Alabama Vital Records Apostille for Use Abroad
An Alabama vital records apostille takes two steps in a fixed order. The Alabama Center for Health Statistics issues a certified record carrying the current State Registrar’s signature. Then the Secretary of State’s Authentication Division in Montgomery adds the apostille for a $5 state fee. Its published guidance is to allow about five business days by mail. The one record where Alabama may say no is a divorce decree signed by a circuit clerk.
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Which Alabama office does what, in one minute
Say you married in Mobile County, you now live in Valencia, and the Spanish residency office wants the marriage certificate apostilled. Everyone you ask gives a different answer. That is normal in Alabama, because the state splits the work across three kinds of office. The health department holds the state record, the probate office or circuit clerk holds the older and court-made copies, and the Secretary of State alone puts the apostille on top.
This guide follows the four records people ask us about most: birth, marriage, death and divorce. It tells you who to ask, in what order, what each step costs and where Alabama turns a record away. Every fact comes from an Alabama state page. Where a page was silent or out of date, we say confirm with the office and give the number to call.
Alabama at a glance
- Apostille office
- Alabama Secretary of State, Authentication Division, 11 South Union Street, Suite 224, Montgomery, AL 36130.
- State fee
- $5 per document, according to the Secretary of State’s authentications handbook.
- Published speed
- Allow about five business days by mail. The counter is open 8:00 to 5:00, Monday to Friday.
- Certified copies from
- Alabama Center for Health Statistics, part of the Alabama Department of Public Health, Montgomery.
- Signature that counts
- The current State Registrar, a commissioned Alabama notary or a probate judge.
- What Alabama refuses
- Photocopies, copies signed by a former registrar, restricted death records ordered by an unauthorized person, and possibly a circuit clerk’s decree.
- Phone for doubts
- (334) 242-5325, the Authentication Division.
Birth, marriage, death and divorce in Alabama
The table uses the health department’s own ordering pages for marriage and divorce and the Secretary of State’s authentications handbook. Fees are the state’s, not ours.
| Record | Who issues the certified copy | What the copy must show | Copy fee | Extra step before the Secretary of State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth. | Alabama Center for Health Statistics, or a county health department. | The current State Registrar’s signature on the certificate. | $15 search fee with one copy. | None found. |
| Marriage. | Alabama Center for Health Statistics for marriages filed from August 1936. The probate office of the county for earlier ones. | State Registrar signature, or a probate judge’s signature on a probate copy. | $15 with one copy, then $6 for each extra copy. Probate fee: confirm with the office. | None found for a state copy. |
| Death. | Alabama Center for Health Statistics. Restricted for 25 years from the date of death. | The current State Registrar’s signature. Neither office mentions long or short forms. | The marriage and divorce pages list $15 and $6. Confirm the death fee. | None found. |
| Divorce. | The health department issues a certificate for divorces from 1950. The circuit clerk of the county issues decrees and older divorces. | Certificate: State Registrar signature. Decree: a clerk’s signature, which may not qualify. | $15 with one copy, then $6. Clerk fee: confirm with the office. | Call (334) 242-5325 before ordering a decree. |
What the Alabama Secretary of State publishes
The Secretary of State’s authentications page says an apostille goes only on a document that carries the original signature and an embossed or ink-stamped seal. The signer must be a currently commissioned Alabama notary, a probate judge or the current State Registrar. The fee is $5 per document. Marriage certificates are named on the list of documents the office authenticates.
Mail goes to the Authentication Division at 11 South Union Street, Suite 224, Montgomery, AL 36130. The office also lists P.O. Box 5616, Montgomery, AL 36103-5616. Walk-in visitors are served between 8:00 and 5:00, Monday to Friday. The office publishes a submittal form that goes in with the documents. We found no online request and no e-apostille on the pages we read, so confirm that before you plan around one.
Alabama also has a shortcut you will not find in most states. The health department sells an apostille or exemplified copy for $25 each, plus $15 to expedite. You request it by mail, by phone or in person, and you must say which copy type you want and the foreign country. The department’s apostille page says it cannot be ordered online or at county health departments. It does not say whether the department forwards the copy to the Secretary of State, so ask that question first.
How an Alabama record travels
Follow the arrows left to right. Most records start at the first box and skip the second.
Step by step when you are not in Alabama
- 1
Name the record and check who may order it
Marriage and divorce certificates are unrestricted, so anyone may order them. A birth certificate goes to the named person, a parent, a spouse, a child, a sibling or a legal representative. A death certificate is restricted for 25 years and needs identification.
- 2
Order the certified copy from Montgomery
Use the health department’s mail application, its phone line or the VitalChek link on its divorce page. From abroad, the mail form with a copy of your ID is the slow but dependable choice. Phone orders with a card carry added fees.
- 3
Decide where the copy lands
Have it shipped to a U.S. address you trust, such as ours in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. A single certified copy that disappears in a foreign postal system is hard to replace. Never mail it overseas first.
- 4
Send it for the apostille
We prepare the submittal form, send the original to the Authentication Division and track it. The office says to allow about five business days by mail. Add the days it spends in transit each way.
- 5
Ship the finished set abroad
DHL, FedEx and UPS usually take two to five business days to Europe and Latin America. Signature on delivery is worth it. Put the tracking number in an email to the person receiving it.
- 6
Mind the clock when you call
Montgomery runs on Central time. Madrid and Rome are usually seven hours ahead, so the office’s 8:00 to 5:00 day is 3:00 pm to midnight for you. Lisbon is six hours ahead. Call first thing your afternoon, not at night.
Order the copy first, or send ours? If Alabama lets an authorized third party request the record, we can order it for you, and we always confirm that in the free document review. If you already hold a recent certified copy with the current State Registrar’s signature, send it to us and skip the reorder. We never promise more than the state allows.
Six ways Alabama sends a record back
The registrar changed
The handbook requires the current State Registrar. A copy printed years ago may carry a former registrar’s signature. Order a fresh certificate instead of arguing with the counter.
A decree signed by a circuit clerk
The 2020 handbook lists a circuit clerk only for a certification, which serves countries outside the Hague Convention. Whether that changed is unconfirmed. Call (334) 242-5325 first.
An unauthorized person ordered a death record
The health department says it will not process an apostille request for a restricted death record from someone who is not authorized. A cousin ordering for you can sink the file.
A photocopy, scan or notarized copy
Only the original signature and seal count. A notary cannot turn a photocopy of a state record into one the Secretary of State will apostille.
The wrong office for early events
Marriages before August 1936 sit with the county probate office. Divorces before 1950 sit with the circuit clerk. The state office will charge its non-refundable search fee and find nothing.
No foreign country on the apostille copy order
For the $25 health department apostille copy you must name the copy type and the country. A blank reason slows the order.
Where Alabama families send these records
Portugal. Portugal is a Hague apostille country. Its immigration agency says foreign documents need a certified Portuguese translation, except documents already in English, French or Spanish. An Alabama marriage certificate in English can therefore travel with an apostille alone. For the D7 visa, Portugal’s Washington embassy asks for an FBI check, which is a federal document and a separate order. Portugal changed its nationality law in May 2026, so check the current rules before you order anything.
Italy. Italy is a Hague country too. Citizenship by descent changed sharply in 2025, with a cut-off date of 27 March 2025 for most applications, so confirm you qualify before paying for records. The Chicago consulate’s checklist asks for a typed Italian translation of the Italian-line certificates and says the apostille itself need not be translated. We can provide ATA certified translations that get notarized. We are not a sworn translator and we do not arrange sworn translations. If your destination demands one, you hire that translator and we ship the apostilled set to them. See the HCCH status table for any other country, and our apostille versus legalization guide if yours is not on it.
What we do for you, and what it costs
We are a private document preparation and courier service in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, close to Boston. You send us the order from anywhere. We review it for free, confirm the Alabama route for your record and fill in the state form. We handle the Montgomery step and ship the finished set to you. Our online case tracking in ApostilleDesk opens when your file does.
Our published prices cover Massachusetts apostilles: Economy $149.95, Express $199.95 and Rush $385.95 per document, with the state fee and return postage included. For Alabama we confirm the state fee and speed during the free review and send one flat-rate quote before you pay. Alabama timing depends on the state office, so we do not promise Massachusetts speeds here. Transit is extra. See apostille pricing and how it works, or start your order.
Alabama apostille FAQ
How do I get an Alabama record apostilled from abroad?
Order a certified copy from the Alabama Center for Health Statistics by mail or phone, have it delivered to a U.S. address, then send it to the Secretary of State’s Authentication Division. We can run those steps for you and ship the finished set to your overseas address. Confirm in our free review whether a third party may order your record.
How much does the Alabama state apostille cost?
The Secretary of State’s handbook lists $5 per document. The health department charges separately for the certified copy, $15 with one copy for marriage and divorce certificates. Its own apostille or exemplified copy costs $25. Our quote is separate and sent flat-rate before you pay.
How long does an Alabama apostille take?
The Secretary of State’s published guidance is to allow about five business days by mail. Walk-in service runs 8:00 to 5:00, Monday to Friday. Add the time the health department needs to issue the certified copy and the courier days each way. The office does not promise a date, so allow slack before a deadline.
Who can order an Alabama death certificate for an estate abroad?
The health department restricts death records for 25 years. Listed relatives, legal representatives or someone with written signed permission may order, with identification. It says it will not process an apostille request for a restricted death record from an unauthorized requester. Tell us who you are in the review so the order goes in correctly.
Does Alabama apostille a divorce decree from a circuit clerk?
Unconfirmed. The 2020 handbook lists a circuit clerk only for a certification, not an apostille. A divorce certificate from the health department, signed by the State Registrar, fits the rule. Call (334) 242-5325 before ordering a decree, or let us ask during the free review.
Is the health department apostille copy better than the two-step route?
It costs $25 per copy and is requested by mail, phone or in person. The department’s page does not say whether it sends the copy to the Secretary of State. Ask that first. The two-step route costs the $15 copy plus the $5 state fee and is clearly documented.
Do I need a translation after the apostille?
It depends on the destination. Portugal accepts English documents without a Portuguese translation. Italy asks for Italian translations of certain certificates. Always ask the receiving authority. We can provide ATA certified translations, but we are not a sworn translator and we do not arrange sworn translations.
Neighbouring and related guides
We are not affiliated with the Alabama Secretary of State, the Alabama Department of Public Health or any consulate. We have prepared documents since 2007. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm Eastern. Phone (978) 424-4629.
From a Montgomery office to your foreign authority
Tell us the record, the county and the country. We confirm the Alabama route in a free review and send one flat-rate quote before you pay.