Birth certificate apostille

What this document is

A certified copy of a birth record, issued by the state's office of vital records (or in some states, the county). It carries the registrar's signature and the office's seal, usually on security paper. That registrar's signature is what the Secretary of State verifies when it issues the apostille.

You will be asked for one when getting married abroad, applying for residency or citizenship by descent, registering a child in a foreign school, claiming an inheritance, or getting a foreign passport.

Does it need notarization first?

No. Birth certificates are certified by the registrar. Notarizing one does not help and can get it rejected. If someone has told you to "get it notarized," they usually mean "get it apostilled."

State or federal?

State, almost always. The apostille comes from the Secretary of State of the state where the birth was registered, not where you live now. A Texas birth certificate goes to Austin even if you live in Oregon.

The exception is a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (form FS-240) for US citizens born overseas. That is a federal document and goes through the US Department of State.

What you need to provide

• A certified copy from the state or county vital records office. Look for a raised or embossed seal, a registrar's signature, and security paper. Not a photocopy. Not the hospital certificate.
• Ideally, a copy issued recently. Some states reject certificates signed by officials no longer on file, and county-issued copies are not accepted by every Secretary of State. If yours is more than a few years old, ask us before mailing it.
• The destination country, so we request the right type of certificate.

If you do not have a certified copy, order one from the vital records office of the state of birth. We can point you to the right office and, in some states, order it on your behalf.

What happens

1. You request a quote with a photo of the certificate and the destination country. We confirm it will be accepted and quote the exact total.
2. You mail us the certified copy by tracked mail.
3. We submit it to the issuing state's Secretary of State with the correct request form and fee.
4. The state attaches the apostille and returns it to us. We ship it to you, tracked.

Our processing is within 2 business days for standard, 5 to 7 for rush, 1 to 3 for expedited. The state's processing is added on top and varies. Rush and expedited explains the two clocks.

Common mistakes

• Sending the hospital certificate. The one with the footprints is a keepsake, not a legal record.
• Sending a photocopy, even a good one. It has no verifiable signature.
• An old certificate with a signature the state no longer has on file. Rejected. Order a new certified copy.
• A county-issued copy sent to a state that only accepts state-issued copies. Rules vary; we check.
• Notarizing it. Adds nothing, and can trigger rejection.
• Sending it to the wrong state: where you live rather than where you were born.

How to start

Request a quote with the state of birth and the destination country. Attach a photo if you have the certificate; if you do not, say so and we will tell you how to order the right copy. You get an exact total within two business hours.

Price: $99 standard · $199 rush · $299 expedited, per document. State fee and return shipping quoted separately at cost.

Background reading: our affiliated company's guide to why and when a birth certificate needs an apostille.