Serving San Luis Obispo County · Call or Text (805) 670-1565 · firsthanddocs@gmail.com
FH Firsthand
Document Services
Flagship Service · Apostille Agent

Apostille, hand-carried.
Never mailed away.

An apostille certifies your document for legal use in another country. As your apostille agent, I personally carry your originals to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento — so they stay in trusted hands from the moment I receive them until they're back in yours, certified.

What needs an apostille?

If you're sending a document to another country — for a visa, a marriage abroad, dual citizenship, an overseas job, adoption, a business deal, or school — that country usually requires it to be authenticated first. For Hague Convention countries, that's an apostille. For non-Hague countries, it's a longer authentication chain.

  • Birth, marriage, and death certificates
  • Diplomas, transcripts, and degrees
  • Powers of attorney and affidavits
  • Business documents, corporate filings, and agreements
  • Background checks and single-status letters

Not sure if yours qualifies, or which country requires what? That's exactly what I'm here for. Tell me the document and its destination, and I'll map out the whole path — usually the same day.

How It Works

Three simple steps

1
Send or drop offMail your documents to our Morro Bay P.O. Box, or arrange local pickup anywhere in SLO County.
2
Hand-carried to SacramentoYour originals are personally delivered to the Secretary of State on a scheduled run — never put in the mail.
3
Returned, certifiedSent back to you securely in tamper-evident packaging, ready for use abroad.
Apostille Pricing

Clear, honest pricing

State and counter fees are passed through at cost — no markup, ever.

Scheduled Batch RunDocuments 1–5 · per document
$200
Volume DiscountDocument 6 and beyond · same run
$100
Rush TripDedicated Sacramento run, first document
$600
Each Additional (Rush)Same trip
$100
State & Counter FeesPassed through at cost
$26 /doc
Return MailingIf you'd like documents mailed back
At cost

Prefer to pick up locally or arrange your own return shipping? No problem — just let me know. Every quote is confirmed up front with no surprises. Need it faster than the next scheduled run? Ask me about expedited options.

Business & Export Documents

Central Coast wineries, growers, and businesses expanding into international markets often need corporate documents, powers of attorney, or agreements authenticated for foreign distributors and partners — especially for non-Hague countries like China, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

I handle California-issued and notarized business documents through the same trusted hand-carry process. Volume and recurring-client arrangements welcome — contact me for a custom quote.

Federal Documents? I can help with those too.

Some documents — FBI background checks, IRS letters, naturalization papers, and other federally issued records — are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., not the California Secretary of State in Sacramento.

These follow a different process and timeline, but I coordinate it end-to-end through a trusted processing partner so you have one point of contact. Ask for a custom quote if your document is federal.

Ready to get started?

Tell me your document and where it's headed. I'll handle the rest.