Court document · certified by the clerk · do not notarize
Divorce decree apostille
A divorce decree is apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state whose court issued it, and what qualifies is a certified copy from the court clerk with the clerk's signature and seal. Do not notarize it; a notary cannot certify a court record. $99 standard, plus the state fee and shipping.
What this document is
A certified copy of the final divorce decree or judgment, issued by the clerk of the court that granted the divorce, bearing the clerk's signature and the court's seal. The Secretary of State verifies the clerk's signature.
Some states also issue a shorter divorce certificate or verification of divorce through vital records. Foreign institutions sometimes accept that instead of the full decree, and it is much shorter to translate.
Does it need notarization first?
No. The clerk's certification is the authentication. A notary cannot certify a court document, and adding a notary certificate can get it rejected.
State or federal?
State: the state whose court issued the decree. Federal courts do not grant divorces, so this is never federal.
What you need to provide
- A certified copy of the decree from the clerk of court, with the clerk's signature and the court seal on it. Your attorney's copy or a conformed copy is not certified.
- Recently certified, so the clerk's signature is on file with the state.
- The destination country and what the receiving institution asked for: full decree, abstract, or divorce certificate.
- If the decree is long and the destination requires translation, tell us the page count; translation is priced by length.
What happens
- Quote request with the state, the court, the destination, and a photo of the first and signature pages.
- You mail the certified copy, tracked.
- We submit to that state's Secretary of State.
- Apostille attached, returned to us, shipped to you.
Common mistakes
- Sending the attorney's copy or a conformed copy. Not certified, cannot be apostilled.
- A stale certification by a clerk no longer on file.
- Sending only the first page when the institution wants the full decree with the signature page.
- Sending the full 40-page decree when a two-page divorce certificate would have satisfied them and cost a fraction to translate.
- Notarizing it.
How to start
Request a quote with the state and court, the destination country, and which version the receiving institution asked for.
Price: $99 standard · $199 rush · $299 expedited, per document. State fee and shipping separate.
Background reading: our affiliated company's guide.
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Start My ApostilleFrequently asked questions
Do I need the whole decree or just the first page?
Usually the complete certified decree as issued by the clerk, including the judge's signature page. Some countries accept a certified abstract or a divorce certificate from vital records instead, which is shorter and cheaper to translate. Ask the receiving institution which they want; we can apostille either.
The divorce was years ago. Is my copy still good?
The copy is fine if it is a certified copy from the clerk. But the clerk who certified it must be on file with the Secretary of State, and clerks change. If it is more than a few years old, a freshly certified copy from the same court is the safe move. We check before submitting.
Which state?
The state whose court issued the decree, regardless of where either party lives now.