Why are there additional charges?

Additional charges apply in some instances and are mandatory to cover additional costs.

This includes the Foreign Country Service Charge of approximately $250 for foreign (non-US) document apostille requests, which incur additional shipping charges of about $100-$125 each way, and other fees such as additional labor costs from our international contracting partners where applicable. For example, this would be assessed on requests for a China (PRC) apostille.

The Additional Authentication Service Charge (AASC) is assessed on non-Hague countries, as an authentication requires a separate process with the US Federal government, and additional shipping costs. The AASC covers shipping costs and service fees related to obtaining a federal authentication. Embassy legalization of these documents may also be necessary for certain countries and is charged separately if available.