How to Apostille a Marriage Certificate

Educational information, not legal advice. State fees, offices and record sources vary and can change. Confirm current details with the issuing state's official apostille page and the county clerk before you mail anything.

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Marriage certificate apostille fee finder by state

Select the state where the marriage took place; the tool shows that state's apostille fee and links to its full guide.

Who apostilles a marriage certificate?

A marriage certificate is apostilled by the state where the marriage took place, through that state's Secretary of State or the equivalent office, and this holds even if the couple has since moved away or lives abroad. If you married in Nevada but now live in California, Nevada apostilles the certificate, because only the issuing state can authenticate the signature and seal on its own record. The practical wrinkle with marriage records, unlike birth certificates, is that many states keep them at the county level rather than a central state office, so the certified copy usually comes from the county clerk that recorded the marriage. Once you have that certified copy, it goes to the state apostille office.

Where do you get a certified marriage certificate?

In most states you get a certified marriage certificate from the county clerk or recorder that issued the marriage license, though some states also make copies available through a central state vital records office. The certificate must be a certified copy with the official's signature and seal; the decorative keepsake certificate you may have signed at the ceremony, and any copy from the officiant, cannot be apostilled. In a handful of states a county-issued record needs an extra county clerk certification step before the state will apostille it, which the issuing state's guide spells out. Order the certified copy early, because in busy counties it can take longer to arrive than the apostille itself, and the apostille clock only starts once you hold the certified copy.

What is a single status affidavit?

A single status affidavit, also called a certificate of no marriage record or a sworn statement of single status, is the document many couples actually need when one partner is marrying abroad, and it is different from a marriage certificate. It is a statement, signed under oath, that you are legally free to marry, and because it is a private sworn document it must be notarized by a notary first and then apostilled by the state where it was notarized. So the routing differs: a marriage certificate follows the issuing state as a certified record, while a single status affidavit follows the notary's state as a notarized document. If a foreign registry is asking for proof that you are unmarried, this affidavit, not a marriage certificate, is usually what they want.

How much does a marriage certificate apostille cost?

The state apostille fee for a marriage certificate ranges from about $1 in Michigan to $25 in states such as Oklahoma and South Dakota, with most states between $5 and $15, and that is only the apostille charge. The certified copy from the county or state vital records office is a separate cost, and any private service adds its own fee on top. Use the fee finder above to see the apostille fee for the issuing state and open that state's full guide, where the office address, processing time and any county certification step are laid out. Confirm the current amount on the state's official page before you send payment, since fees can change.

By the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: state Secretary of State and county clerk offices; per-state apostille guides on this site. Confirm current fees and record sources before relying on this.