Federal or state apostille: which do you need?
The apostille office depends on who signed your document. It has nothing to do with where you live.
Federal apostille
The U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications handles documents issued by federal agencies. Examples include FBI reports and FDA certificates. Its fee is $20 per document.
State apostille
A state's competent authority, usually its Secretary of State, handles records issued in that state and documents notarized by that state's notaries. A Maryland notarization leads to a Maryland apostille.
In Maryland
A notarized document generally needs certification from the Circuit Court clerk for the county where the notary is commissioned before it goes to the Secretary of State in Annapolis.
A common confusion
A New York birth certificate cannot be apostilled in Maryland, even if you live in Maryland. Vital records such as birth, marriage and death certificates go to the state that issued them.