Apostille Tanglewood: Local Pickup, Hand-Filed in Austin
We meet you at home or at the office near the Galleria, then file your document in person at the Texas Secretary of State.
✓ Rush: 1–3 business days
✓ Standard: about a week
What Is an Apostille?
By Albert Lee, commissioned Texas notary public and apostille agent · Updated October 2026
An apostille is a certificate from the Texas Secretary of State confirming that the signature and seal on a Texas document are genuine, so another country will accept it. Texas issues one universal apostille for every country. Countries outside the Hague Convention also need U.S. Department of State authentication and embassy legalization.
There’s no apostille window in Tanglewood, or anywhere in Houston. The only office is in Austin. You hand us the document on Tanglewood Boulevard or at your office in Uptown, and we make the drive. For the rest of the city, see our main Houston apostille service.
Watch Our Introduction Video
Watch our instructional video about apostilles and the work that goes into getting them to the Secretary of State.
How to Get an Apostille in Tanglewood
- Find out who issued your document. Tanglewood is inside Houston city limits, so a birth or death certificate for an event here comes from the City of Houston Bureau of Vital Statistics (8000 N. Stadium Dr.) or Texas Vital Statistics. Marriage licenses and recorded deeds come from the Harris County Clerk at 201 Caroline. Divorce decrees and other court records come from the Harris County District Clerk.
- Check the date on the certified copy. The Secretary of State only apostilles certified records issued within the last five years. A copy you’ve had in the file cabinet since the closing usually won’t pass.
- Get private documents notarized. Powers of attorney, affidavits, travel consent letters and company documents need a proper Texas notarization. We notarize when we meet you.
- Text us a photo. Send it to 832-741-3190 with the destination country and your deadline. We’ll flag problems before you hand anything over.
- We pick it up and file it. We collect the original in Tanglewood and hand-file it at the Authentications Unit in Austin.
- You get it back. We hand-deliver it, ship it to you, or send it straight to the school, bank or agency abroad.
Why Use Our Service?
Fast
Rush apostilles in 1–3 business days. Standard service takes about a week.
Convenient
We meet you at home, at your office on Post Oak or San Felipe, or you mail the document to us.
Handled With Care
Your document is hand-filed in Austin by the same person who picked it up.
Why Tanglewood Clients Use Us
Notary and Apostille Agent in One
If the notarization is wrong, we redo it before filing. No hand-offs.
Checked Before Filing
Old certified copies and missing notarial wording are the usual reasons Texas sends a document back. We look for both first.
Uptown by Appointment
We're based in Katy, straight down I-10, and cover Tanglewood, the Galleria and Memorial by appointment.
How Our Tanglewood Apostille Service Works
Review
Text or call with a photo of the document. We check who issued it, when, and where it’s going.
Meet
We come to you in Tanglewood, or you mail us the original. If it needs a notary, we notarize it right there.
File
We complete the state’s request form and hand-file your document at the Authentications Unit in Austin.
Return
We deliver the apostilled document or ship it to you or the receiving office.
Recordable vs. Non-Recordable Documents
Texas treats documents in two groups, and the group decides what you need.
Recordable documents are public records signed by a state, county or city official: birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, court judgments. You need the original or a certified copy issued within the last five years. A notarized photocopy won’t work.
Non-recordable documents are private papers: powers of attorney, affidavits, contracts, diploma copies. These get apostilled through a Texas notarization. Online notarizations can be apostilled too, but the state also asks for the notary’s journal record and an online notarization certificate. More on our Texas apostille page.
Documents We Apostille Most Often
Travel Consent
Letters for a child traveling abroad with one parent or a grandparent
Vital Records
Birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates
Power of Attorney
For selling property, banking or handling an estate overseas
Adoption Papers
Adoption paperwork for international adoptions
School Records
Diplomas and transcripts for study or work abroad
Business Documents
Company formation papers, contracts and employment letters for overseas deals
Can I Get an Apostille the Same Day in Houston?
Not in Houston, because there’s no Secretary of State office here. In Austin, walk-in service at 400 W. 15th Street runs on Mondays and Fridays with a 10-document limit, so a same-day apostille means being in Austin on one of those days. Our rush service gets most Tanglewood documents back in 1–3 business days without you making the six-hour round trip. Here’s who issues apostilles in Texas.
Do I Need to Notarize My Document Before It's Apostilled?
It depends on the document. A certified birth or marriage certificate is already signed by a public official, so it goes to the state as is; notarizing it would actually get it rejected. A power of attorney, an affidavit or a copy of your diploma does need a notarization first, and the notary’s certificate has to be complete. Diplomas are the most common mix-up, so see how to apostille a diploma or transcript in Texas and how to apostille a Texas birth certificate.
Our Apostille Blog Posts
Texas Secretary of State Apostille Walk-In: Days, Hours and Tips
Texas Secretary of State apostille walk-ins are Monday and Friday only. Here’s how appointments, the ten-document limit, payment and parking work at the Austin office.
How to Apostille a Texas Marriage Certificate
How to get a Texas apostille on a marriage certificate: which county record the Secretary of State accepts, the five-year rule, translations, and marriages from outside Texas.
How to Apostille a Power of Attorney in Texas (for Use Abroad)
How to get a Texas apostille on a power of attorney for use abroad: what the Secretary of State checks, what gets rejected, translation and online-notarization notes.
Can an Online Notarized Document Be Apostilled?
This question combines two of our favorite services, so I get it a lot. Someone needs a power of attorney
How to Apostille a Diploma or Transcript in Texas
If you’re planning to teach English overseas, go to grad school abroad, or get a work visa, you’re probably going
Apostille vs Authentication: What If Your Country Isn’t in the Hague Convention?
A lot of people call asking for an apostille when what they actually need is an authentication. They sound the
Get a quote for your Tanglewood apostille
Answer a few questions about your document and destination country. We check it will be accepted, then send one all-in price.
FAQ
No. Only the Texas Secretary of State issues apostilles for Texas documents, and it’s in Austin. We pick up in Tanglewood and file there for you.
Yes. We meet clients by appointment at home, at the office or at a public spot nearby. Call or text 832-741-3190 to set a time.
The City of Houston Bureau of Vital Statistics or Texas Vital Statistics. Make sure it’s a certified copy and recent enough to fall inside the five-year window.
No. A notary can notarize a private document so the state will accept it. The apostille itself comes only from the Secretary of State. We do both parts.
The Texas certificate is still step one. After that the document goes to the U.S. Department of State and then the embassy, which we don’t handle. See apostille vs. authentication.
Usually, if a Texas online notary can supply the journal record and an online notarization certificate. Check that the receiving country accepts it first. Can an online notarized document be apostilled?
Our team
Albert Lee
Owner/founder
Mobile and online notary commissioned for the state of Texas. Owner and creator of Lee’s Mobile and Online Notary. Apostille Agent
Aimani Lawless
Co-Owner/Lead designer
Texas notary public, specializes in title packages and real estate documents via RON. Design lead.
How Long Does an Apostille Take from Tanglewood?
Rush service takes 1–3 business days. Standard service takes about a week, including the trip to Austin. Mailing it to the state yourself takes about two weeks plus mail time both ways. If you need a fresh certified copy from the City or the County Clerk first, add a day or two. Full breakdown: how long an apostille takes in Texas.
Give us your deadline when you call and we’ll plan backward from it.
Nearby Apostille Pages
A lot of our Tanglewood clients work in Uptown or have family across the Inner Loop. We cover those areas too: Galleria/Uptown, River Oaks, Memorial Villages and the rest of Houston.
Apostille Services Across Tanglewood & Uptown Houston
We pick up and deliver apostille documents in Tanglewood and nearby neighborhoods, so you never have to drive to Austin.
Tanglewood & surrounding neighborhoods: Tanglewood, Briargrove, Briar Hollow, Post Oak Park, Woodway, Uptown and Highland Village.
Nearby communities: River Oaks, Galleria/Uptown, Memorial Villages, Memorial Park, Afton Oaks, Bellaire and West University Place.
ZIP codes we serve: 77056, 77057 and 77027.
Ready to start? Call or text 832-741-3190, or start your request online.
Serving Tanglewood
We offer apostille services throughout Tanglewood.
See our full Apostille Houston service, or everything about Texas apostilles on our Apostille Texas page.