Federal & Consular Marriage Record Apostille

Don’t have it yet? How to Get a Marriage Certificate for Use Abroad →

Issuing agency

U.S. Department of State / consular authority

We can obtain it?

No — you request it from the issuing authority

Certification first?

Federal records authenticate directly; state records don't

Also known as

consular marriage record, marriage abroad certificate

Marriage records issued by a U.S. consular authority abroad — or otherwise federally issued — authenticate through the U.S. Department of State. Couples need them apostilled for spousal visas, to register the marriage in another country, or to establish marital status for residency and property.

Before anything else, though: check who issued yours. This is the single most common mistake on this document.

What counts as a federal marriage record

The great majority of U.S. marriages are recorded by a county clerk or state vital records office, producing a state document. A smaller category — records connected to U.S. consular authority abroad, or documents issued by a federal office in connection with a marriage overseas — are federal, and those authenticate through the U.S. Department of State.

Note that U.S. embassies and consulates do not perform marriages. Where a marriage takes place abroad, the host country issues the marriage certificate; a consular-issued document in the file is a different item, and we'll identify which you have.

Why it needs an apostille abroad

A foreign civil registry or immigration authority cannot verify a U.S. record independently. The apostille certifies the issuing authority's signature and seal as genuine across the 120-plus Hague Convention countries. Non-Hague destinations require that authentication plus embassy or consulate legalization.

Getting the record

Where you request depends on who issued it. Consular or federally issued records come from the Department of State; state certificates come from the county clerk or state vital records office that recorded the marriage; a marriage performed abroad is documented by that country's own authority.

We authenticate Florida state documents directly; documents from other states need an apostille from their own Secretary of State first, and for non-Hague destinations we can then handle the U.S. Department of State and embassy steps.

Federal or state? Check before you send

Look at who signed and sealed the certificate:

Married abroad and now need the marriage recognized in a third country? That usually means authenticating the host country's certificate through its process — not ours. We'll tell you plainly if that's your situation rather than take an order we can't fulfil.

Document preparation requirements

• Confirm the issuing authority before ordering — it determines the entire route.
• Submit the record exactly as issued.
• Do not notarize a federal record — it invalidates it for authentication.
• Don't laminate, staple across the seal, highlight, or annotate it.
• Tell us the destination country and what the foreign authority asked for.

The step-by-step process

1. Send us a photo first

   We confirm whether your record is federal, state, or foreign — before you pay or mail anything.

2. Obtain the right record

   If what you have won't work for the destination, we tell you what will and where to get it.

3. Mail it to us

   Once we've confirmed the document and route.

4. Authentication

   Federal records go to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.; state records route through the issuing state.

5. Apostille or authentication issued

   You receive the apostille (Hague) or authentication certificate (non-Hague).

6. Embassy legalization & translation, if required

   For non-Hague destinations we handle legalization, and arrange certified translation — usually required for civil registry filings.

Common rejection reasons — and how to avoid them

Common uses

• Spousal and family visas — proving the marriage in an immigration file abroad.
• Foreign marriage registration — recording a U.S. marriage with another country's civil registry.
• Residency applications — establishing marital status as part of a family file.
• Property and inheritance matters — where marital status affects rights.
• Name-change recognition abroad — where the marriage record evidences the change.

Hague vs. non-Hague countries

Pick your destination below, or see all countries we serve.

Official references: U.S. Department of State — Marriage Abroad · U.S. Department of State — Authenticate Your Document. Government fees are set by these agencies and are separate from our service fee.