When a relative dies in Texas and leaves a bank account in the Dominican Republic, or when you need to operate or close a Dominican account from the United States, the bank will ask for US documents that carry an apostille. A Texas death certificate, proof of relationship, or a power of attorney has no legal effect in the Dominican Republic until it is authenticated. This page explains how the apostille works and what a Dominican bank generally expects.
What an apostille is
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates a public document — a notary's signature, a court seal, a registrar's certification — so it will be accepted by authorities in another country. For countries in the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille is the finish line. For countries outside it, the same Texas certificate is the first step in a short legalization chain.
Does an apostille work in the Dominican Republic?
Yes. The Dominican Republic is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so a Texas document that carries an apostille from the Texas Secretary of State is accepted by Dominican banks, notaries, and courts without consular legalization. You may read that the Dominican Republic raised an objection involving Germany under the Convention — that objection does not affect US documents, and US apostilles are accepted normally. As always, the apostille authenticates the document but does not translate it, so plan on a Spanish translation as well.
How the Texas Secretary of State apostille works
Texas apostilles come from a single office: the Secretary of State's Authentications Unit in Austin. There is no county-clerk step — a document notarized by any Texas notary, in any of the 254 counties, goes straight to the state. Since October 2023 Texas issues one Universal Apostille (Form 2102) that works for every destination, whether or not the country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention.
The state fee is $15 per document. Mailed requests can take up to 25 business days; in-person and appointment service in Austin is same-day for up to 10 documents, and a bulk drop-box handles larger batches in 24–48 hours. There is no online submission — every request is handled by mail or in person. Certified copies of vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce) must be less than five years old.
Federal documents — FBI background checks, USCIS naturalization certificates, IRS letters — cannot be apostilled by Texas; they go to the U.S. Department of State. We confirm the correct authority before anything is filed, so your documents are never rejected on a technicality.