Apostilles

The Department of Health can help you order an apostille with a Washington state birth, death, marriage, or divorce certificate. We can also help you get an apostille with a single status letter if you plan to get married in another country, and need documentation of your current marital status.

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a document issued by Washington Secretary of State that verifies to a foreign government the official document – birth, death, marriage, divorce certificate, or single status letter – came from Washington state.

An apostille is a single page tri-lingual (English/French/Spanish) document with a black and white Washington state seal attached to the official document with a security corner.

You can find more information about apostilles on the Secretary of State's website.

How do I get an apostille?

If you already have the certificate, you can go directly to the Secretary of State to get an apostille. You can find the information you need to order the apostille on the Secretary of State's website.

If you want to request an apostille at the same time you place an order for a vital record, you must order by phone through our contract vendor, VitalChek, at 1-866-687-1464 or by mail using an order form. If you request expedited service, an apostille will delay mailing of your order.

How do I request an apostille with my order?

By Mail

  1. Send DOH the certificate order form and pay the appropriate fees: $25 per certificate and $15 per apostille. Make payment payable to DOH. You must include the country requiring the official document and number of apostilles on the certificate order form.
  2. DOH will process the order, then send the apostille request along with your official document to the Secretary of State.
    1. Differences between information provided on the order form and the requested record may cause delays in processing. If there is a difference, staff will contact you for permission to release the official document to the Secretary of State for the apostille.
    2. If you select expedited shipping, labels created by our office do NOT indicate the shipping date. Allow 5-7 business days for tracking to appear.
  3. The Secretary of State will process the apostille request. Apostilles usually get mailed within one week after the Secretary of State receives the request; however, we cannot guarantee apostille processing times.

By Phone

  1. Call 1-866-687-1464 to place an order through our contracted vendor, VitalChek, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Tell the customer service representative that you need an apostille and they will help you with your order and payment.
    1. VitalChek sends DOH completed orders daily.
  2. DOH will process the order, then send the apostille request along with your official document to the Secretary of State.
    1. Differences between information provided on the order form and the requested record may cause delays in processing. If there is a difference, staff will contact you for permission to release the official document to the Secretary of State for the apostille.
    2. If you select expedited shipping, labels created by our office do NOT indicate the shipping date. Allow 5-7 business days for tracking to appear.
  3. The Secretary of State will process the apostille request. Apostilles usually get mailed within one week after the Secretary of State receives the request; however, we cannot guarantee apostille processing times.

How much does it cost?

An apostille costs $15 plus the cost of the certificate. You can find information about the costs for vital records here.

How long does it take if I request the apostille at the time I order the certificate(s)?

We will process the certificate request within 3-5 business days once we receive completed orders. Apostilles usually get mailed within one week after the Secretary of State receives the request; however, we cannot guarantee apostille processing times.

If you select expedited shipping, labels created by our office do NOT indicate the shipping date. Allow 5-7 business days for tracking to appear. An adult signature is required at the time of delivery on UPS shipments.

Differences between information provided on the order form and the requested record may cause delays in processing. If there is a difference, staff will contact you for permission to release the official document to the Secretary of State for the apostille.

What if I need the apostille sooner?

See the Secretary of State website for information on expediting apostille orders.

What if I need an apostille to go with a single status letter?

At the time you order a single status letter, let the customer service representative know you also need an apostille.

For more questions on apostilles contact the Secretary of State: