Illinois Vital Records Apostille: County Clerk Copy, Index Department, $2
An Illinois vital records apostille is issued by the Secretary of State’s Index Department in Chicago for $2 per document, and the certified copy should come from the county clerk or circuit clerk, not from a notary. Mail takes 7 to 14 business days by the published page, and walk-ins are usually served while you wait. The state health department sells copies too, but it can take twelve weeks. Here is the order that fits someone abroad.
- Free document review on every order
- Hablamos Español
- Flat-rate quote before you pay
In Illinois the county usually beats the state for speed and for acceptance
Take a family in Oak Park gathering papers for an Italian citizenship file. The marriage certificate is the easy one. Illinois marriage records are kept by the county clerk where the license was issued, and the state health department does not issue certified marriage copies. The birth and death certificates are where families go wrong, because the Illinois Department of Public Health sells them too. Its mail orders can take about twelve weeks, and the Secretary of State’s own application form describes death certificates as certified by the county clerk or local registrar where the death occurred.
That is why this guide leans on the county. The state office that attaches the apostille is the Index Department of the Illinois Secretary of State. It charges $2 per apostille, takes mail and walk-ins, and by the published page handles mail in 7 to 14 business days. It offers no online or e-apostille option that we could find.
Who does what for an Illinois record
Order the certified copy from the county, bring or mail it to the Index Department unaltered, and name the destination country. Do not take a county-clerk-signed record to a notary. The Secretary of State’s form says records signed by a county or circuit clerk must not be notarized, and the apostille goes on the original with its seal, signature, printed name and title.
For notarized papers there is a separate step. The Cook County Clerk issues a $2 Certificate of Authenticity for a notarized document before the Secretary of State will take it. That step belongs to notarized papers, not to vital records the clerk has already certified.
Illinois at a glance
- Apostille office
- Secretary of State, Index Department, Chicago, with Springfield and some DMV+ sites.
- State fee
- $2 per apostille.
- Published time
- 7 to 14 business days by mail, usually while you wait at a counter.
- Marriage, divorce
- County clerk and circuit court clerk. IDPH issues neither as a certified copy.
- Birth, death
- County clerk or IDPH, with the county the safer choice.
- Refused
- Notarized clerk records, photocopies and uncertified prints.
What each Illinois record needs before it reaches the Index Department
| Record | Certified copy from | What the copy must show | Copy fee | Extra step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | County clerk (Cook County Clerk for Chicago) or IDPH | Long form with the issuing official’s seal and signature | IDPH long form $15. County fees vary. | None. The county route avoids the IDPH mail wait. |
| Marriage | County clerk where the license was issued. Cook County Clerk covers Chicago and suburban Cook. | Original certified copy with seal, signature, printed name and title | Cook County: $15 first copy, $4 each additional. Other counties set their own. | None for a clerk-certified record |
| Death | County clerk or local registrar where the death occurred. IDPH also issues one. | Same seal and signature rule. Whether the Index Department accepts an IDPH copy: confirm with the office. | IDPH $19 full copy, $4 each additional. County fee: confirm. | None |
| Divorce | Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the decree was entered. IDPH keeps an index only. | Circuit clerk certification with seal, signature, printed name and title | Varies by county, confirm with the clerk | None described, and no notary |
The Cook County Clerk’s marriage page carries the first-copy and additional-copy fees. IDPH explains death certificate orders and dissolution records separately. The birth fee comes from IDPH’s fee schedule, and one IDPH web page appears to swap its long form and short form prices, so check the total at checkout.
Clerk’s counter, Index Department, courier, destination
Addresses, counters and one conflict to check
The Secretary of State’s current page gives the Chicago mailing address as 160 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 100, Chicago, IL 60601. The older request form, I-213, still shows 69 W. Washington Street, Suite 1240, Chicago, IL 60602. We could not open either page directly because the site blocked our requests, so we are relying on search summaries of the official pages. Call the office or check the live page before you post anything. We also could not confirm a Springfield street address or counter hours.
Walk-in service needs the physical originals, and the office says it does not process anything digitally. If you are overseas, that leaves two choices. Mail the original with a prepaid return label, or let someone in Illinois carry it to a counter. Add the 7 to 14 business days for mail and the courier days to your country, which are commonly two to five depending on the service you pay for.
Doing it in order when you live three or seven hours ahead
- 1
Pick the county that holds the record
Marriage and divorce belong to the county where the license or decree was issued, which may not be where you lived. Cook County has its own Bureau of Vital Records at the Clerk’s office.
- 2
Order the certified copy, skip the notary
Each county publishes its own ordering rules. Ask for a certified copy with the clerk’s seal and signature. Where Illinois allows an authorized third party to order, we can help obtain the copy, and the free review confirms it.
- 3
Send it flat to a U.S. address
Do not fold or staple the certified copy. We can receive the packet in Massachusetts and forward it to Chicago.
- 4
Call in Central Time
Chicago is seven hours behind Rome and three hours behind Buenos Aires in winter, two in summer. Counter hours were not stated on the pages we could read, so check them on the live page before you call.
Six mistakes the Index Department sees
Ordering by mail from the state
Twelve weeks is a long time when a visa appointment is booked. The county clerk is usually faster.
An IDPH-issued copy that the form does not name
The application describes county or local registrar certification. Whether an IDPH copy passes is unconfirmed.
Notarizing a clerk’s signature
The state asks that records signed by a clerk or judge not be notarized. A notary stamp on them is not what the office wants.
Sending a scan or print
Only the original certified copy with seal, signature, printed name and title is apostilled.
Mailing to the address on an old form
The form and the current page give two Chicago addresses. Use the live page.
Ordering from where you lived, not where the license issued
A marriage record sits with the county that issued the license, which may be across the state.
Italian descent files and Argentine residence
The Italian consulate in Chicago publishes a citizenship checklist. It asks for typed Italian translations of certificates on the Italian line and says the non-Italian side needs none. It also says applications must be received between the 1st and 20th of the month of the appointment. Its certificate age limits are not stated, and Italian law changed in 2025, so check the checklist for your own file. Italy is a Hague party, so the Illinois apostille is the authentication. The HCCH status table lists the date.
Argentina’s migration directorate asks for original documents for its rentista, pensionado and student categories. It requires foreign-language papers to be translated by a traductor publico nacional, with the translation legalized by the Colegio de Traductores. The pages state no validity period for apostilles. We can provide ATA certified translations that get notarized. We are not a sworn translator and do not arrange sworn translations, so Argentina means hiring a local one and sending the apostilled set to them.
Illinois paper, handled by a Boston-area team
We work from Tewksbury, north of Boston, and have couriered documents since 2007. For Illinois we read your county copy against the state’s rules at no charge, tell you what is missing, and can carry the packet to the Index Department. Our published prices apply to Massachusetts documents: $149.95 Economy, $199.95 Express and $385.95 Rush per document, with the state fee and return postage built in.
An Illinois record is priced differently. During the free review we confirm the Illinois fee and speed, then send a single flat-rate quote before you pay. Rush is our fastest level, one to two days for Massachusetts and New Hampshire documents, while other states follow the volume at the state office. Express is two to five business days and Economy one to two weeks, transit extra. See pricing, how it works and out-of-state documents, or start your order.
We are a private document preparation and courier service. We are not affiliated with any state office, school or consulate. Hablamos Español. Phone (978) 424-4629, Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm Eastern.
Checklist
- County-certified original, unfolded.
- No notary on clerk-signed records.
- Destination country named.
- Current Chicago mailing address.
- Read apostille versus legalization if the country is not a Hague party.
What people ask before sending an Illinois record to Chicago
How do I get an Illinois record apostilled from abroad?
Order a certified copy from the county clerk that holds the record, do not have a notary touch it, and mail the original to the Secretary of State Index Department in Chicago with the $2 fee, a prepaid return label and the destination country. Expect 7 to 14 business days plus courier time. We can handle the U.S. steps after a free review.
Who apostilles an Illinois marriage certificate?
The Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department, at the Chicago counter, by mail, or at a Springfield or DMV+ location. The certified copy comes from the county clerk where the license was issued. The Illinois Department of Public Health does not issue certified marriage copies. The apostille fee is $2 per document.
Should I order an Illinois death certificate from IDPH or the county?
The county clerk or local registrar where the death occurred is safer. The Secretary of State form describes county or local registrar certification, and IDPH mail orders take about twelve weeks. Whether the Index Department accepts an IDPH copy is unconfirmed, so ask the office before ordering one.
Can the Index Department apostille a divorce decree?
Yes, when the circuit court clerk certifies the decree with a seal, signature, printed name and title. Do not notarize it. IDPH only keeps an index, so the decree comes from the county where it was entered. The copy fee varies by county, and we could not confirm a statewide figure.
How long does an Illinois apostille take?
The Secretary of State page lists 7 to 14 business days by mail, and walk-ins are usually served while you wait. Add the time to order the county copy and the courier days to your country. We found no online or e-apostille option, so the paper original has to travel.
What is the Cook County Certificate of Authenticity?
It is a $2 certificate the Cook County Clerk issues for a notarized document, confirming the notary was in good standing, before the Secretary of State will apostille it. It applies to notarized papers, not to vital records the clerk has already certified, so most readers of this guide can skip it.
Can someone else order my Illinois certificate?
It depends on the county and the record. Counties ask for identification and a stated relationship or interest. We help obtain a certified copy only where Illinois allows an authorized third party, and we check that during the free review. Never rely on a friend or foreign lawyer being accepted.
Do I need a translation for Italy or Argentina?
Often yes, in different forms. Italy asks for typed Italian translations of certificates on the Italian line. Argentina wants a traductor publico nacional with the Colegio de Traductores legalization. We provide ATA certified translations that get notarized but do not arrange sworn translations, so a local sworn translator handles those.
Neighbouring and related guides
Your Illinois record, county copy to destination
Tell us the record, the county and the country. We check the copy against the Index Department rules and quote one flat rate before you pay.