{"stateName":"Washington","slug":"washington","summary":"Prepare the right Washington record, complete the official request, calculate the fees, choose delivery and verify the result. This free DIY guide distinguishes vital, court, school, business and private documents and keeps unresolved official-source discrepancies visible.","commonDocuments":"Certified birth/death and marriage records; single-status letters; court and divorce records; public/private school records; filed business records; private notarized documents; Washington State Patrol checks.","timing":"Checked 2026-10-24: SOS estimates 7-10 business days standard and 2-3 expedited after receipt; same-day counter service has hours, cutoffs and volume limits. Record procurement, corrections and travel/shipping are additional.","caveat":"Before mailing an ordinary apostille request by USPS, resolve conflicting official PO boxes (40228 on the current form; 40234 on the contact page). Washington\u2019s e-Apostille pilot ended September 30, 2025; current electronic issuance is unconfirmed. Recipient and bilateral applicability checks remain necessary.","officialResourceName":"Washington Secretary of State: Apostille resource page","officialResourceUrl":"https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/apostilles-services-information-resource-page","micrositeUrl":null,"lawResourceName":"WAC 434-112-110: eligible records","lawResourceUrl":"https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=434-112-110","secondaryLawResourceName":"RCW 43.07.032: signature certification limits","secondaryLawResourceUrl":"https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=43.07.032","legalNotes":["HCCH-01 | Apostille Convention text | treaty | checked 2026-10-24 | concluded 1961-10-05; publication date unknown | Arts. 1-3, PDF p. 1; Arts. 4-7, PDF p. 2; Arts. 12-13, PDF p. 3 | https://assets.hcch.net/docs/b12ad529-5f75-411b-b523-8eebe86613c0.pdf","HCCH-02 | Apostille Convention status table | HCCH treaty-status dataset | checked 2026-10-24 | revision 2026-06-30 | EIF, Type/objections, EXT and Res/D/N columns; explanatory notes | https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41","HCCH-03 | Apostille Handbook, second edition | HCCH explanatory handbook | checked 2026-10-24 | second edition; copyright 2023; revision date unknown | Paras. 186-187, printed p. 65 / PDF p. 66 (translations); paras. 189-192, printed p. 69 / PDF p. 70 (agents) | https://assets.hcch.net/docs/a19ae90b-27bf-4596-b5ee-0140858abeaa.pdf","HCCH-04 | Implementation Chart of the e-APP | HCCH authority-reported implementation record | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | PDF p. 11, Washington row; PDF p. 1 reporting caveat | https://assets.hcch.net/docs/e8e7549d-e34a-452f-9fa3-cf2241aa4197.pdf","HCCH-05 | United States competent authorities | HCCH designated-authority directory | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Federal authorities and state authorities categories; use the appropriate issuer-specific authority | https://www.hcch.net/en/states/authorities/details3/?aid=353","WA-01 | Apostilles Services \u0026 Information Resource Page | Washington Secretary of State guidance | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Required Documents; properly notarized documents; school categories; WSP checks; return-mail note; universal certificate; Law Changes and Service Revisions | https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/apostilles-services-information-resource-page","WA-02 | Apostille Frequently Asked Questions | Washington Secretary of State guidance | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Vital-record, marriage, single-status, public-school, college and business-record questions | https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/apostilles-program/apostille-frequently-asked-questions","WA-03 | Apostille Authentication Request | Washington Secretary of State form | checked 2026-10-24 | revision 2025-06 | PDF p. 1, requester/destination/payment fields, USPS address and commercial-overnight link | https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06/6.2025%20-%20Apostilles%20request%20form.pdf","WA-04 | Contact Us | Washington Secretary of State office instructions | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Apostille service; Tumwater and Cheney office hours/cutoffs; mailing and overnight addresses; dated closures | https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/contact-us","WA-05 | Fee Schedules \u0026 Priority Services | Washington Secretary of State fees | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Payments; Apostilles; Priority Fees; Certificates \u0026 Records | https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/fee-schedules-priority-services","WA-06 | Certificates \u0026 Certified Copies | Washington Secretary of State record-order instructions | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Apostille record requests; request form, email and mail ordering; certified copies versus certificates | https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/certificates-certified-copies","WA-07 | Business Records Request | Washington Secretary of State form | checked 2026-10-24 | revision 2025-06 | PDF p. 1, fees per item, expedite per UBI, apostille/country boxes, delivery exception and PO Box 40234 | https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06/6.2025%20CORPS%20Records%20Request.pdf","WA-08 | Apostille and Certificate Authenticity Search | Washington Secretary of State verification entry point | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Required Date Printed (MM-DD-YYYY) and Document Number fields; no actual certificate lookup performed | https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/apostilles-program/apostille-and-certificate-authenticity-search","WA-09 | WAC 434-112-110 | Washington administrative rule | checked 2026-10-24 | effective 2023-10-01 | Eligible Washington officials and notaries; exclusions for other jurisdictions, federal/military documents and recorded substitutes | https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=434-112-110","WA-10 | RCW 42.45.130 | Washington statute | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Certificate requirements; subsection (7) tangible/electronic attachment | https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=42.45.130","WA-11 | RCW 42.45.030 | Washington statute | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Subsections (1)-(4), acknowledgments, oaths, witnessing and copy comparison | https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=42.45.030","WA-12 | RCW 43.07.032 | Washington statute | checked 2026-10-24 | effective 2026-06-11 | Subsections (1)-(3), especially (3)(d); history identifies 2026 c 80 s 8 | https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=43.07.032","WA-13 | Chapter 80, Laws of 2026, SHB 2248 | Washington enacted session law | checked 2026-10-24 | effective 2026-06-11; filed 2026-03-18; approved 2026-03-17; publication date unknown | PDF p. 1, effective-date certification; section 8, printed pp. 8-9 / PDF pp. 9-10 | https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/House/2248-S.SL.pdf?cite=2026\u002Bc\u002B80\u002Bs\u002B8","WA-14 | Order a birth certificate | Public Health Seattle \u0026 King County | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Eligibility/required documents; mail, online and in-person ordering; base and method-specific fees | https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/certificates-permits-licenses/order-birth-certificate","WA-15 | Copy requests | King County Recorder | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Certified versus unofficial copies; marriage records; ordering and fees | https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/executive-services/certificates-permits-licenses/records-licensing/recorders-office/copy-requests","WA-16 | Records access | King County Superior Court Clerk | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | KC Script Portal and in-person ordering; certified copy fees; restricted records and processing estimates | https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dja/courts-jails-legal-system/case-records/records-access","WA-17 | Apostille | University of Washington Registrar | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | Diploma Certification Request; original/copy submission; registrar certification and subsequent SOS request | https://registrar.washington.edu/diplomas/apostille/","WA-18 | Criminal history | Washington State Patrol | checked 2026-10-24 | publication/revision/effective date not established | WATCH; notarized letter option; mail name/fingerprint requests; fees; Request for Modification of Record | https://wsp.wa.gov/crime/criminal-history/","WA-19 | Apostilles | Washington Department of Health | retrieval attempted 2026-10-24; failed 403; no successful factual check | publication/revision/effective date not established | Full page unavailable; no claim verified from search snippets | https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/vital-records/apostilles","WA-20 | Birth record ordering | Washington Department of Health | retrieval attempted 2026-10-24; failed 403; no successful factual check | publication/revision/effective date not established | Full page unavailable; no statewide procurement fee/forwarding claim verified | https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/vital-records/ordering-vital-record/birth-record","WA-21 | Certifying or attesting a copy | Washington Department of Licensing notary guide | retrieval attempted 2026-10-24; failed 403; no successful factual check | publication/revision/effective date not established | Full page unavailable; statutes used for supported copy/act rules | https://dol.wa.gov/guides/washington-state-notary-public-guide/specific-notarial-acts/certifying-or-attesting-copy","WA-22 | Request for Conviction Criminal History Record | Washington State Patrol form | checked 2026-10-24 | revision 2026-04 (R 4/26); publication date unknown | PDF p. 1, fees, subject/requester details, mailing address, return channels and notarized-letter exception | https://wsp.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Request_for_Conviction_Criminal_History_Record-1.pdf"],"misconceptionTitle":"A Washington notary cannot turn every copy into an eligible Washington public record","misconceptionIntro":"The source of the official record, the exact notarial act and the recipient\u2019s requirements each matter.","misconceptionNotes":["Current RCW 43.07.032(3)(d) excludes individually created substitutes for records that should or can be issued as certified city/county/state copies. [WA-12; WA-13.]","Public-school, private-school and business-record procedures differ; do not apply one notarization rule to every category. [WA-01; WA-02; WA-06.]","An e-register or online PDF purchase does not prove that current e-Apostille issuance is available. [HCCH-04; WA-07.]"],"whatWeKnow":["Understand what the certificate proves \u2014 An apostille authenticates the official signature, signer\u2019s capacity and relevant seal or stamp; it does not certify that the underlying statements are true. The Convention covers defined public documents and excludes diplomatic/consular documents and administrative documents directly concerning commercial or customs operations. Ask the recipient which record, certification, original/copy, age and translation it needs before paying. [HCCH-01: Arts. 1, 3 and 5.]","Check the United States and destination relationship \u2014 Use the current HCCH status table, including entry into force, objections and territorial extensions. A country appearing in the table does not alone establish that the Convention applies to your transaction. Where it applies, the apostille replaces the covered legalization formality; it does not waive substantive recipient requirements. Washington\u2019s combined certificate also serves authentication cases; outside the Convention, follow the destination\u2019s additional legalization instructions. Do not assume an apostille plus arbitrary embassy stamps is always required. [HCCH-02: EIF, objections and EXT columns; HCCH-01: Arts. 2-3, 12-13; WA-01: universal certificate.]","Sort records by the actual issuer \u2014 Washington\u2019s rule covers eligible Washington official documents and Washington notarial acts. It excludes other-state, territorial, foreign, federal and military-issued documents and out-of-state notarizations. Recording an excluded document with a Washington county does not cure the exclusion. An FBI report is a federal record; a federal court record has a different designated authority from a state court record. Consult HCCH\u2019s U.S. authority directory instead of sending every federal document to one office. [WA-09: eligible records and exclusions; HCCH-05: federal/state authority categories.]","Do not replace a certified public record with your own declaration \u2014 Current RCW 43.07.032(3)(d) bars SOS certification of a notary signature on an individually created document that should or can be issued as a certified city, county or state copy. The amendment took effect June 11, 2026. The same statute excludes certain allegiance, renunciation and immunity-claim documents. Obtain the proper custodian\u2019s certification; a personal \u201Ctrue copy\u201D statement is not a general workaround. SOS\u2019s resource-page law summary still discusses the 2016 exclusions without the new subsection; this guide uses the current statute and enacted law. [WA-12: subsection (3); WA-13: PDF p. 1 and section 8, PDF pp. 9-10.]","Birth and death records \u2014 Use an original unaltered or certified Washington vital record. A record issued by another state needs that state\u2019s apostille route. Order from the responsible vital-record custodian, observing its eligibility and identification requirements; an informational copy, hospital souvenir or ordinary photocopy is not interchangeable with a certified record. The DOH ordering pages could not be retrieved in this review, so their current fees, forwarding arrangements and processing times are not certified here. The county example below provides a directly checked birth-order route. [WA-02: vital-record questions; WA-19 and WA-20: failed retrievals.]","Worked birth-order route: King County \u2014 King County can issue certified Washington births from 1907 onward. Its page links the application and explains eligible relationships, proof of identity/eligibility and the record details to provide. The base certificate fee is $25; mail adds a $4 handling charge, and the in-person kiosk total is $28.50. Online service and shipping charges differ. At the time checked, in-person service is at 201 S Jackson Street, Suite 220, Seattle, with weekday hours and a later first-Wednesday opening listed on the ordering page. Choose an eligible ordering channel, obtain the certified record, then submit it with the separate SOS request and apostille fee. These county charges are not a universal state-office quote. [WA-14: eligibility, order methods and fees.]","Marriage, single-status and divorce are different records \u2014 For a Washington marriage certificate, obtain the certified record from the issuing county auditor or the Center for Vital Statistics. SOS directs single-status letters to Vital Statistics in Tumwater and says a divorced requester should request the period since divorce. A divorce decree comes from the court clerk. Ask which of these the recipient requires rather than substitute one for another. King County\u2019s Recorder offers certified recorded/marriage copies by its stated ordering channels; select a certified copy instead of an unofficial download. Its fee is $3 for the first page and $1 for each additional page. [WA-02: marriage and single-status questions; WA-15: copy types and fees.]","Court records: obtain the clerk\u2019s certified output \u2014 Request the divorce decree, adoption order, name-change order or other record from its court custodian. Access restrictions still apply. For King County Superior Court, use KC Script Portal or the clerk\u2019s in-person route; the page does not accept orders by telephone or email. Certified copies cost $5 for the first page and $1 per additional page; an exemplified copy is a distinct product. Example: a three-page certified order is $7, plus $15 for one ordinary SOS apostille, before transport or other charges. Confirm the exact certified output required before downloading or buying an exemplification; do not print an unofficial case image and label it certified. [WA-16: records ordering, restrictions and certified-copy fees; WA-09: court records; WA-03: apostille fee.]","Washington public-school and college records \u2014 For a Washington public-school transcript, obtain the official record with the original/official stamp and an authorized school representative\u2019s signature. SOS accepts the public-school official\u2019s signature without notarization; an unsigned routine transcript needs the required signature. For a public-school diploma, use the original or a school-authority-certified signed copy. College/university transcripts need the registrar, associate registrar or interim registrar\u2019s signature; original degrees are signed by the president, and both transcripts and diplomas need the school seal. Tell the registrar the recipient\u2019s requirements before buying a routine electronic transcript. [WA-01: public-school and college/university requirements; WA-02: school questions.]","Worked university diploma route \u2014 University of Washington\u2019s Registrar offers a Diploma Certification Request: supply the diploma copy through its linked request process or follow its original/copy submission instructions. The registrar checks and certifies the document with its stamp and signature, then returns it; you subsequently request the state apostille. If you need a replacement diploma, UW lists a separate $20 replacement fee. A student\u2019s notarized statement about an unofficial copy does not perform the registrar\u2019s certification. This example is UW-specific; another university may have a different procurement or forwarding process. [WA-17: Diploma Certification Request and apostille steps.]","Private-school and out-of-state school cautions \u2014 SOS requires a private-school principal, vice principal or other verifiable authorized signer, plus Washington notarization. Its resource page also describes possible Washington-notarized copies of out-of-state school records. Do not treat that language as permission to relabel another state\u2019s public record: the current rule and 2026 statute restrict out-of-jurisdiction records and self-created substitutes for certified public records. For such a school-copy case, have SOS identify the eligible notarial act and confirm recipient acceptance before paying; the issuing jurisdiction\u2019s official route may be required. [WA-01: private/out-of-state school sections; WA-09: exclusions; WA-12: subsection (3)(d).]","Company records need a joint record-and-apostille order \u2014 Use the Business Records Request for a Washington filed certificate or certified business record needing an apostille. Order both together; this is not the normal online certificate purchase route. The certificates page provides mail and records-desk email instructions; when emailing the request, do not include payment details. Use the business name/UBI and identify each requested record and destination country. An ordinary emailed PDF certificate is not thereby an electronic apostille. Previously issued company documents may need a new joint order. [WA-06: apostille request instructions; WA-07: PDF p. 1; WA-02: business-record question.]","Company fees use a different expedite unit \u2014 The June 2025 Business Records Request lists $20 per certified copy or certificate plus $15 per apostille. Its expedite fee is $100 per UBI number, not per ten documents. For one standard certificate of existence and one apostille, the form calculation is $35; expedited for one UBI it is $135, before shipping. Complete the form\u2019s record selections, apostille boxes and country fields. Mail instructions on this form use PO Box 40234, Olympia, WA 98504-0234. It excludes certified copies and apostilled documents from its ordinary PDF-email delivery. Confirm large or unusual copy orders with records staff rather than extrapolate this simple example. [WA-07: PDF p. 1, fees, delivery and address; WA-06: request instructions.]","Private signatures need the correct complete notarial act \u2014 For an affidavit, consent or power of attorney, establish the required act with the document author or recipient before signing. An acknowledgment, oath/jurat and signature witnessing do different things. Washington law requires a proper certificate with the actual date, venue, officer\u2019s signature/title and required commission information. A stamp alone is insufficient. For permitted copy attestation the notary determines the copy\u2019s completeness and accuracy by comparison; that does not override public-record restrictions. Compare a bank, employer, local or mobile notary\u2019s availability and fees if you need a simple wet-ink act. [WA-10: certificate requirements; WA-11: subsections (1)-(4); WA-12: subsection (3)(d). Local shopping is practical guidance.]","Resolve certificate attachment before changing anything \u2014 RCW 42.45.130(7) requires a paper notarial certificate to be part of or securely attached to its record. SOS\u2019s resource page separately says an attached certificate must not be stapled. These instructions leave the acceptable secure attachment method unclear; they do not authorize a loose unrelated certificate or self-alteration of a completed act. Ask the notary and SOS how to submit the specific package. Keep completed records and any issued apostille together; do not detach or replace pages yourself. [WA-10: subsection (7); WA-01: properly notarized documents; HCCH-01: Art. 4.]","State background check versus FBI check \u2014 Establish which check the recipient requires. WSP\u2019s WATCH search costs $11 with an optional $15 notarized letter. For mail, use the linked Request for Conviction Criminal History Record: $32 name/date-of-birth search or $58 fingerprint search, plus $15 per notary letter. Include the form\u2019s subject/requester details and, for the fingerprint route, a complete fingerprint card. Mail to Washington State Patrol, Identification and Background Check Section, PO Box 42633, Olympia, WA 98504-2633. The April 2026 form estimates 7-14 business days for mailed response and says notarized letters are mailed even where portal results are otherwise available. Pay WSP separately from SOS; follow WSP\u2019s check, money order or Bankcard Authorization instructions. SOS requires the notarized WSP clearance and, for fingerprint checks, the original fingerprint card. Substantive errors belong with WSP; an FBI report follows the federal route. [WA-18: WATCH, mail and modification; WA-22: PDF p. 1; WA-01: background checks; HCCH-05: competent authorities.]","Complete the ordinary apostille request \u2014 Use the linked June 2025 Apostille Authentication Request for ordinary non-company orders. Enter the destination country, applicant and return address, required email and telephone, document count and payment calculation. Include the original appropriately certified/notarized records. The form accepts check or money order payable to Secretary of State; make payment in U.S. dollars. The general fee page lists additional counter payment methods, but the mail form does not supply a card authorization block. Do not send card credentials in ordinary email or assume cash is appropriate in a mailed packet. [WA-03: PDF p. 1, fields and payment; WA-05: payment methods.]","Calculate ordinary fees and processing time \u2014 Ordinary apostilles cost $15 per document, not per page. Standard processing is estimated at 7-10 business days after receipt, subject to volume. Expedite adds $100 per block of ten documents and is estimated at 2-3 business days. Same-day counter service adds $150 for the first ten and another $100 for each further ten; office limits apply. Two ordinary documents therefore cost $30 standard, $130 expedited or $180 same-day, excluding procurement, notarization, translations and transport. Payments are nonrefundable under the fee-page policy. These are processing estimates, not door-to-door guarantees. [WA-05: Apostilles and Priority Fees; WA-03: PDF p. 1.]","Resolve the USPS address discrepancy or choose the listed courier route \u2014 The current ordinary apostille form prints PO Box 40228, Olympia, WA 98504-0234; the current contact page labels PO Box 40234 as its mail-only address. This review cannot determine which ordinary-apostille PO box now controls. Call 360-725-0377, option 3, before buying a USPS label. The contact page gives commercial overnight delivery as 243 Israel Rd SE, Tumwater, WA 98501; use that only with the indicated delivery channel. Keep tracking, an inventory and the completed request. Cheney cannot receive mailed orders. [WA-03: PDF p. 1; WA-04: mailing, overnight and Cheney sections.]","Counter service and return logistics \u2014 Tumwater counter hours are Monday-Thursday 8am-4pm and Friday 8am-3pm; Cheney at 960 Washington St, Cheney, WA 99004 offers same-day service Monday-Wednesday/Friday 9am-3pm and is closed Thursday. Both stop accepting same-day requests thirty minutes before closing. Recheck holidays and current limits before travel. SOS normally returns by first-class mail; include a prepaid traceable return label/envelope for tracked or international return. Confirm the carrier\u2019s billing and foreign address, allow for the finished packet\u2019s weight, and retain its tracking. Buying a fast inbound label does not buy state expedite. [WA-04: hours, cutoff and closures; WA-01: return-mail note. Label planning is practical guidance.]","Electronic issuance: the Washington pilot ended \u2014 HCCH\u2019s current implementation chart records Washington\u2019s e-Apostille pilot from February 12, 2024 to September 30, 2025, and says those pilot-issued e-Apostilles were legitimate. It also lists an e-register. That historical issuance does not establish a currently open electronic order channel. This guide does not affirm current e-Apostille availability; confirm with SOS if electronic output is essential. Online verification, an emailed company certificate, a scan-back and a true digitally signed e-Apostille are different things. Keep the original electronic file if one was validly issued; a printout or scan does not preserve every electronic verification feature. [HCCH-04: PDF p. 11, Washington row; WA-07: PDF p. 1 delivery exception.]","Verify the issued certificate \u2014 The official Washington authenticity search asks for Date Printed in MM-DD-YYYY format and Document Number. Enter the identifiers from the certificate and compare the result with the issued particulars. This review inspected the entry form; it did not query a real certificate. If the search is unavailable or finds no match, ask the issuing office to verify its register using the number and date. A failed lookup alone is not proof of forgery. Verification of origin does not resolve the recipient\u2019s document-content requirements. [WA-08: required fields; HCCH-01: Arts. 5 and 7.]","Plan translations with the receiving institution \u2014 Ask whether the recipient wants a translator\u2019s certification, sworn translation, translation of the apostille itself, and a particular preparation order. HCCH distinguishes a private translation from a translator\u2019s sworn/notarial declaration that can constitute a public act. An apostille on that act authenticates its origin, not translation accuracy. Record the recipient\u2019s answer before purchasing translation or notarization; do not assume one notarization certifies every language version. [HCCH-03: paras. 186-187, printed p. 65 / PDF p. 66.]","Recover from rejection without repeating the defect \u2014 Keep the rejection explanation and identify the failing layer: wrong issuer, unofficial copy, incomplete notarial act, missing form/payment, or recipient requirement. Obtain a replacement certified record from its custodian; take a defective notarial act back to the notary for the appropriate lawful correction or new act. Ask SOS whether the corrected packet needs a new payment and how to identify the prior order; no free resubmission policy was verified. Never edit another person\u2019s certificate or detach an apostille to substitute a page. This recovery sequence is practical guidance derived from the separate eligibility, certification and fee rules. [WA-09; WA-10; WA-12; WA-05.]","Use this guide yourself and check dated changes \u2014 You can use the official forms and issuer links without hiring Notary Geek. An agent can assist with agreed logistics but does not issue the state certificate. This guide\u2019s first source review is October 24, 2026. Material dated facts include the June 2026 public-record-substitute restriction and the September 2025 end of Washington\u2019s electronic pilot; neither date is our publication date. The source list separately identifies dated forms and checks. Unresolved source conflicts below remain open, and a retrieval failure does not establish a source update. [HCCH-03: paras. 189-192, printed p. 69 / PDF p. 70; WA-13; HCCH-04.]"],"whatMustBeConfirmed":["Ordinary USPS apostille address: current form PO Box 40228 versus contact-page PO Box 40234. Confirm with SOS before mailing; business-record form separately specifies 40234. [WA-03; WA-04; WA-07.]","Attachment method: how to meet the statute\u2019s secure attachment requirement while following SOS\u2019s no-staple guidance for a separate notarial certificate. Do not detach an already completed packet. [WA-10(7); WA-01.]","Out-of-state school copy: whether the precise notarial/copy route remains eligible under WAC 434-112-110 and the 2026 public-record-substitute restriction, and whether the recipient accepts it. [WA-01; WA-09; WA-12.]","DOH direct ordering: current state-office vital-record eligibility, fees, processing, forwarding and single-status order form. DOH pages returned 403; county birth guidance is verified separately. [WA-19; WA-20; WA-14.]","Current electronic output: whether SOS resumed a production e-Apostille channel after the pilot ended September 30, 2025, and its eligible input/output process. [HCCH-04.]","International return: exact carrier label/account, direct-recipient delivery, customs information and current office acceptance for the chosen carrier. No shipment or paid order was exercised. [WA-01; WA-04.]","Case-specific recipient requirements: underlying record, original/copy, recent issuance, translation, delivery and bilateral/territorial applicability. [HCCH-01; HCCH-02; HCCH-03.]","Corrections and resubmission: whether a replacement or further fee is required for your rejected order; no uniform free-retry policy established. [WA-05; WA-09.]"],"sourceConfidence":"High for cited paper-document categories, current statutory restrictions, inspected forms, published fees and office instructions checked 2026-10-24; partial for conflicting USPS/attachment instructions, out-of-state school-copy exception, direct DOH procurement and current e-Apostille availability. No agency transaction, live certificate lookup, shipment or recipient acceptance test performed.","lastReviewed":"2026-10-24","contentUpdateUrl":"/request.html","canIssueEApostille":null,"eApostilleCapabilityNote":"HCCH lists Washington\u2019s February 12, 2024\u2013September 30, 2025 pilot and recognizes its issued e-Apostilles as legitimate. A currently available post-pilot issuance channel was not established; null means unconfirmed, not a denial of past valid issuance. [HCCH-04: PDF p. 11.]","apostillePhysicalSecurityLevel":null,"apostillePhysicalSecurityFeatures":"No current specimen security-paper, embossing or anti-fraud feature examination was performed.","apostillePhysicalSecurityNote":"Preserve the issued apostille and underlying document as one packet. Resolve the separate-notarial-certificate attachment method with SOS before submission; do not self-alter or detach completed records. [HCCH-01: Art. 4; WA-10(7); WA-01.]","targetedLawReviewDate":"2026-10-24","targetedLawReviewScope":"WAC 434-112-110 eligibility and exclusions; RCW 42.45.030 and .130 notarial act/certificate requirements; RCW 43.07.032(3) certification exclusions and enacted 2026 c 80 s 8 effective June 11, 2026. This targeted review is not comprehensive Washington law coverage."}