Procedure for Apostille of U.S. Birth Certificate

To facilitate immigration, school enrollment, marriage registration, and applications for government service, foster care, visa extensions, and obtaining proof of long-term residence for a child, it is necessary to provide the U.S. birth certificate with a Hague Apostille authentication.

An U.S. birth certificate is Issued in an original hard copy and signed by an official of the issuing authority and stamped by issuing authority.

The regular processing time for obtaining an infant’s birth certificate is typically 1-2 months. expedited processing is generally around 5 business days. Applicants opting for expedited processing are usually required to provide a confirmed airline ticket for departure within 1-2 weeks.

There are two approaches to authenticate a U.S. birth certificate for Hague recognition. One option involves authenticating a copy of the birth certificate, while the other requires authenticating the original document. Applicants have the flexibility to choose the method that best suits their individual circumstances.

Steps for Apostille on a Copy of the U.S. Birth Certificate:

Steps: The U.S. birth certificate undergoes notarization by a U.S. notary public.
The notarized copy of the birth certificate is then submitted to the Secretary of State for apostille.

Processing time: The processing time is 2-3 business days, excluding shipping time.

Documents required for apostille:
1.Scanned copy of U.S. birth certificate
2.Scanned copies of the first page of both parents’ passports

Steps for Apostille on the Original U.S. Birth Certificate:

The authentication process may vary based on the issuing state. Generally, the original U.S. birth certificate must be submitted to the Secretary of State in the issuing state for apostille.

Processing time：The processing time is 3-4 weeks, excluding shipping time.

Documents required for apostille:
1.The original U.S. birth certificate
2.Scanned copies of the first page of both parents’ passports