Authenticate Texas birth, death and marriage certificates for use abroad.

Isarey provides an expedited Apostille service to authenticate Texas birth and death certificates and marriage licenses, including vital records issued in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth.

Apostilles on Texas marriage, death and birth certificates are obtained from the Secretary of State in Austin and dispatched in 1 - 2 business days.

Apostilles can be obtained for Texas birth, death and marriage certificates certified by a Texas public official. Texas issues a Universal Apostille, a single authentication valid for submission to both Apostille countries and non-Apostille countries.

Isarey can obtain certified copies of marriage licenses from County Clerk Offices across Texas on behalf of clients requiring an Apostille Stamp.

Texas birth and death certificates

Texas birth and death certificates are valid for an Apostille Stamp if issued after 1999. Texas birth and death certificates issued before 1980 will not be accepted by the Secretary of State and a new certified copy is required. Certificates issued in 1999 and before may also be rejected if the Secretary of State cannot match the records in their database.

Apostilles can be obtained for certificates issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services - Vital Statistics Section or certified copies issued by a Texas County Clerk.

Original birth and death certificates with a raised seal are required.

Texas Marriage Certificates

Apostilles can be obtained for Texas marriage certificates and licences certified by the Country Clerk of the county where the marriage was registered, as well as marriage verification letters. An original certified certificate is required with a raised seal, or a certified PDF (issued by Harris County and some other counties).

Apostille or Authentication

Countries that have acceded to the Apostille Convention will recognise Texas Apostilles directly as confirming authenticity, without requiring additional certification in the United States. Texas birth and death certificates and marriage licenses needed for use in non-Apostille countries must then be attested by the embassy of the recipient country (some embassies also require prior legalization by the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC).

The Texas Secretary of State does not issue separate Authentication certificates - all documents are certified with a Universal Apostille, which is valid for both Apostille and non-Apostille countries (following embassy attestation).

Countries that accept Texas Apostille stamps directly include:
Spain - Italy - Portugal - Greece - Cyprus - France - United Kingdom - Saudi Arabia - Germany - China

Countries requiring an authentication certificate and embassy attestation include:
Qatar - Kuwait - United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Vietnam

See: List of Apostille Convention Countries

Texas Apostilles cannot be obtained for Birth, Marriage, Death and Adoption certificates issued in other U.S. states. Notarized copies of Texas vital records cannot be used to obtain apostilles - the original certificate is required and the Apostille or Authentication will be attached to the original.

How to obtain a Texas birth, marriage or death certificate

Texas death and birth certificates
Texas vital records can be ordered online through VitalChek or from the Texas Department of State Health Services - Vital Statistics Section (online, by mail or in person). Vital Statistics can provide records for births that were filed in Texas from 1903 to the present. Certified copies can also be ordered from the County Clerk's office in the county where the birth or death took place.
Certificate for births within the past 75 years are restricted records in Texas. Only the person named in the certificate and immediate family members are eligible to request a copy.
Texas Marriage Licenses
Certified copies of Texas marriage licences can be obtained directly from the Country Clerk of the county where the marriage license was purchased, and in some case online from VitalChek.
Isarey can obtain certified copies of Texas marriage licenses on behalf of clients requiring Apostilles.
Long and Short Form Birth Certificates
Texas issues both long form and short form birth certificates. A short from certificate is a certified abstract of the birth record showing the individual's name, date of birth, place of birth, sex, and name of parent(s). A Long Form certificate is a copy of the original birth certificate and may be required by overseas authorities.
Verification letter
A birth verification letter includes the individual's name, the date of birth, and the county where the birth occurred. A death verification letter includes the deceased's name, the date of death, and the place of death. A marriage verification letter includes names of both spouses, marriage date, and place of marriage. Verification letters are not considered legal substitutes for certificates and may not be accepted by overseas authorities as a record of a birth, death or marriage in Texas.

If you need any assistance with obtaining certified copies of Texas vital records, please contact us. We are happy to provide advice on how best to obtain Texas vital records and to provide a free pre-check of your documents to confirm eligibility for authentication by the Texas Secretary of State.

For a free quotation, advice on how to obtain documents or to confirm eligibility of your documents for a Texas Apostille, please contact us or upload your documents for a free quotation using our:
Online Quotation Form

Certified translations of Texas vital records

When Texas birth, death and marriage certificates are required for submission to the authorities of a country that does not have English as an official language, a certified translation is often required. The translation should normally be done after the Apostille is obtained on the original certificate, as the original apostille will also need to be translated.

There are generally two options for certifying the translation so that it is officially accepted by the consulates, embassies or authorities of the recipient country.

A translation can be done in the United States. The translation is then certified before a notary and a second Apostille is obtained to authenticate it. The notarization and Apostille do not need to be issued in Texas and normally it is cheaper and easier to certify the translation in Washington DC with an Apostille from the Washington DC Secretary of State.
A certified translation can be done in the destination country. We work with sworn translators in Italy, Brazil, Spain, France, Germany and many other countries, ensuring that your documents are correctly translated and that the translations are properly certified for official acceptance.

The best option normally depends on whether the documents and translations are to be submitted to authorities in the recipient country or to an embassy or consulate of the recipient country in the United States.

Please contact us for advice and assistance.

Vital Records from other U.S. states

As well as Texas, we provide apostille services across the United States. We work with local notaries and authentication companies in different states to ensure low-cost and expedited processing of apostilles and authentications of birth, death and marriage records as well as other State and Federal documents, including Apostilles for FBI Background Checks.

We obtain Apostille stamps on birth, death and marriage certificates from across the United States: