Marriage Certificate Apostille

Who needs it

• Spouses applying for a residency visa in another country
• People registering a U.S. marriage with a foreign civil registry
• Couples buying property together abroad
• Applicants for citizenship by marriage

How the process works

1. 1
   Get a certified copy

   Order a certified long-form marriage certificate from the county where the marriage was recorded.

2. 2
   Confirm long-form vs. short-form

   Countries like Italy require the long-form record that lists both spouses' parents.

3. 3
   Apostille through the issuing state

   Marriage records are apostilled by the state that issued them, not the federal government.

4. 4
   Translate

   A certified translation is usually required for non-English-speaking destinations.

Required documents

• Certified long-form marriage certificate
• Any prior divorce decrees if the destination requires proof of marital history

Common mistakes

• Using the decorative wedding-day copy instead of a certified state copy
• Forgetting to order a fresh copy — many countries require issue within 6 months
• Skipping the certified translation step