Business Document Apostille in Ohio
Certificates of good standing, articles of incorporation, bylaws, board resolutions, and export paperwork — prepared, notarized where required, and submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State so your company documents are accepted abroad.
We work with businesses across Columbus, Delaware County, and Central Ohio, and handle mail-in files from companies anywhere in the United States.
Three routes, depending on who issued the document
Where your document starts
Corporate paperwork is not all handled the same way. The Ohio Secretary of State can only certify signatures and seals that belong to Ohio officials and Ohio notaries public, so the first question is always who signed the document and where it was issued
ROUTE A
Records the state already issued
Certificates of good standing, certified copies of articles of incorporation or organization, amendments, mergers, and trade name registrations come from the Ohio Secretary of State’s business division. They already carry an official signature and seal, so they go straight to apostille — no notarization needed
ROUTE B
Documents your company wrote
Bylaws, operating agreements, board resolutions, minutes, shareholder registers, distribution agreements, invoices, and letters of authorization are private documents. An officer signs in front of an Ohio notary public first; the apostille then certifies the notary’s commission.
ROUTE C
Federal paperwork
IRS Form 6166 tax residency letters, FDA certificates of free sale, and USDA export certificates carry federal signatures. Ohio cannot certify these. They go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. instead.
Business documents we apostille
Scope of work
If your document is not on this list, it is still worth asking. Most corporate paperwork can be made eligible with the right certified copy or notarial wording.
Formation & standing
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Certificate of good standing
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Certificate of full force and effect
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Articles of incorporation
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Articles of organization (LLC)
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Certificate of amendment or merger
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Trade name and fictitious name registrations
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Foreign qualification records
Trade & export
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Commercial invoices
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Certificates of origin
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Packing lists and bills of lading
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Distribution and agency agreements
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Free sale certificates
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Product registration paperwork
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Supplier and manufacturing declarations
Governance
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Corporate bylaws
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LLC operating agreements
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Board and shareholder resolutions
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Meeting minutes
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Incumbency certificates
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Stock and membership certificates
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Signature authority letters
Legal & financial
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Corporate power of attorney
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Affidavits signed by an officer
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Non-disclosure and service agreements
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Audited financial statements
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Bank reference and account letters
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Trademark and patent assignments
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Employment and secondment letters
Four steps from filing cabinet to foreign registry
How it runs
Each stage has to be finished before the next one can start, which is why a missing destination country or a photocopy instead of a certified copy adds days to a file.
1
This decides everything. It determines whether you receive an apostille or an authentication, and whether a consulate step follows.
Tell us the destination country
2
We review or obtain the document
We check eligibility, flag anything that will be rejected, and can order certified copies from the state when you do not already hold them.
3
Notarization where required
Company-created documents are signed by an officer before an Ohio notary. We offer evening, weekend, mobile, and remote online notarization.
4
Submission and return
We file with the Ohio Secretary of State, track the request, and return the completed set to you or ship it directly overseas.
Apostille or authentication?
Two certificates, two destinations
The Ohio Secretary of State issues two different certificates. Which one you need depends entirely on the country where the document will be filed — not on the document itself.
Apostille — Hague Convention countries
For countries that joined the 1961 Hague Convention, a single apostille certificate is enough. Once it is attached, the document is ready for use abroad with no further consular step. India, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Japan, Brazil, and most of Europe and Latin America fall into this group.
Authentication — non-member countries
Countries outside the convention receive a certification instead. That certificate usually then travels to the U.S. Department of State and finally to the destination country’s embassy or consulate for legalization. China, the UAE, Qatar, Vietnam, and Egypt commonly require this longer chain.​
An apostille confirms that a signature and seal are authentic. It does not verify or approve what the document says, and it cannot be used for documents that stay inside the United States.
Apostille pricing and turnaround
Service levels
Choose the level that fits your closing date, tender deadline, or registration window.
Standard Apostille
$50
Typical timeline: about 7 business days depending on document type and agency processing.
MOST CHOSEN
Priority apostille
$75
About 3 to 4 business days when the document is eligible and the state is current.
FASTEST
Expedited apostille
$125
Same-day or next-business-day handling when available for eligible documents.
Prices are per document and cover our preparation, review, and submission. The Ohio Secretary of State charges its own fee of $5 per apostille or authentication, and state-issued certified copies, notarization, shipping, and consular fees are billed separately. Multi-document orders for corporate filings are quoted on request.