If you live in Texas and receive a pension from the Dominican Republic, you will periodically be asked to provide identity and survival documentation so payments are not suspended. And if a Dominican relative has passed away and you are entitled to a survivor's or inheritance benefit, you may need to send a US death certificate and relationship proof in a form the administrator will accept. In both cases, a Texas document usually has to be apostilled before it carries legal weight in the Dominican Republic.
This page explains when an apostille is required, how the Texas process works, and what the Dominican Republic generally expects for proof-of-life and survivor claims.
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, and it accepts US apostilles. A single apostille issued by the Texas Secretary of State is recognized without further consular legalization. (You may have read about a Dominican objection concerning Germany; that bilateral matter does not affect US documents, which continue to be accepted.)
Remember that the apostille only authenticates the signature. Any document issued in English will still need a Spanish translation before a Dominican institution acts on it.
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.