Do you need to apostille a divorce decree?
At International Apostille, we take the guesswork out of obtaining an apostille on your divorce decree. We can apostille divorce decrees issued from all 50 States and the District of Columbia (Washington DC).
In order to apostille your divorce decree, you must mail in the original or a certified copy issued by the County Court. In some States, this court can also be called the Family Court, Superior Court, County Court, and Circuit Court. Divorce decrees can only be authenticated from the State of issue. The Secretary of State does not have the authority to authenticate documents issued from another State. For example, if your divorce decree is from the State of California, the State of California is the only State that can issue the apostille. Another example is if your marriage certificate is from New York, only the State of New York can issue the apostille.
If you had hired an attorney to help you with your divorce, your attorney should have supplied you with a certified copy of your divorce decree. If not, your attorney can obtain one from the court and overnight it to your location or recommend a service which can obtain a certified copy from the court directly.
Not every divorce decree can qualify for an apostille. Some States have set time limits on how old a certificate can be. For example, divorce decrees issued from the State of Wisconsin and Virginia can not be older than 12 months. We recommend that you mail in the documents you currently have for review. If the State rejects your document, we will contact you with instructions.
Here are a few frequently asked questions…
Question: What if my divorce decree is older than five years?
Answer: Most States can apostille a divorce decree older than five years. But, there are a few States that have set limits on how old a certificate can be. For example, divorce decrees issued from the State of Virginia and Wisconsin cannot be older than 12 months. A divorce decree issued from the State of Texas cannot be older than five years. Because of the unique requirements of every State, we recommend that you mail in what you currently have before you order a new one. If the State does not accept your document, we will contact you with instructions.
Question: Why do I need to apostille my divorce decree?
Answer: There are many reasons why another country will ask for an apostille on your divorce decree. Some of the examples are: division of property, alimony, child support, custody issues, etc…
Question: Can I apostille my California divorce decree in New York?
Answer: No. A divorce decree can only receive the apostille from the State of issue. For example, a divorce decree issued from the State of California can only receive an apostille from the State of California.
Question: What if the State does not accept my divorce decree?
Answer: In situations where the certificate is not accepted, we will contact you with instructions from the State.
Obtaining an apostille can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the Apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!
What US State are your documents from?
Our staff is available Monday-Saturday from 8am to 7pm to answer your questions and provide you easy to follow-step-by-step instructions. Please call us at 1-888-810-4054.
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