Skip to content
Back to Top

Office of Lt. GovernorNancy Dahlstrom

You are here: Home / Foreign Authentications Apostilles and Certificates of Authority

Foreign Authentications Apostilles and Certificates of Authority

If you plan to visit our Juneau office in person for Authentication or Apostille services, please call and schedule an appointment prior to your visit. To schedule an appointment, contact our office at (907) 465-4081. For general inquiries about Lt. Governor’s office services, please call our front desk at (907) 465-3520. If you are traveling overseas, or sending documents for use in a foreign country, you may be required to have the documents certified by our office. Depending on the country requesting the certificate, that certification may be called an “Apostille” or a certificate of “Authentication”. An “apostille” or a certificate of “authentication” is issued to verify the signatures of an Alaska notary public, court clerk, or state document custodian on a document for use in a foreign country. These certifications have been adopted internationally by the Hague Convention(link is external) (PDF) as a uniform way of verifying documents sent between countries.

Examples of Documents that May Require an Authentication or Apostille:

  • Marriage and Divorce Certificates
  • Birth and Death Certificates
  • Letters of Eligibility of Marital Status
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Parental Permission Slips
  • Foreign Adoption Papers
  • Authorization to Conduct Business in Foreign Countries

Steps to Acquire Authentication or Apostille by Mail:

  1. Ensure all documents needing certification include original hard copies of the official signature. We CANNOT certify photocopies of official signatures.
  2. Fill out the order form and include with document.
  3. Choose shipping method. If you would like tracking information or expedited shipping on the return mailer, please include a prepaid mailer with your document. After processing, we will return your document in the mailer provided. Tracking information is the responsibility of the sender, and the Authentications/Apostille office WILL NOT have tracking information available. When a prepaid mailer is not included, documents are returned through First Class USPS mail (this DOES NOT include tracking information. For more information on shipping see shipping under Preparing Your Order. (All orders should be addressed to the PO Box with the exception of FedEx, which can be mailed to our physical address)
  4. Prepare payment for documents. The fee is $5.00 per document. We accept personal checks, money orders, cashier’s checks and credit cards using our Credit Card Payment Form.
  5. Before mailing, ensure all your documents, along with the order form, payment, and return mailer (if desired) are included. Orders are typically processed and mailed for return within 48 hours of being received by our office.

Steps to Acquire Authentication or Apostille by In-Person:

The Authentication and Apostille office is located in Juneau on the 3rd floor of the Capitol building. The Juneau office is the ONLY office capable of processing authentications and apostilles. If bringing documents to the Juneau office for authentication and apostille services, please call and schedule an appointment in advance. All documents must include hard copies of the signatures being authenticated, and payment method for the $5.00 fee per document.

More Information:

For detailed instructions on foreign authentications, apostilles, and certificates of Authority, please visit our Authentications & Apostilles Information Page, or refer to the ABCs of Apostilles PDF provided by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. For more questions or to verify documents prior to mailing, please contact contact the Authentications Office. If you would like to have a document verified prior to mailing, email the authentications office with the subject “Verify Document” and include the document type, and in the body of the email include the name of the foreign country the document will be used in and your contact information. Authentications shipping address (EXCEPT FEDEX): Office of the Lt. Governor P.O. Box 110015 Juneau, AK 99811-0001 Authentications physical address (FedEx Mailing Address): Office of the Lt. Governor Authentications Department 240 Main Street, Room 301 Juneau, AK 99801