Birth Certificate
Getting a birth certificate apostilled sounds simple and usually isn’t, because most people don’t have the version of their birth certificate that states will accept. We apostille birth certificates from all 50 states, and the first thing we do is check whether yours will pass before anyone wastes a fee on it.
States only apostille certified copies issued by a vital records office, with a registrar’s signature the state can verify. The hospital certificate with the footprints won’t work. A photocopy won’t work. A notarized photocopy won’t work either. States apostille the vital records office’s own certified copy, not a notary’s stamp on a copy of one. If what you’re holding is laminated, decades old, or signed by an official who left office long ago, expect to order a fresh certified copy. We’ll tell you exactly where to order it and which version to pick.
Some countries and consulates require the long form (the full record, sometimes called the vault copy) rather than the short-form extract. Italy and Spain requests come up constantly for dual citizenship cases. Check what the receiving country wants before ordering, or ask us, because we see these requests daily.
The state that issued the certificate does the apostille. Born in New Jersey but living in California? It’s a New Jersey apostille, no exceptions. We submit to all 50 states and DC from our New York and Washington DC offices, so where you were born doesn’t change what you have to do: send us the certificate, we route it.
Two special cases go federal instead: births abroad registered with a U.S. consulate use a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, and those get a federal apostille.
New York City birth certificates generally need a Letter of Exemplification attached before New York State will apostille them. If you ordered your certificate without one, we’ll tell you how to fix it. This single detail is the most common reason NYC birth certificate apostilles get rejected.
State turnarounds vary; typical door-to-door time depends on each state, many states in 3-4 days some state up to 4 weeks, with same-day service possible for New York documents. The service costs $200 plus the state’s own fee. Full pricing is on the rates page.
Can I apostille a photocopy of my birth certificate?
No. You need a certified copy from the vital records office of the state where the birth was recorded.
My birth certificate is from the 1960s. Will it work?
Maybe. Some states verify old registrar signatures, many can’t. The safe move is ordering a fresh certified copy, which we can help direct.
I need it for dual citizenship. Long form or short form?
Usually long form, but the consulate handling your case decides. Check their document list, then send us what they asked for.
I was born abroad to U.S. parents. Which office apostilles my birth record?
If you have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, that’s federal: the U.S. Department of State. We handle it through our federal service.
Start your order at /order/ or call (212) 245-9690.
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