North Dakota Vital Records Apostille From Abroad
A North Dakota vital record is apostilled by the Secretary of State in Bismarck for $10 plus a $5 signature search, so $15 for one signature. The state says requests are usually processed within 3 business days. You first need a certified copy from the issuer, which for birth and death records is North Dakota HHS Vital Records. From our Tewksbury office, a short drive from Boston, we assemble the packet and send the finished set to your address abroad.
- Free review before you pay
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- Courier to any country
- Since 2007 in Tewksbury
A Bismarck apostille that starts with an email
Take a nurse from Fargo who now works in Hamburg. The immigration office wants her birth certificate and her marriage record apostilled, and she cannot fly home. North Dakota gives her one real advantage. The Secretary of State recommends emailing the documents for a pre-review before you mail the originals.
The Secretary of State’s apostille page says you must first obtain a certified copy from the appropriate North Dakota office. The apostille then authenticates the official’s signature, capacity and seal, not what the record says. So the first question is always who issued your copy.
Be ready for gaps. The Secretary of State’s page is clear, but the Health and Human Services pages for marriage, death and divorce are thinner, and some of them would not load when we checked. Where the state does not say, this page says to confirm with the office.
Which office holds which North Dakota record
Read the fourth column carefully. North Dakota’s Secretary of State authenticates a signature it can check, so the whole job is matching the right issuer to the right document. Cells that say confirm with the office are details the state’s pages did not state.
| Record | Issuer of the certified copy | What it has to look like | Copy fee | Before Bismarck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | North Dakota HHS Vital Records, Bismarck. | A certified copy from the state office, not a photocopy. | $15 per copy. | Nothing extra described. The Secretary of State then authenticates the signature on file. |
| Marriage | The HHS page does not say who issues copies or which years the state holds. Confirm with the office on 701-328-2360. | A certified copy. Which official signature the Secretary of State has on file: confirm with the office. | Confirm with the office. | Confirm with the office. |
| Death | North Dakota HHS Vital Records, Bismarck. | A certified copy. Long or short form: ask the office, and ask your destination. | Confirm with the office. The death fee page did not load. | Nothing extra described. |
| Divorce | The county, through the clerk of district court, according to a link on the HHS page. | A certified copy of the decree. The Secretary of State lists divorce decrees among documents that may need authentication. | Confirm with the clerk. | Confirm with the office whether the clerk’s signature is on file. |
What the Secretary of State’s office tells you
The North Dakota Office of the Secretary of State handles every apostille. Its address is 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept 108, Bismarck, ND 58505-0500, and the telephone is 701-328-2900. The notary and apostille section charges $10 per authentication plus $5 for a record search on each unique official signature. For one signature that comes to $15.
That wording matters when you bring two records. A birth certificate and a marriage record signed by different officials can mean two searches. We read it that way, and we would confirm it with the office before you pay.
The page says requests are usually processed within 3 business days. You can walk in during business hours without an appointment or book a slot online. The page does not list the hours, so call before a trip. There is no online submission. The office returns documents by USPS first class or on a prepaid label you enclose, so a courier label is the practical choice for an address overseas.
How a North Dakota record reaches your desk abroad
Seven moves, in the order that saves money
- 1
Ask your destination what it wants
Name the record, the form and whether a decree is needed. A written answer from the consulate or the immigration office avoids ordering twice.
- 2
Get the certified copy
HHS Vital Records, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 325, Bismarck, ND 58505-0250, takes orders online, by mail or by appointment. Call 701-328-2360 or write to vitalrec@nd.gov. A birth copy is $15. Our research did not settle who may request a record, so ask HHS about eligibility if you order for a relative. If an authorized third party may order, we can step in, and the free review settles that.
- 3
Write the check to the right payee
The payee for vital records orders is now ND DHHS, not the old Department of Health. A check to the old name is a common reason for delay.
- 4
Email the pre-review
The Secretary of State recommends sending images of the documents by email before you mail originals. Use the contact details on its apostille page, and wait for the go-ahead.
- 5
Send the originals to Bismarck
Include the certified copies, the fee for each signature and a prepaid return label. The page we read did not list accepted payment types for mail, so ask before you send a check.
- 6
Track the return
Allow several business days for an express courier to reach Europe, then a little more for customs. Keep the tracking number and pass it to the receiving office.
- 7
Mind the clock
Bismarck runs on Central time. Hamburg is typically seven hours ahead, so a call at 9 in the morning in Bismarck lands at 4 in the afternoon in Germany.
Six ways a North Dakota packet stalls
The old Department of Health
Checks for vital records are now written to ND DHHS. The old name no longer works.
Paying $10 and forgetting the $5
The search fee applies to each unique official signature. One signature costs a total of $15 while a mixed packet costs more.
A photocopy or a scan
The Secretary of State wants a certified copy from the right North Dakota office first. A copy you made yourself does not qualify.
A marriage or divorce copy nobody checked
The state does not say which signature it holds for those records. The email pre-review exists to catch this.
A death or divorce form your destination dislikes
Long and short forms and decrees versus certificates vary by country. Ask them, not the state.
A first-class return to a foreign address
The office returns by USPS first class or by your label. Enclose a courier label for an address abroad.
A North Dakota record in Germany or Italy
Germany
Germany belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention. According to the Germany.info FAQ, a US marriage certificate in a residence permit application needs an apostille. Family members add the children’s birth certificates, and a minor’s visa needs the child’s own. Translation and age rules were not on the pages we read, so put that question to the German mission.
Italy
Italy is a party too. Citizenship by descent changed in March 2025, so confirm that you qualify before you pay for documents. One Midwestern consulate checklist we read, from Chicago, asks for the certificates of the Italian line with typed Italian translations. The apostille itself is not translated. The HCCH status table shows any other country.
Need a translation? We provide ATA certified translations, notarized. A sworn translation is a different product, and we are not a sworn translator or an arranger of them. If the consulate insists, a sworn translator in that country does the work and we send the apostilled documents straight to that person.
What happens when you send us a North Dakota record
First we read your documents and say, at no charge, which issuer and which form your destination needs. If North Dakota allows an authorized third party, we place the copy order. Then we run the state’s email pre-review, hand the originals to Bismarck and courier the apostilled set to you.
Fees in Bismarck belong to the state. During the review we check them and the current speed, then give you a single flat-rate quote before any payment. Economy is $149.95, Express $199.95 and Rush $385.95 for Massachusetts documents. Rush is our fastest level. Outside Massachusetts and New Hampshire it depends on how busy the state office is, and transit costs extra.
Boston Apostille Service works out of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, as a private document preparation and courier service, and has since 2007. No state office, school or consulate is affiliated with us. Hablamos Español. Phone (978) 424-4629 Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm Eastern.
See apostille pricing and how it works, then open the application form.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a North Dakota record apostilled from abroad?
Get a certified copy from the right North Dakota office and have it sent to a US address. Email images to the Secretary of State for pre-review, then deliver the originals to Bismarck with the fee and a prepaid return label. There is no online submission. Our Tewksbury office can do the legwork once the free review is done.
What does a North Dakota apostille cost?
The Secretary of State charges $10 per authentication plus $5 for a record search of each unique official signature, so $15 for one signature. Add the certified copy, which is $15 for a birth record, and courier fees. Our own fee is a flat rate quoted once the free review is done.
How long does the Secretary of State take?
The office says requests are usually processed within 3 business days. That is the state’s figure for its own desk, not a promise for the whole trip. Add the issuer’s time and the courier legs. We confirm current speed with the office before we quote a date.
Who issues a North Dakota marriage certificate?
The Health and Human Services page we read did not say who issues marriage copies or which years the state holds. Call HHS Vital Records on 701-328-2360 to confirm whether the state or the county holds yours. The answer also tells you whose signature the Secretary of State must have on file.
How is the $5 search fee charged?
The state’s page describes it as a record search for each unique official signature. Two documents signed by the same official may need one search, and two signed by different officials may need two. Ask the office to confirm the count before you send payment.
Who do I write the check to when I order a birth certificate?
Write it to ND DHHS. The payee used to be the Department of Health, and that old name is a common reason for delay. A birth certificate copy is $15. If you order online instead of by check, the payee question does not arise.
Which comes first, the certified copy or your service?
Get the certified copy first unless you want us to order it. If North Dakota lets an authorized third party request the record, our free review will say so and we can place the order. Keep irreplaceable originals at home until the apostille is attached.
Neighbouring and related guides
South Dakota vital records apostille
Pierre, not Bismarck, issues the apostille there.
Compare South DakotaMinnesota vital records apostille
A bigger state with its own order of steps.
Compare MinnesotaMontana vital records apostille
The western neighbour, where copies have an advised age.
Compare MontanaMarriage certificate apostille
Spouses, visas and the paperwork behind them.
Read about marriagesDivorce decree apostille
When the decree, not the certificate, is the document.
Read about divorces
Tell us which North Dakota record you need
Send the record type, the issuer and the destination country. We review it free, confirm the state fees and speed, and quote one flat rate.