Alabama Apostille FAQs

Alabama birth, death and marriage certificates can be submitted to the Alabama Secretary of State for certification by apostille. The document must have an original signature and embossed (raised) or ink stamped seal of a currently commissioned Alabama public official. All birth certificates and death certificates requiring an Apostille must bear the signature of the current Alabama State Registrar.

For information on obtaining certified copies of Alabama birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates, see:
Alabama Vital Records.

Replacement vital record certificates can also be ordered online via VitalChek.

Alabama birth and death certificates are confidential records and cannot be obtained on your behalf.

Alabama Marriage or Divorce certificates are unrestricted. If you need an apostille on an Alabama Marriage or Divorce certificate for use abroad, we can obtain a certified copy for you.

Apostilles on Alabama Background Checks can be obtained from the Alabama Secretary of State.

For information on obtaining your Alabama Background Checks, see:
Alabama Background Checks

Note, however, that many countries will require an FBI background check as evidence of a lack of criminal record for immigration or visa purposes, see:
FBI Background Checks

Alabama academic certificates and course transcripts must be notarized by an Alabama Notary Public before they can be certified with an apostille stamp. If the document requires Certification for presentation in non-apostille country, the notarized document will also need certification by an Alabama probate judge.

The notary will certify the signature of the school official signing the certificate, and you should contact the issuing institution to arrange this.

Alabama university degree certificates, course transcripts and high school diplomas can also be authenticated as notarized copies. A true copy is certified by a notary (this can often be done from a scan without having to submit the original) and then authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Washington DC Secretary of State. Authenticated documents can also be attested by the embassies of Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.

For further information, see:
University Degrees and School Records

Documents certified by an Alabama Notary Public can be certified by apostille or authentication (depending on whether the country of destination is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention). If the document requires Certification for presentation in non-apostille country, the notarized document needs certification by a Alabama probate judge before submission to the Secretary of State.

Documents signed by Alabama officials and notaries public can be certified in Alabama for official use outside the United States, including vital record certificates (e.g. birth, death, marriage certificates), state police background checks, educational certificates, university diplomas and notarized private documents (e.g. power of attorney).

Documents signed by Federal officials including FBI Background Checks must be submitted directly to the Authentication Division of the U.S. Department of State.

If documents are required for submission to the authorities or consulate of a signatory country of the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille stamp affixed by the Secretary of State of Alabama will generally be recognized directly as confirming authenticity, although a certified translation may also be required if presenting to a country that does not have English as an official language.

If documents are required for presentation in a country that is not a signatory to the apostille convention (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Taiwan, Vietnam), then an apostille stamp is not valid. Documents will need to be authenticated at State level in Alabama, then by the State Department Authentication Division, and finally by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in the United States. A Certified Translation may also be required.

For further information about Alabama apostilles and authentications, see: Alabama Handbook for Authentications (PDF)

To obtain a quote for assistance submitting your documents, with free eligibility pre-check, international collection and delviery by courier, please contact us or send us your documents using our Online Quotation Form.

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