Criminal Background Check Apostille in Maryland

Maryland Apostille Requirements

• Authority: Maryland Secretary of State
• Office Location: Annapolis
• State Fee: $5
• Important Rule: County clerk certification needed for notarized docs.

What Is a Criminal Background Check Apostille?

The Hague Apostille Convention replaced the old multi-step embassy legalization process that was required before the Convention. Before apostilles, getting an American document accepted overseas involved multiple rounds of authentication at different government levels followed by embassy stamps. The apostille replaced this with one standardized certificate from the appropriate government office. For Criminal Background Checks issued in Maryland, the designated office is the Maryland Secretary of State.

Criminal Background Checks are regularly among the highest-volume apostille requests. This is because Criminal Background Checks are routinely required for visa applications, residency permits, citizenship documentation, employment verification, and foreign legal proceedings. If you are in Maryland, the apostille for a Criminal Background Check must come from the Maryland Secretary of State.

An apostille is a type of government certification created under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Unlike a local notary stamp, an apostille is valid in over 120 countries worldwide — meaning your Criminal Background Check is valid for submission to foreign embassies, government offices, and employers. For residents of Maryland, obtaining this certification means submitting your document to the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis.

Maryland: State vs Federal Authority

For state-issued Criminal Background Checks, the apostille can only be issued by the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis. Before submission, the document must carry an original official seal or notarization. The Maryland Secretary of State verifies the document's origin and seal and issues the Hague certificate within 1 to 4 weeks depending on current volume.

The most common apostille mistake is sending your Criminal Background Check to the incorrect government authority. For example, if you mail a Criminal Background Check issued in Maryland to Washington D.C., the federal office will refuse to process it. In reverse, sending an FBI Background Check to the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis will also come back unprocessed. Either way, the round-trip postal time adds 2 to 4 weeks to your timeline.

If you have a deadline, same-day processing is offered by our courier service. The Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis provide same-day service for in-person deliveries. Our courier uses these expedited tracks by physically appearing at the office, bypassing the mail queue entirely.

Why Local Offices Cannot Help

First-time applicants in Maryland mistakenly believe they can obtain Hague legalization at a local UPS Store or notary. Unfortunately, this is not how it works. A local notary can only witness signatures and verify identity. They are not permitted to attach an apostille certificate — that authority belongs exclusively to.

Something else to consider is that the receiving country will verify that the apostille came from the correct authority. If the apostille comes from an unauthorized office, your documents will be rejected at the destination. This may delay your entire application even if everything else in your application is correct.

Beyond notaries, local government offices in Maryland in MD also cannot issue apostilles. Even visiting the Maryland city hall, county courthouse, or register of deeds will not produce a Hague certificate. The sole authority in Maryland that can attach the Hague certificate for state documents is the Maryland Secretary of State.

The Maryland Apostille Authority

There is sometimes a step before apostille submission: some documents require prior notarization. Diplomas, powers of attorney, and affidavits typically require notarization as a first step. We identifies whether any notarization is needed before starting the submission so your submission is accepted on the first attempt.

When apostilling a Criminal Background Check from Maryland, the correct office is the Maryland Secretary of State. This is the only office in Maryland authorized to issue Hague Apostille certificates on Maryland-issued public documents. The Maryland Secretary of State holds the official seals of Maryland government officials and is consequently the only authorized source for apostilles on Maryland-issued records.

Once your document arrives at the Maryland Secretary of State, a state official reviews the document and checks that signatures are from known, authorized officials. If everything checks out, the apostille is attached as a separate certificate appended to your document. The completed document is then mailed back to you. Our runner retrieves it and ships it back to Maryland.

How to Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in Maryland

Some document types require notarization before they can be apostilled. If your Criminal Background Check is a private document — such as an affidavit, power of attorney, or diploma, it will typically need to be notarized by a licensed notary before the Maryland Secretary of State will accept it. We manages the full notarization and apostille process so there are no surprises at the Maryland Secretary of State.

Once we have your documents, our team reviews it for compliance with the Maryland Secretary of State's submission requirements. This intake review identifies issues like improper certification, wrong document versions, or missing state fees. Catching these before submission avoids the need to resubmit — a first-attempt rejection.

Getting a Criminal Background Check apostilled involves a clear sequence of steps. First: ensure your Criminal Background Check is in its original, certified form. Step two: verify the document carries an authentic official seal. Third: submit it to the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis with the required state fee of $5. Step four: receive your apostilled document — ready for any Hague member country.

How Long Does a Criminal Background Check Apostille Take in Maryland?

If you need your Criminal Background Check apostilled urgently, the most time-efficient route is a courier service that physically delivers to the Maryland Secretary of State. Many Maryland Secretary of State offices process walk-in submissions same-day. Our runner uses this option wherever available to get Maryland clients their apostilles in 2 to 5 business days.

The US Department of State has its own processing timeline for FBI Background Checks and other federal records. Standard mail-in processing to DC for federal apostilles often takes 8 to 12 weeks because of the national volume of federal authentication requests. A DC-based courier gets the federal authentication done in 2 to 4 business days by physically submitting at the federal office.

Knowing where your Criminal Background Check is is one of the most valued aspects of a physical courier over postal mail. Our service includes status updates at every milestone: pickup from your Maryland address, receipt by our team, delivery to the government office, completion confirmation, and outbound FedEx tracking back to Maryland. This end-to-end tracking is unavailable with standard postal submission.

What to Include With Your Submission

Before sending your document to the Maryland Secretary of State, make sure you include: your original Criminal Background Check or an official certified copy, notarization if required for your document type, a completed submission form if required, payment for the state fee of $5, and a prepaid return envelope or shipping label. Missing any of these will cause rejection.

Some Maryland residents ask whether they should include a cover letter with their apostille submission. For direct submissions to the Maryland Secretary of State, including a short cover page is advisable with your contact information and document details. The Maryland Secretary of State processes high volumes of requests and a clear cover letter reduces processing errors.

Payment for the state fee must accompany your submission. Forms of payment differ at each Maryland Secretary of State but generally include personal check, money order, or credit card for online portals. We includes fee payment in our all-in-one courier package so you never worry about wrong payment forms.

Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting to include return shipping is an easily preventable error that delays apostille returns. The Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis will not return your document without a prepaid return method. Without a return label, your apostilled document may sit uncollected for days. We handle return shipping as part of our flat-rate fee — no separate arrangements needed.

The number one mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. Maryland residents sometimes send state documents like Criminal Background Checks to the US Department of State in DC. In both cases, the documents come back with a rejection notice. This mistake costs weeks — the time lost in transit to and from the wrong authority — before you are even back to square one.

Sending original documents through the US Postal Service without a tracking number is a significant risk. Uninsured postal shipments can be lost, delayed, or damaged. Vital records and FBI Background Checks are difficult or expensive to replace. We ship all documents via FedEx for complete end-to-end protection.

Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in Maryland

Our courier network covers the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis, typically returning your apostilled document in 2 to 5 business days. No need to visit any government office.

Frequently Asked Questions — Criminal Background Check Apostille in Maryland