New Hampshire Vital Records Apostille: The Notarized Copy, the Concord Counter and the Order That Works
A New Hampshire vital records apostille starts with the right paper. The town or city clerk, or the state registry in Concord, must issue an original copy that the registrar has signed and notarized. The Secretary of State then apostilles it for $10 at the State House counter. Here is the chain from an overseas address.
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One statute decides what a New Hampshire apostille record looks like
A typical case: a Manchester native now living in Valencia needs her marriage certificate apostilled for a Spanish residence file. The city clerk mailed a clean certified copy. It had a raised seal and it still went nowhere. New Hampshire law makes an apostille record a three layer document, and people miss the middle layer.
Under RSA 5-C:99, the record must carry the signature of the state registrar or the town or city clerk, then that official’s own notarized acknowledgement, then the Secretary of State’s acknowledgement with signature and seal. The Secretary of State will not apostille a vital record that is not in that form. You can read the statute on the General Court website.
So the order is fixed. Ask the issuing office for an “original, notarized copy” made for an apostille. Take or send that paper to Room 204 at the State House. Only then does a courier carry it abroad. Our Tewksbury office is about an hour south of Concord, and many Boston area clients use New Hampshire records, so we run this route often.
Who issues each New Hampshire record, and what it must show
The same statute covers all four, but the issuer changes. Anything marked “confirm with the office” is a point the official pages leave open.
| Record | Who issues the copy | What the copy must show | Copy fee | Before the Secretary of State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | Town or city clerk of the birthplace, or DVRA in Concord. | Original, sealed, notarized acknowledgement by the clerk or registrar. No photocopy. | $15 first copy, $10 each more. | Nothing else. Go to Room 204. |
| Marriage | Town or city clerk where the license was issued, or DVRA. Which years DVRA holds: confirm with the office. | Same three layers. Records over 50 years old are open, newer ones need a direct and tangible interest. | $15 first copy, $10 each more. | Nothing else once the acknowledgement is there. |
| Death | Clerk of the town of death, or DVRA. The DVRA form offers versions with or without cause of death. | Same three layers. Which version a foreign office wants: ask it, and confirm with the Secretary of State. | $15 first copy, $10 each more. | Nothing else. Choose the version before you order. |
| Divorce | DVRA on written application, or the New Hampshire court that granted it. Town clerks may not issue divorce copies. | The apostille form of the copy with the notarized acknowledgement. A plain certified decree: confirm with the office. | $15 and $10 at DVRA. $40 for a court certified copy per the court fee rule. | Ask the court clerk or DVRA for the RSA 5-C:99 format. |
Whatever the record, say the word apostille when you order. A clerk who is not told will hand you the ordinary copy.
Secretary of State, Room 204: how the counter and the mail desk behave
The apostille desk sits in the State House at 107 North Main Street, Concord. The Secretary of State’s apostille page gives weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Its general contact page says 8:00 to 4:30. Arrive well before 4:00.
The state fee is $10 per apostille, set by RSA 5:10. Pay in cash or by check made out to State of New Hampshire. The counter does not take foreign currency. The same statute lists an expedite charge, but the office’s own guidance differs on whether it applies to a small batch, so ask by phone before you budget for it.
Large batches may not be ready until the next business day. That wording implies a single document is normally finished while you wait, though the office publishes no promised turnaround. This is the counter’s pace, separate from our service levels.
Mail works too. The office asks for a letter naming the destination country, a check, a self addressed stamped return envelope and a phone number. From abroad, a stamped envelope is useless, so confirm with the office whether it will use a prepaid courier label. Most overseas clients hand us the counter step.
There is no online apostille. Vendors such as VitalChek sell ordinary copies at extra cost, but Manchester’s clerk says the apostille form must come through DVRA.
From your overseas address to Room 204 and back
Six hand-offs, one of them at the clerk’s notary table.
A realistic timeline when you are not in New Hampshire
Concord keeps Eastern time. Lisbon runs five hours ahead and Madrid or Rome six, so call in your morning.
- 1
Decide which record and how many copies
Order spares in the same request. Additional copies are $10 each when ordered together.
- 2
Order the original, notarized copy
Use the town or city clerk for a birth, marriage or death, or DVRA for any record including divorce. Prove your interest if the record is under 50 years old. A relative in New Hampshire or an authorized third party may be able to order for you. Confirm what the office accepts.
- 3
Ship it to a US address you control
Use our Tewksbury office or a family member. The record has one more stop before it travels.
- 4
Take it to Concord, or let us
We hand carry or courier the paper to Room 204, pay the $10 fee per apostille, and wait for it where possible. Rush on New Hampshire documents is 1 to 2 days from the moment we hold the paper.
- 5
Check the apostille before it flies
We check names and dates against your passport and the foreign checklist.
- 6
Ship abroad and track
International express courier commonly takes two to five business days each way, and customs can add more. We send a tracking number and post updates in ApostilleDesk, our online case tracker.
A clean file moves in roughly one to two weeks door to door, mostly courier time. Mark any deadline on the application and we will say honestly if it is tight.
Six reasons the Concord counter turns a file around
A keepsake or church certificate
A decorative marriage certificate or a hospital souvenir birth sheet is not a vital record. Only the clerk or DVRA issues one.
A certified copy with no notary
The clerk’s plain certification is not the apostille form. The record needs the notarized acknowledgement from RSA 5-C:99, and you request it by name.
Divorce asked of a town clerk
Town and city clerks cannot issue divorce copies. Go to DVRA or the court that granted the decree, and say it is for an apostille.
A recent record with no proof of interest
Records under 50 years old need a direct and tangible interest. A bare request from a researcher will be refused.
The wrong payee on the check
The Secretary of State counter takes State of New Hampshire. DVRA mail orders take Treasurer-State of New Hampshire. Mixed up checks cause a return trip.
Death record with or without cause
DVRA offers more than one version of a death certificate. Which one the receiving office accepts is unconfirmed here, so ask the foreign authority before you order.
Spain and Portugal, the two requests we see most from New Hampshire
Spain
Spain is a Hague Convention country. The Consulate General of Spain in Boston serves permanent residents of New Hampshire, and its non-lucrative visa checklist asks for family documents such as a marriage certificate to be apostilled, with civil documents issued within the last 12 months. Everything must be in Spanish, and the translation needs no apostille of its own.
Portugal
Portugal is also a party to the Convention. Its AIMA recognition page accepts apostilled foreign public documents and wants certified Portuguese translations unless the paper is in English, French or Spanish. For descent applications, a consulate page we read asks for a recent apostilled birth certificate, within six months. Portugal changed its nationality law in 2026, so check the current rule. Our Portugal guide covers the next step.
Check any country on the HCCH status table before you order. A country outside the Convention needs embassy legalization after Concord, see apostille versus legalization. We can provide ATA certified translations that get notarized. We are not a sworn translator and we do not arrange sworn translations, so if your destination demands one, you hire that translator there and we ship the apostilled set to them.
The Concord run, handled from Tewksbury
Boston Apostille Service is a private document preparation and courier service in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, working since 2007. We review your file for free, tell you which copy to order, help obtain the certified copy where New Hampshire allows an authorized third party, take it to the State House, check the finished apostille and ship the set to you. You follow each case in ApostilleDesk. Hablamos Español.
Our published prices are for Massachusetts documents: Economy $149.95, Express $199.95 and Rush $385.95 per document, state fee and return postage included. For New Hampshire we confirm the state fee and the speed during the free review and send one flat-rate quote before you pay. Rush is the fastest level, 1 to 2 days for New Hampshire documents. Express is 2 to 5 business days and Economy 1 to 2 weeks, with transit extra. Ask about a volume discount for many records.
See the pricing page and how it works, then start your order. Questions? Call (978) 424-4629, Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm Eastern.
We are not affiliated with any state office, school or consulate. The state sets the fees and the rules. Records issued in other states go through the issuing state, see our out of state guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a New Hampshire record apostilled from abroad?
Order an original, notarized copy from the town or city clerk or from the state registry in Concord, ask for the apostille version, and have it shipped to a courier address in the United States. Someone with the paper then takes it to the Secretary of State. We can run that second half for you, and we review the order first at no charge.
What is the notarized acknowledgement and why does the state insist on it?
State law says an apostille record carries the registrar or clerk signature, that official own notarized acknowledgement, and then the Secretary of State acknowledgement with seal. The Secretary of State will not apostille a record that lacks the middle layer, so say the copy is for an apostille.
Is the Concord counter really same day?
The Secretary of State says large batches may not be ready until the next business day, which tells you a single document is normally handled while you wait. No turnaround is promised, so keep a spare day in your plan.
Does New Hampshire accept a scan or photocopy of a vital record?
No. State law restricts who may issue, duplicate, seal or notarize a vital record to the registry and to town and city clerks, and a photocopy made by anyone else is not a record. A scan emailed from the clerk cannot be apostilled either, because the apostille attaches to the paper original.
Who may order a New Hampshire marriage or death certificate?
Records more than 50 years old are open to anyone. Newer ones need a direct and tangible interest, such as being a named party, a close relative or a legal representative. Expect to show identification, and ask the office which proof it takes by mail.
Where do I get a copy of a New Hampshire divorce decree?
From the registry in Concord on written application, or from the New Hampshire court that granted the divorce. Town and city clerks are not allowed to issue divorce copies. Ask for the apostille form with the notarized acknowledgement.
What does the state charge for a New Hampshire apostille?
The Secretary of State charges $10 per apostille under state law, paid by cash or check to the State of New Hampshire at the counter. The certified copies cost extra, $15 for the first and $10 for each more ordered together. Our own fee is separate, and we quote it before you pay.
Next to New Hampshire
From the clerk’s notary table to a consulate abroad
Tell us the record, the town and the country. We tell you which copy to order and run the Concord step.