own Deputy Secretary’s signature directly.

• Other Corporate Documents (Minutes of Meetings, Bylaws, Corporate Resolutions, etc.): These documents must be notarized by a Massachusetts Notary Public. No additional County Clerk step is required before submitting to the SOC.

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Real Property Deed or Records:

• Property records and deeds must be presented as a certified copy bearing the original, official signature of the local City/Town Clerk or the appropriate Court Clerk.

• The SOC will directly authenticate the signature of that issuing official.

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Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates, Divorce Decrees):

 

• Vital records (Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates) must be certified copies bearing the original signature of the State Registrar of Vital Records or the City/Town Clerk where the event was recorded.

• Crucially, unlike New York, there is no mandatory intermediate step for authentication by a County Clerk, nor is a "Letter of Exemplification" required for these state or local-issued certified records.

Academic / Notarized Documents (Diplomas, Transcripts):

• Academic documents (Diplomas, Transcripts) must be certified by a specific process:

  1. The school Registrar (or other authorized school official) must first certify the record's authenticity.

  2. The Registrar must then sign this certification in the presence of a Massachusetts Notary Public.

  3. The Notary Public completes a proper notarial certificate (Jurat or Acknowledgment) to notarize the Registrar’s signature.

• The notarized document is then submitted directly to the SOC. 

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Power of attorney, Affidavits. In order to obtain an apostillé the Power of Attorney or Affidavit must be properly notarized by a Massachusetts Notary Public.

• The Notary Public must complete a proper notarial certificate, such as a Jurat (for affidavits/sworn statements) or a Certificate of Acknowledgment (for Powers of Attorney), ensuring all details (date, commission expiration, seal) are clear.

• No authentication by a County Clerk is required; the document is submitted directly to the SOC for authentication of the Notary's signature.

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Divorce judgements, probate records, and other court documents must be obtained as a certified copy bearing the original signature and seal of the Clerk of the Court (or Assistant Clerk). The SOC will directly authenticate the signature of the Court Clerk. No County Clerk certification is required.