Apostille50

Birth Certificate Apostille

Requires a state apostille

What Is a Birth Certificate Apostille?

A birth certificate apostille is a state-issued authentication certificate attached to a US birth certificate, certifying the document’s authenticity for use in any country that is a signatory to the Hague Convention of 1961. The apostille itself is a standardized international form – a square stamp or printed certificate roughly 9 cm on each side – that is recognized in all 120+ Hague member countries without further authentication.

Every birth certificate issued by a US state vital records office is eligible for a state apostille. The apostille is placed on the certified copy (not a photocopy), and the combined document – birth certificate plus apostille – is then accepted in the destination country as proof of identity, citizenship, age, or parentage.

Why Apostille a Birth Certificate?

A US birth certificate is the foundational identity document used in many international legal processes. Once apostilled, it is accepted in foreign jurisdictions as an officially authenticated record of birth. Common situations that require an apostilled birth certificate include:

  • Dual citizenship applications – most countries require an apostilled long-form birth certificate to verify citizenship by descent
  • Marriage abroad – many countries require an apostilled birth certificate to confirm eligibility to marry, especially when one party is foreign-born
  • Foreign passport applications – when a US-born child needs a passport from a parent’s home country
  • School enrollment abroad – international schools and universities often require apostilled birth certificates for admission
  • Inheritance and estate matters – proving the identity of heirs in cross-border probate cases
  • Adoption proceedings – both domestic and international adoptions routinely require apostilled birth certificates
  • Foreign government benefits – claiming social security, pensions, or healthcare benefits abroad
  • Visa and immigration applications – particularly spousal, family-reunification, and citizenship-by-descent visas
  • Name changes abroad – when registering a name change with a foreign government
  • Genealogy and citizenship research – proving family lineage for citizenship-by-descent claims

State Apostille, Not Federal

US birth certificates are state-issued vital records. They are apostilled by the Secretary of State in the state where the birth was registered, not by the US Department of State. This is true regardless of where the person currently lives.

The one exception: a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) – issued to US citizen children born outside the United States – is a federal document and requires a federal apostille through the US Department of State, not a state apostille.

Step 1: Obtain a Certified Copy

Before the apostille can be issued, you need a certified copy of the birth certificate – not a photocopy, not a hospital souvenir certificate, and not an abstract. A certified copy is issued by the state vital records office (or local registrar, depending on the state) and bears the official registrar’s signature, a raised or embossed seal, and security paper.

If you already have a certified copy and it meets current authenticity standards, you can submit it directly. If your copy is old or you don’t have one, order a new one from the state vital records office where the birth was registered. Most states allow online ordering, mail-in ordering, or in-person pickup at the vital records office.

Most US-born adults should be able to order a certified copy from their birth state’s vital records office in under 15 minutes via the state’s online portal.

Step 2: Verify Your Certified Copy Is Authentic

Not every document that looks like a birth certificate qualifies. To be apostille-eligible, the certified copy must pass the state’s authentication checks. Common signs of a genuine certified copy versus a photocopy:

Certified Copy Photocopy
Full color Black & white
Double-sided One-sided
Cloth-like or security paper Standard paper
Raised seals / embossing No raised textures
Cut to size (uniform edges) Crooked or large borders

If your document lacks a raised seal or appears on plain paper, it is likely a photocopy and will be rejected by the Secretary of State.

Step 3: Submit to the Secretary of State

Once you have a valid certified copy, it must be submitted to the Secretary of State in the state where the birth was registered. Apostille50 handles this entire step for you – you mail your certified copy to us, and we submit it to the correct state on your behalf.

The Secretary of State verifies the registrar’s signature against their records, then affixes an apostille certificate to the document. Processing times vary by state, ranging from same-day issuance (rare) to several weeks.

Which State Apostilles My Birth Certificate?

The apostille is issued by the state where the birth was registered – that is, the state listed on the birth certificate itself. This is true even if:

  • You currently live in a different state
  • You have never lived in the state where you were born
  • You are a citizen of a different country

For example, a person born in California who now lives in Texas must obtain a California state apostille, not a Texas apostille. Your current residence is irrelevant – only the issuing state matters.

If you don’t know which state issued your birth certificate, look at the document itself: the state name appears in the header or footer of every certified copy issued by a US vital records office.

Document Requirements

To apostille a birth certificate through Apostille50, you need to provide:

  • One certified copy of the birth certificate issued by the state vital records office
  • Trackable return shipping envelope if you are not within the continental US
  • Order confirmation showing the destination country (so we can confirm any country-specific requirements before submission)

Photocopies, hospital-issued souvenir certificates, and notarized copies of birth certificates are not eligible. Only certified copies from the state vital records office can be apostilled.

If you do not have a certified copy, you will need to order one from the issuing state’s vital records office before submitting. Apostille50 does not issue certified copies – we authenticate them.

Common Rejection Reasons

The Secretary of State will reject a birth certificate submission if:

  • The document is a photocopy rather than a certified copy
  • The certified copy is from a different state than the one issuing the apostille
  • The certified copy is older than the state’s record retention allows (rare, but possible for very old births)
  • The document has been altered, defaced, or contains handwritten modifications
  • The certified copy is on incorrect paper (some states have changed security paper over the years)

If your submission is rejected, Apostille50 will contact you and recommend next steps. In most cases, ordering a fresh certified copy from the state vital records office resolves the issue.

Processing Time

Birth certificate apostille processing times vary by state:

  • Same-day to 3 business days – a few states offer expedited or in-person service
  • 5 to 10 business days – typical for most states processing mailed-in requests
  • 2 to 4 weeks – slower states, or during peak seasonal volume

Apostille50’s standard turnaround for a state apostille is approximately the state’s processing time plus mail transit in each direction. Contact us for current estimates for your specific state.

Pricing

Birth Certificate apostille pricing through Apostille50:

Component Amount
Service charge (per order) $100.00
State fee (varies by state) $1 to $50
Return shipping (US) Included
Total for a single birth certificate $101 to $150

The state fee depends on which state issued the birth certificate, with a median fee of $10 per apostille. See the Order tool for the exact fee in your state.

Common Destination Countries

While any Hague Convention country accepts an apostilled US birth certificate, certain countries see especially high demand:

  • European Union countries – Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, and others for dual citizenship applications, particularly Italian and Irish citizenship by descent
  • Mexico – dual citizenship, property inheritance, and family reunification
  • Canada – immigration sponsorship and family reunification
  • United Kingdom – marriage and citizenship
  • Brazil – dual citizenship recognition
  • Argentina – citizenship by descent
  • Philippines – dual citizenship retention
  • South Korea – family registration and visa applications
  • Japan – marriage and residency
  • Australia – citizenship and visa applications

Many of these countries have specific recency requirements – they want the certified copy to have been issued recently (often within 3 to 12 months). Check the destination country’s requirements before submitting.

Special Cases

Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)

A CRBA is issued by a US embassy or consulate to US citizen children born outside the United States. Because the CRBA is a federal document, it requires a federal apostille through the US Department of State, not a state apostille. See our federal apostille service for an overview of the federal process – the same pathway applies to CRBAs.

Adopted Children

For adopted children, the birth certificate that needs apostilling is typically the amended birth certificate issued by the state where the adoption was finalized – not the original foreign or pre-adoption certificate. The amended certificate is treated as a regular state-issued vital record.

Hospital Certificates

A hospital-issued “birth certificate” or souvenir certificate is not the same as a state-issued certified copy and cannot be apostilled. Only the certified copy from the vital records office qualifies.

How to Order

To order a Birth Certificate apostille through Apostille50:

1. Add the state where you were born to your order on the Order page 2. Select your destination country (this confirms Hague status) 3. Complete checkout – you’ll receive an order confirmation email 4. Mail your birth certificate to:

Apostille50
PO BOX 160
Germantown, MD 20875

5. Once we receive your document, we submit it to the correct state and return it apostilled by trackable mail

Apostille50