Frequently Asked Questions:
Tennessee Apostille and Authentication Services
General Questions
- What is a Tennessee Apostille Stamp and why would I need one?
- How can I obtain an Apostille Stamp to certify a document in Tennessee for use abroad?
- How do I legalize documents issued in Tennessee for submission to countries that are not members of the Apostille Convention?
- How long does it take to obtain an apostille from Tennessee?
- How can I verify the authenticity of Tennessee apostilles?
- What documents can be certified in Tennessee with an Apostille Stamp?
- Will an apostille stamp from Tennessee be accepted abroad?
- Where can I find more information about certifying Tennessee documents?
- Where can I see reviews of Isarey's Tennessee Attestation and Apostille Services?
Birth, death and marriage certificates
- How can I obtain an apostille on a vital record certificate issued in Tennessee?
- How can I obtain a new certified copy of a Tennessee birth, death or marriage certificate suitable for an Apostille?
Corporate documents
Academic documents
Notarized documents
Answers
What is a Tennessee Apostille Stamp and why would I need one?
A Tennessee Apostille is a certificate that is affixed by the Tennessee Secretary of State to a public document. It certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized Tennessee public official and confirms the capacity of that official (e.g. State Registrar, notary public).
Apostille stamps are often required when submitting a Tennessee document, such as a birth certificate, to the authorities of a foreign country or to a foreign embassy in the United States (for example, as part of a visa or citizenship application). Apostilles are recognised by the authorities and embassies of countries that are members of the 
Hague Apostille Convention
For more information on Apostilles, see:
How can I obtain an Apostille Stamp to certify a document in Tennessee for use abroad?
Apostille Stamps to authenticate Tennessee documents can be obtained from the Secretary of State. Apostille stamps are only valid for documents that are required for submission to countries that are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention
How do I legalize documents issued in Tennessee for submission to countries that are not members of the Apostille Convention?
Tennessee documents that need to be authenticated for non-apostille countries (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar) must be authenticated by the Tennessee Secretary of State with an Authentication Certificate and then attested by the recipient country's embassy in the United States. Most embassies will also require an additional authentication the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC.
How long does it take to obtain an apostille from Tennessee?
Tennessee Apostilles are normally processed in 2 - 4 business days
An expedited one-day service is available for urgent cases.
How can I verify the authenticity of Tennessee apostilles?
Tennessee Apostille Stamps and Authentication Certificates can be verified online: Verify a Tennnessee Apostille
What documents can be certified in Tennessee with an Apostille Stamp?
Documents signed by Tennessee officials and notaries public can be certified in Tennessee for official use outside the United States, including vital record certificates (e.g. birth, death, marriage certificates), state police background checks, educational certificates, university diplomas and notarized private documents (e.g. power of attorney).
Documents signed by Federal officials including FBI Background Checks must be submitted directly to the Authentication Division of the U.S. Department of State.
To confirm whether your Tennessee document is valid for an Apostille Stamp, please Contact us for a free document check.
Will an apostille stamp from Tennessee be accepted abroad?
If documents are required for submission to the authorities or consulate of a signatory country of the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille stamp affixed by the Secretary of State of Tennessee will generally be recognized directly as confirming authenticity, although a certified translation may also be required if presenting to a country that does not have English as an official language.
If documents are required for presentation in a country that is not a signatory to the apostille convention (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Taiwan, Vietnam), then an apostille stamp is not valid. Documents will need to be authenticated at State level in Tennessee, then by the State Department Authentication Division, and finally by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in the United States. A Certified Translation may also be required.
Where can I find more information about certifying Tennessee documents?
For further information about Tennessee apostilles and authentications or to obtain a quote for assistance submitting your documents, with free eligibility pre-check, international collection and delivery by courier, please Contact us or send us your documents using our Online Quotation Form.
Where can I see reviews of Isarey's Tennessee Attestation and Apostille Services?
You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:
How can I obtain an apostille on a vital record certificate issued in Tennessee?
Apostille stamps for birth, death and marriage certificates issued in Tennessee can be obtained from the Secretary of State in Nashville.
Certificates must be issued by the Tennessee State Registrar.
For further information about obtaining apostille stamps on Tennessee vital records, see:
Apostille Tennessee Vital Records
How can I obtain a new certified copy of a Tennessee birth, death or marriage certificate suitable for an Apostille?
Certified copies of Tennessee vital records can be obtained from: Tennessee Office of Vital Records
Certificates may also be ordered online through VitalChek VitalChek - order Tennessee Vital Records online
How can I get an Apostille on a Tennessee Certificate of Good Standing?
A Tennessee Certificate of Existence (Good Standing), certifying that a Tennessee entity is active and in good standing, can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Tennessee Secretary of State.
How can I authenticate Tennessee university degree certificates for use abroad?
To obtain an Apostille Stamp on an original Tennessee university or high school diploma, the signature of the school or university official must be certified by a Tennessee notary
The notary's signature must then be authenticated by the County Clerk of the county where the notary is commissioned. Once certified by the County Clerk, the diploma can be submitted to the Tennessee Secretary of State for an Apostille Stamp.
Tennessee university degree certificates, course transcripts and high school diplomas can also be authenticated as notarized copies. A true copy is certified by a notary (this can often be done from a scan without having to submit the original) and then authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Washington DC Secretary of State. Authenticated documents can also be attested by the embassies of Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.
For further information, see:
University Degrees and School Records
How can I authenticate notarized documents in Tennessee for use abroad?
Documents notarized in Tennessee must be certified by the County Clerk in the county where the notary is commissioned before being submitted to the Tennessee Secretary of State for an Apostille Stamp.
How can I get a quote to certify my documents?
To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:
If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.
Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files and provide us with the passwords separately:
PDF,
PERSONAL DATA: If your documents contain personal data belonging to people outside your household, please ensure that you are authorised to share this data before uploading your documents. If your documents contain sensitive personal data, such as biometric data, medical data or data on criminal convictions, please ensure that you indicate this when prompted, upon submitting your documents. For further information on our processing of personal data contained in uploaded documents, please see:
Privacy Policy (Customer Inquiries)
For further information on confidentiality in our handling of document content please see:
Confidentiality (Client Content)