Arizona Vital Records Apostille From Abroad
The Arizona Secretary of State puts the apostille on Arizona vital records, at 1700 W. Washington Street in Phoenix. The state fee is $3 per document and mail takes 10 to 20 business days. What trips people up is the source. Arizona county courts, not the state, issue marriage and divorce records, while the Department of Health Services issues birth and death. Get the right certified copy first and the apostille is routine.
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The county court holds your marriage, the state holds your death record
A couple married in Scottsdale and now settled near Stuttgart will ask the Arizona health department for a marriage certificate and be told it does not keep one. That surprises most people. In Arizona the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the license was recorded issues marriage copies, and the same court system issues divorce decrees.
Death and birth are different. They sit with the Arizona Department of Health Services in Phoenix or a county health office. This guide sorts the four records, explains the Secretary of State step, and flags the change at the Phoenix counter from 2 November 2026. Arizona’s own pages blocked some of our checks, so facts that came from search snippets are marked confirm with the office.
Arizona in one block
- Apostille office
- Arizona Secretary of State, Apostille Department, 1700 W. Washington Street, Floor 7, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2808.
- State fee
- $3 per document.
- Mail speed
- 10 to 20 business days.
- In person
- A walk-in expedite costs $25 and is limited to six documents per visit. The Phoenix counter becomes appointment-only on 2 November 2026.
- Marriage and divorce from
- The Clerk of the Superior Court of the county.
- Birth and death from
- Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of Vital Records, or a county health office.
- Phone
- 602-542-6187, the Secretary of State.
What to order for a birth, marriage, death or divorce
The Secretary of State’s October 2026 notary manual places marriage and divorce with the Clerk of the Superior Court. The health department’s death page covers death. The Secretary of State’s own authentication page returned an access error when we tried to read it, so some wording below is from search snippets.
| Record | Issuer of the certified copy | What the copy needs | Copy fee | County step first? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth. | Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records, or a county vital records office. | Original signature and seal of the issuing registrar. | $20. | None found. |
| Marriage. | Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the license was recorded. | A certified recorded document, not a photocopy. | The statewide court schedule lists $35. Counties add page and postage charges. Confirm with the clerk. | None found on official pages. |
| Death. | Department of Health Services or a county health office. The record is closed to all but eligible relatives aged 18 or older. | Original signature and seal. The Secretary of State’s signature file for state versus county signers: confirm with the office. | $20. Counties differ and VitalChek adds a fee. | None found. |
| Divorce. | Clerk of the Superior Court that entered the decree. | A decree certified by the clerk qualifies, according to secondary sources. Judge certification: confirm with the office. | Confirm with the clerk. County schedules vary. | None found. |
The Secretary of State’s counters, mail and courier addresses
Mail goes to the Apostille Department at 1700 W. Washington Street, Floor 7, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2808. Sealed courier envelopes go to the ADOA Mail Room at 1802 W. Jackson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007. The department answers at 602-542-6187. Its request form is posted on the Secretary of State’s authentication page.
The fee is $3 per document. By mail, the published time is 10 to 20 business days. Walk-in expedite costs $25 and is capped at six documents per visit. Starting 2 November 2026 the Phoenix counter works by appointment only, with the location set when you book. The office also lists a Tucson counter at the Arizona State Complex Building, 400 W. Congress, 2nd Floor, Suite 221. One page also names an Executive Tower Suite 220 for in-person service but says no in-person service is provided there, so ignore that address.
Arizona issues no electronic apostilles, according to a search snippet of the office’s page. The office accepts only original notarized or certified recorded documents, and it tells you not to send documents recorded by another state. A marriage recorded in Nevada goes to Nevada.
Two sources, one apostille desk
A realistic timeline when you are overseas
- 1
Week 1: confirm the source
Find the county where the license was recorded or the decree entered. Death and birth requests go to the Department of Health Services. Closed records need an eligible relative aged 18 or older.
- 2
Week 1: order the certified copy
Request it from the clerk or health office by their mail form or VitalChek. Ask for delivery to a U.S. address. We can receive it in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and inspect it.
- 3
Week 2 or 3: send it to Phoenix
We prepare the Apostille Request form, name the destination country and send the original to the Secretary of State. Mail takes 10 to 20 business days by the office’s own figure.
- 4
Week 4 to 6: ship overseas
DHL, FedEx and UPS usually need two to five business days to reach Europe or Latin America. Use signature on delivery.
- 5
Mind the clocks
Arizona has no daylight saving time and stays on Mountain Standard time. Berlin is eight hours ahead in winter and nine in summer. Mexico City is one hour ahead year-round. Call Phoenix at the start of your afternoon.
Order first or send ours? Order from the county clerk online or by mail now, so the copy is fresh. If a clerk wants in-person proof of identity, say so in the free review. Arizona may allow an authorized third party to request a record. We can help once we have confirmed that for your case.
Six Arizona mistakes that cost weeks
- Asking the wrong issuer for a marriage. The state health department lists birth and death, not marriage. Ask the county Clerk of the Superior Court.
- Photocopies. The Secretary of State needs an original notarized or certified recorded document. A scan or photocopy of a clerk’s copy fails.
- Records recorded elsewhere. The office says not to send documents recorded by another state. Use that state’s apostille office.
- A death record ordered by the wrong person. The record is closed. Only eligible relatives aged 18 or older may order it.
- Turning up without an appointment. From 2 November 2026 the Phoenix counter works by appointment only, and the location is set when you book.
- Using the wrong address. Regular mail and sealed courier envelopes have different addresses. A courier sent to the wrong one adds days.
Germany and Mexico, the two Arizona families ask about most
Germany. Germany is a Hague apostille country. A FAQ on the German missions’ site says a U.S. marriage certificate used in a residence permit application needs an apostille, and family members need marriage and children’s birth certificates. Checklists for the EU Blue Card and study permits exist, but we have not read their document-age rules, so ask the mission before you order. See germany.info.
Mexico. Mexico has been a party to the apostille convention since 14 August 1995, so an Arizona apostille is the accepted authentication. What a given Mexican office wants for residency or dual nationality is not something we could confirm, so ask the consulate or the receiving office before you order. Translation is available as an ATA certified translation that we have notarized. We are not a sworn translator, and arranging sworn translations is outside our service. A receiving office that insists on one gets the apostilled set from us, delivered to the translator you hire. Check any other country on the HCCH status table and our apostille versus legalization guide.
What we handle, and what it costs
We are a private document preparation and courier service in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, near Boston, with no affiliation to any Arizona office, school or consulate. You send us the order from any country. We check your record in a free review, find the right county or health office, and manage the Phoenix paperwork. ApostilleDesk shows you where your file stands.
Our posted rates are for Massachusetts: Economy $149.95, Express $199.95 and Rush $385.95 per document with the state fee and return postage. Arizona is quoted separately. We check the state fee and the Phoenix backlog, then email one flat-rate quote you approve before paying. Rush at one to two days is for Massachusetts and New Hampshire documents, and Arizona depends on the state office. Transit comes on top. Details sit on the pricing page and the how-it-works page, and the application form is ready when you are.
Arizona apostille FAQ
How do I get an Arizona record apostilled from abroad?
Order a certified copy from the county Clerk of the Superior Court or the Department of Health Services, have it delivered to a U.S. address, then send it to the Secretary of State in Phoenix. We can run each step and ship the finished set to you overseas after a free document review.
How much is the Arizona apostille fee?
The Secretary of State lists $3 per document. A walk-in expedite is $25. Certified copies cost extra, $20 for a death certificate from the health department and $35 on the statewide court schedule for a marriage record. County fees differ, so confirm with the clerk.
How long does an Arizona apostille take?
By mail the published time is 10 to 20 business days. Walk-in expedite is available, and from 2 November 2026 the Phoenix counter is by appointment only. Add the days needed to receive the certified copy and to ship the set overseas. Plan for more than a month in total.
Which office issues an Arizona marriage certificate?
The Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the license was recorded. The state health department lists birth and death records, not marriage. Counties set their own fees and request forms, so check the clerk of the right county before ordering.
Does Arizona apostille a divorce decree?
Secondary sources say a decree certified by the Clerk of the Superior Court qualifies, and the Secretary of State lists divorce decrees among certified recorded documents. We could not read the official page, so confirm with the office on 602-542-6187 or let us confirm during the free review.
Can a relative order my Arizona death certificate for me?
Only if they are eligible. Arizona treats the record as closed and limits it to qualifying relatives aged 18 or older. A friend or agent usually cannot. Tell us your relationship to the person in the free review and we will explain what the state allows.
Does Arizona offer an e-apostille?
Not according to the office. A search snippet of its page says no electronic apostilles are issued, so you need paper documents and a physical submission. We were unable to read the full page, so confirm with the office before assuming otherwise.
Neighbouring and related guides
We have worked with documents since 2007. The office is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm Eastern, on (978) 424-4629.
From a Phoenix desk to a foreign office
Tell us the record, the county and the country. A free review comes first, and one flat-rate quote arrives before you pay.