U.S. vital records for use abroad
A U.S. birth certificate normally follows the authority for the place that issued the certified record—not the state where you live now. State and local birth records generally go to the designated authority for that jurisdiction; a Consular Report of Birth Abroad follows a federal Passport Vital Records route.
Born in a U.S. state or territory
Order the certified copy from the state, territory, city, county, or other vital-record office that holds the record. The apostille route is tied to that public official's signature or seal.
U.S. citizen born abroad
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad is issued by the U.S. Department of State. HCCH lists the Passport Services Vital Records Section as the apostille authority for consular birth, death, and marriage reports.
Born outside the United States
A foreign birth certificate is not a U.S. public document and cannot receive a U.S. apostille. Ask the issuing country's authority and the receiving organization for its required route.
Do not send an ordinary photocopy. Apostille eligibility depends on the certified record, its issuing official, the destination, and the receiving authority's instructions. A notarized photocopy does not automatically substitute for a certified vital record.
| Record | Likely apostille route | Confirm first |
|---|---|---|
| Certified birth certificate from a U.S. state or local vital-record office | The designated competent authority for that state or jurisdiction, generally the Secretary of State | Accepted certified-copy type, recognized issuing official, and whether an intermediate county certification is required |
| Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) | U.S. Department of State, Passport Services Vital Records Section | That you have the correct consular record and current federal submission instructions |
| Birth certificate issued by another country | The issuing country's competent authority—not a U.S. state or federal office | Destination-country rules, translation, and any legalization steps |
The country where the record will be used determines whether the final U.S. certificate is an apostille or an authentication certificate and whether additional legalization is required.
The CDC directs applicants to the vital-record office in the state or area where the birth occurred. The federal government does not maintain state birth-certificate files.
States may distinguish certified, authorized, long-form, abstract, or informational copies. Use the copy type requested by the receiving authority and eligible for the issuing jurisdiction's apostille process.
The apostille authenticates a public signature or seal. We review who issued or signed the certified copy before choosing the state or federal route.
The recipient may impose document-age, translation, name-matching, or assembly rules even when the destination participates in the Apostille Convention.
Send the issuing jurisdiction, copy type, destination country, and receiving authority's instructions. We identify the likely state, federal, or foreign route before processing.
For eligible U.S. records, we coordinate the required government step and any approved translation or tracked return delivery.
You confirm the completed package with the receiving authority. Government offices issue apostilles; the recipient makes the acceptance decision.
Service starts at $250
Additional documents processed through the same state start at $150 each. The final quote depends on the issuer, jurisdiction, destination, document count, translation, legalization, and delivery requirements.
Related guidance: international apostille support, federal apostille and authentication services, FBI background-check apostille support, Spain apostille services, Colombia apostille services, and the Global Document Navigator.
Reviewed August 22, 2026 by Jonathan Tran, Co-Founder of Notary Pin, who has overseen Notary Pin's document-coordination operations since 2022. Notary Pin provides administrative coordination, not legal advice. Requirements can change; confirm current instructions with the issuing and receiving authorities.