The competent authority in the state or U.S. territory that issued the birth certificate normally issues the apostille. It is often the secretary of state or another designated office. The exact office and required certification sequence depend on the jurisdiction.
Start with a certified birth certificate
Order the certified copy from the vital-records office, county, city, or other custodian that holds the record. The National Center for Health Statistics provides a directory but does not issue the certificate or apostille.
Then use the issuing jurisdiction’s apostille office
Follow the official instructions of the state or territory shown on the certificate. Some jurisdictions require an additional county-clerk, court-clerk, or registrar certification before the apostille authority will accept the record. Do not assume that the procedure in another state applies.
When the federal Office of Authentications is different
The U.S. Department of State does not normally issue an apostille for an ordinary state birth certificate being used in a Hague Convention country. Its Office of Authentications handles eligible federal documents and may be part of the chain for documents going to a non-Convention country. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad is a federal Department of State record and follows a different route from a state birth certificate.
Check the destination country
Ask the receiving authority whether it requires an apostille, an authentication certificate, a translation, a recently issued copy, or another form of legalization. An apostille is not the correct certificate for every country.
Official sources
- NCHS directory of state and territory vital-records offices
- Department of State apostille requirements for federal and state documents
- Authentication-certificate requirements for non-Convention countries