Authenticate North Carolina birth, death and marriage certificates for use abroad.
Apostilles and authentications on North Carolina marriage, death and birth certificates are obtained from the NC Secretary of State in Raleigh.
- Apostilles from North Carolina normally take 4 - 6 business days
- We also offer a one=day expedited service for urgent requests.
Apostilles can be obtained for North Carolina birth, death and marriage certificates certified by NC Vital Records or a Register of Deeds. Certificates issued before April 2000 are not valid for a North Carolina Apostille and a new certificate must be ordered.
Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates
North Carolina Apostilles can be obtained for certified copies of marriage, death and birth certificates issued by North Carolina Vital Records. A certified copy includes a statement certifying that it is a true copy or true abstract of the original record, and has the State Registrar's signature and a raised Vital Records seal. Apostilles can also be obtained for vital record certificates issued by a NC Register of Deeds.
Certificates must be issued no earlier than April 2000 to be valid for an Apostille Stamp.
Apostille or Authentication
Countries that have acceded to the Apostille Convention will recognise North Carolina Apostilles directly as confirming authenticity, without requiring additional certification in the United States. North Carolina birth, death and marriage certificates needed for use in non-Apostille countries require an Authentication Certificate from the North Carolina Secretary of State and 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).
Countries that accept North Carolina Apostille stamps directly include:
Spain - Italy - Portugal - Greece - Cyprus - France - Saudi Arabia - Germany - China
Countries requiring an authentication certificate and embassy attestation include:United Arab Emirates - Qatar - Thailand - Taiwan - Vietnam
See: List of Apostille Convention Countries
North Carolina Apostilles cannot be obtained for Birth, Marriage, Death and Adoption certificates issued in other U.S. states. Notarized copies of North Carolina 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 North Carolina birth, marriage or death certificate
Certified copies of North Carolina birth, death and marriage certificates
Certificates can be ordered online from the NC Office of Vital Records or from VitalChek. Certificates are also available from the Register of Deeds in the County where the birth, death or marriage occurred. Older records (births before 1908, marriages taking place before 1962) are not available from the NC Office of Vital Records and should be ordered from the Register of Deeds.
Certified certificates (required for an Apostille or Authentication) are restricted and can only be ordered by the person named on the certificate, spouse, sibling, direct ancestor or direct descendant.
If you need any assistance with obtaining certified copies of North Carolina vital records, please contact us. We are happy to provide advice on how best to obtain North Carolina vital records and to provide a free pre-check of your documents to confirm eligibility for authentication by the North Carolina Secretary of State.
For a free quotation, advice on how to obtain documents or to confirm eligibility of your documents for a North Carolina Apostille, please contact us or upload your documents for a free quotation using our:
Online Quotation Form
Certified translations of North Carolina vital records
When North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina, 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:
For further information about our apostille services in different states, please contact us.