Maine Vital Records Apostille: Town Clerk, Augusta, Then Abroad
A Maine vital records apostille comes from the Secretary of State in Augusta for $10 per document, and the office is mail-driven with a published 10 to 15 business days. The record itself comes from a town clerk or the state’s Data, Research and Vital Statistics office, and Maine is a closed-record state, so who may order matters before anything else does.
The marriage that lives in a coastal town office
A typical case. A retired teacher from a small town on the Maine coast now lives in Porto. A Portuguese office wants her 1962 marriage certificate with an apostille. The record may sit with the town clerk where the marriage was registered, or with the state office in Augusta, which holds records since January 1, 1892. Older ones are local.
Maine adds a rule that surprises many readers abroad. Certified copies are restricted. You need identification and a direct, legitimate interest in the record, and plain copies open up only after 50 years. A non-certified copy costs $10 and is stamped as not valid for legal purposes. Do not pay for that one.
The Secretary of State does not issue the records. It authenticates the signature on them. So Maine is two offices and a mailbox, and the sooner you know which office holds your record, the sooner you get a date.
In Maine, the first question is not the apostille. It is who may order the certified copy.
Who holds each Maine record, and what you pay
The DHHS ordering page sets the state fees. Maine’s own pages blocked our automated reading, so most rows below rest on search summaries of official pages. Confirm with the office before you rely on them.
| Record | Who issues the certified copy | Copy fee | Extra step or warning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | Town clerk of the birth town, or DHHS Data, Research and Vital Statistics in Augusta. | $15 for the first certified copy and $6 for each additional copy of the same record at the state office. | Town fees vary. Ask the DHHS office to send the record on to the Secretary of State. |
| Marriage | Town clerk where the marriage was registered, or DHHS. | $15 first copy and $6 each additional at the state office. | State records start January 1, 1892. Which signer the Secretary of State prefers, town clerk or state registrar, is unconfirmed. |
| Death | Town clerk of the town of death, or DHHS. | $15 first certified copy and $6 each additional. | Long or short form is unconfirmed, so confirm with the office. |
| Divorce | DHHS keeps divorce records received from state courts, per one town’s page. The court clerk procedure for a certified decree is unconfirmed. | Unconfirmed, confirm with the office. | Judge or clerk certification and exemplification are unconfirmed. Ask which one your authority needs. |
Anyone searching for apostille birth certificate Maine, apostille marriage certificate Maine or apostille death certificate Maine faces the same first choice: town or state? A Maine divorce decree apostille is the least settled of the four, and we say so rather than guess.
How the Secretary of State’s authentication desk works
The Secretary of State’s authentications and apostilles page lists marriage, divorce and death vital records as eligible through DHHS. The fee is $10 per document, a figure that matches our dataset, and the published time is 10 to 15 business days. The fee page itself is older, so ask whether anything has changed.
Mail goes to the Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions, 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101. A courier or physical delivery address is 6 E Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Augusta, ME 04330. The phone is 207-624-7752 and the email is cec.notaries@maine.gov. DHHS Vital Records is at 11 State House Station, 220 Capitol Street, Augusta, ME 04333-0011.
We found no online or e-apostille option, so treat it as unavailable. The access is mail-only for ordinary customers. Anyone sending more than 5 documents should call for an appointment first.
The useful trick is the forwarding step. If you order from DHHS by mail, ask them to send the documents straight to the Secretary of State’s division. That cuts out a trip through your own mailbox.
Town or state office, then Augusta, then the courier
Working a mail-only state from another country
- 1
Check your standing to order
Gather ID and an explanation of your interest in the record. Maine restricts certified copies, so the rule applies to the person ordering, not to the document.
- 2
Pick town or state
For a recent event, the state office in Augusta is the usual choice. For an older or small-town record, call the town clerk. Small offices can answer slowly, which is worth planning for.
- 3
Free review before Augusta
We check the record type, the name spelling and whether the copy is certified. If Maine lets an authorized third party order for you, we can help obtain the copy. The review is where we settle that.
- 4
The Augusta mail queue
Maine keeps Eastern time, so it matches Boston. A Lisbon caller is five hours ahead. With 10 to 15 business days posted and no counter service, email is your channel. Count on three weeks for the state step alone.
- 5
Home by courier
Count on several days each way with DHL, FedEx or UPS. A record that took weeks to obtain deserves tracking and a signed delivery.
Order the copy first and then send it to us, or have us begin. If DHHS can forward to the Secretary of State, it saves a mail leg, but ask us before you agree to that, because it changes who holds the document.
Six reasons Maine files come back
No direct interest
A cousin or friend ordering a certified copy may be turned away. The rule depends on the relationship and the record.
The informational copy
A non-certified copy at $10 is stamped not for legal purposes. It cannot be authenticated for use abroad.
State records before 1892
The state office has records since January 1, 1892. Earlier ones are local, so the town clerk is the source.
Six documents, no appointment
More than 5 documents needs a phone call to the Augusta division first. Skipping it slows the whole batch.
The wrong Augusta address
The mail box and the courier street address differ. A courier package sent to the box can sit.
A decree with no procedure
The route for a certified court decree is unconfirmed. Ask the Augusta division which paper it will authenticate.
Italy and Portugal, the two destinations Maine readers name most
Italy
Italy is a Hague party. The Consulate General of Italy in Boston lists Maine among the states whose residents it serves for the elective residence visa, and its checklist asks for items like passport, lodging proof and tax returns. It does not mention an apostille for that visa, so ask first. For citizenship by descent, Chicago’s checklist uses long-form certified Italian-line certificates, with typed Italian translations.
Portugal
Portugal is a Hague party. For the D7 visa, the Washington embassy sheet asks for an FBI certificate issued less than 90 days earlier. A new nationality law, Lei Orgânica 1 of 2026, took effect on May 19, 2026, so confirm how it affects a descent claim. Our translations are ATA certified and notarized. We are not a sworn translator and we do not arrange sworn translations. If the destination insists on one, you hire a sworn translator there and we send the apostilled set to that person. Check any other country on the HCCH status table.
What we do for a Maine file
Our office is in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, north of Boston. We prepare documents and run couriers for a living, and we have been doing apostille work since 2007. Send us the record or the order details, and after a free look we deal with Augusta and the trip overseas.
Maine pricing is a quote, not a list. During the free review we check Maine’s fee and speed, then send one flat-rate figure before you pay. The prices on our site are for Massachusetts state apostilles, per document, state fee and return postage included. Economy is $149.95, Express is $199.95 and Rush is $385.95. Rush moves fastest, Express takes 2 to 5 business days and Economy 1 to 2 weeks. Elsewhere the pace follows the state office’s workload, and shipping time is extra.
See apostille pricing, how it works and the application form.
Maine vital records apostille FAQ
How do I get a Maine record apostilled from abroad?
Order a certified copy from the town clerk or DHHS, ask DHHS to forward it to the Secretary of State in Augusta, and pay $10 per document. Everything is by mail. You can organize it from overseas, and a US return address for the courier is wise.
How to apostille a Maine birth certificate?
Request a certified copy from the town clerk of the birth town or from DHHS in Augusta. State fees are $15 for the first copy and $6 for each additional. Then send it to the Secretary of State’s division for the $10 apostille. Plan on 10 to 15 business days for that step.
Who is allowed to order a certified Maine record?
Maine is a closed-record state. Certified copies need ID and a direct, legitimate interest, and non-certified copies open after 50 years. Ask the issuing office about your relationship before paying.
How long does a Maine apostille take?
The office publishes 10 to 15 business days, and the service is mail-only. Add the time to get the certified copy and courier days both ways. The state step alone can run about three weeks.
What about a Maine divorce decree apostille?
The procedure for a certified court decree is unconfirmed. DHHS holds divorce records from the courts, per one town page, but the Secretary of State’s handling of a decree is not stated. Ask the Augusta division which document it will authenticate.
Is there an online apostille in Maine?
We found no e-apostille or online option for Maine, so assume paper by mail to Augusta. The page we could check is older, and offices do add options over time, so confirm with the office before you rule out an online route.
Which countries accept a Maine apostille?
Hague Apostille Convention members accept it. Others require embassy or consulate legalization after the state step. Check the HCCH table and raise the country in your free review before you pay.
Neighbouring and related guides
From a Maine town office to a desk abroad
Name the town, the record and the country. We look it over at no charge, check the Maine fee and quote one flat rate before you commit.