Marriage abroad
Registry offices require an apostilled birth certificate of the foreign partner, usually with a sworn translation.
Civil-status documents
Apostille for a birth certificate
Marriage abroad, citizenship, a child’s passport, a family visa: a birth certificate is only recognised outside the country that issued it once it carries an apostille. We obtain it from the competent authority of the issuing country, add a sworn translation where the recipient wants one, and deliver worldwide.
130+ issuing countries Apostille on the public documentEU ↔ EU: no apostille needed
Start your birth certificate apostille
No payment before quote- Upload a scan, 2 min
- Verify with your phone
- Delivered by courier or download
Let us get this done for you
- Apostille from 8 hours
- Written quote before you pay
- Encrypted, no account needed
- 1Upload a scanWe pre-check it and confirm the route
- 2Verify with your phoneID + selfie, ~3 minutes, then your quote
- 3We obtain the apostilleCompetent authority + sworn translation
- 4DeliveredCourier worldwide or protected download
A birth certificate is issued by the civil registry of the place of birth – the Standesamt in Germany, the county or state vital records office in the United States, the mairie in France, the nüfus müdürlüğü in Türkiye, the PSA in the Philippines. Abroad it is a foreign public document: the receiving authority cannot verify the registrar’s signature, so it asks for an apostille, the standardised certificate under the Hague Convention of 1961 that confirms the signature and seal are genuine.
The apostille is always issued in the country of origin, by the authority that state has designated under Article 6 – a Secretary of State, a foreign ministry, a court, a prefecture or, in Germany, the state administrative office. It must be attached to a recent original or certified extract with a real signature; printouts, scans and laminated documents are refused everywhere. Many receiving countries additionally want the certificate to be less than six months old, so we usually order a fresh one first.
Two shortcuts exist. Between EU member states no apostille is needed at all (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191) – the multilingual standard form replaces the translation. Between the states of the CIEC convention (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Türkiye, Switzerland, the Balkans and others) the international multilingual extract is accepted without apostille or translation. Our checker tells you when either applies before you pay for anything.
Between EU member states: Between EU member states no apostille is needed (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191). Ask the registry for the multilingual standard form – it replaces the translation as well.
Also known as: Geburtsurkunde (DE) · acte de naissance (FR) · certificado de nacimiento (ES) · certificato di nascita (IT) · certidão de nascimento (PT) · doğum belgesi (TR) · akt urodzenia (PL) · geboorteakte (NL)
Who issues it, who apostilles it – by country
An apostille is always issued in the country that issued the document. The most frequent issuing countries for a birth certificate:
| Issued in | Issued by | Apostille by |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Standesamt (registry office) of the place of the event | State administrative apostille office (Berlin: LABO; elsewhere Regierungspräsidium, Bezirksregierung or ministry)Multilingual CIEC extracts (Formule A/B/C) are accepted without apostille in CIEC states; inside the EU no apostille at all (Reg. 2016/1191). |
| United States | State or county vital records office; Consular Reports of Birth Abroad by the Department of State | Secretary of State of the issuing state; US Department of State for federal documentsThe certificate must be a certified copy issued by the vital records office – hospital certificates cannot be apostilled. |
| United Kingdom | General Register Office (England & Wales), NRS (Scotland), GRONI (Northern Ireland) | Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation OfficeRecently issued GRO certificates are apostilled directly; older ones may need a solicitor’s certification first. e-Apostille available. |
| France | Mairie (état civil) of the place of the event; Service central d’état civil in Nantes for events abroad | Since 2025 the chambers of notaries (conseils régionaux des notaires) are the competent authoritiesAsk for an extrait plurilingue for CIEC states; inside the EU no apostille (Reg. 2016/1191). |
| Spain | Registro Civil of the place of the event | Ministerio de Justicia / Gerencias Territoriales, or the Tribunal Superior de Justicia for judicial documentsSpain issues electronic apostilles; the certificado plurilingüe replaces translation in CIEC states. |
| Italy | Comune (ufficio di stato civile) | Prefettura – Ufficio Territoriale del Governo of the provinceEstratti plurilingue are accepted without apostille in CIEC states; EU regulation applies inside the EU. |
Show all 20 countriesShow fewer
Other countries: see the issuing-country guides for all 130+ Contracting States.
Who needs it
Citizenship & passports
Second citizenship, registering a child born abroad, or obtaining a passport from the parents’ home country.
Family visas & residence
Family reunification, dependant visas and residence permits ask for apostilled proof of parentage.
Inheritance & pensions
Foreign courts and pension funds need apostilled civil-status documents to establish heirs and beneficiaries.
What we need from you
- A recent original certificate or certified extract with a handwritten signature and seal (we can order a fresh one from the registry in most countries)
- Country of issue, destination country and purpose – so we can check whether an apostille is needed at all
- Optional: target language for a sworn translation
Who issues, who apostilles
- Issued by
- Civil registry of the place of birth (registry office, vital records office, mairie, comune, nüfus müdürlüğü, PSA …).
- Apostille by
- The competent authority designated by the issuing country under Article 6 – see the table for the twenty most frequent issuing countries. Notaryzer routes the document to the right office.
- Translation
- Most recipients want a sworn translation into their language. CIEC states accept the international multilingual extract (Formule A) without translation.
Where this document usually goes
The route depends on the country pair. Popular destinations for a birth certificate – change the issuing country in the checker below:
- GermanyApostille
- United StatesApostille
- United KingdomApostille
- SpainApostille
- ItalyApostille
- TürkiyeApostille
- United Arab EmiratesLegalisation required
- CanadaApostille
Check your country pair for a birth certificate
Apostille, EU exemption or embassy legalisation – the answer per destination.
Choose the destination to see the exact route for a birth certificate issued in Germany.
Frequently asked: birth certificate apostille
No. An apostille certifies the signature of the official who issued the document, so only the issuing country can attach it. A birth certificate from Colombia is apostilled in Colombia even if you live in Berlin. That is exactly what Notaryzer organises – through the online e-apostille systems where they exist, otherwise through our partners on site.
Yes. The apostille is attached to the original certificate or a certified extract freshly issued by the registry, never to a photocopy or a scan. Where the registry issues certificates online (Colombia, Türkiye, Ukraine, Spain, parts of the US), the electronic version can carry an electronic apostille.
The Convention sets no limit, but many destination countries – Türkiye, Italy for marriages, most of Latin America, the Gulf states – want a certificate issued within the last six months. We recommend ordering a fresh certificate together with the apostille.
The apostille itself is standardised and needs no translation; the certificate is in the language of the issuing country. Inside the EU the multilingual standard form removes the need; between CIEC states the multilingual extract does; elsewhere a sworn translation into the official language of the destination is usually required. We add it in the same order.
Countries outside the Convention (for example the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Iraq) always need consular legalisation. And where an Article 12 objection is in force – for example Germany does not accept apostilles from India, the Philippines, Pakistan, Morocco or Bangladesh – the same applies. The checker on this page gives the answer for your exact pair of countries.
The country whose registry issued the certificate. A child born in Germany to Turkish parents has a German certificate, apostilled by the German state office and then presented to the Turkish consulate; a consular report of birth issued by a US embassy is apostilled by the US Department of State.
Related documents
Apostille for a birth certificate
Upload a scan, verify with your phone – the notary reviews the application, we handle authority, translation and delivery.
Questions? Write to [email protected]