New Overnight Delivery Policy

Telephone: 919-807-2140

E-mail: authen@sosnc.com

Click here for: Customer guideline for authentications

The Authentication Office of the NC Department of the Secretary of State is responsible for providing authentication services on North Carolina documents that will be used in foreign countries. The NC Authentication Office issues apostilles, authentications and certificates for a variety of NC documents, including: birth certificates, marriage certificates, statements of marital status, articles of incorporation, corporate bylaws, certificates of merger, powers of attorney, patent applications, trademarks, diplomas, school transcripts, deeds, and assignments of interest.

• Apostille - An "apostille" is a form of authentication issued to documents for use in countries that participate in the 1961 Hague Convention. A list of countries that accept apostilles is provided by the Hague Conference on International Law and is available here.
• Authentication or Certification - If the country of intended use does not participate in the Hague Convention, documents being sent to that country can be "authenticated" or "certified".

For more information on obtaining a Certification for Apostille or Authentication, click here.