Michigan apostille services and document preparation
Start by identifying who issued your Michigan document and what the overseas recipient requires. Miami Dade Apostille can review the document type, destination and deadline and coordinate the appropriate process. We assist with vital and court records, school documents, powers of attorney, affidavits and corporate records. We are a private coordinator, not a government office or law firm.
Before you start
- Identify the document type and the office that issued it.
- Confirm the destination country's treaty relationship and the receiving authority's requirements.
- Send us a scan for preparation review before committing originals.
Which Michigan signatures can be authenticated?
- The Office of the Great Seal handles eligible Michigan official and notarial signatures.
- Vital records must be certified copies from an authorized issuer — the state lists the State Registrar, county clerks and qualifying city clerks in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
- Certified articles of incorporation from LARA are also listed.
- For private documents, check the notary's signature, dates and county information before submission.
Choose the right vital-record order
- MDHHS offers certified records and authenticated or apostilled options for overseas use; provide the destination country when ordering.
- Birth-record eligibility restrictions apply. A birth verification supplies limited facts without a certificate, and an heirloom birth announcement is not a legal birth certificate.
- Divorce verification likewise reports limited facts — confirm the record the recipient actually requires before ordering.
- VitalChek is the state's authorized online provider; check current processing notices and appointment options before submitting.
Court records require attention to the certifying signature
- The state's court-document guide distinguishes eligible county-clerk certification from a court or probate clerk's signature.
- For a Michigan court-certified document, the guide describes a true-copy statement signed before a Michigan notary by the person named in the record or its producer, with limited exceptions.
- A notary does not personally certify the copy — the notary notarizes the authorized person's statement.
- Ask the Great Seal office and the receiving authority which preparation fits your specific decree or order before altering or submitting it.
Diplomas and transcripts: who makes the statement?
- A school official or the person named in a Michigan school record may make the appropriate original-record or true-copy statement and sign before a Michigan notary.
- A parent or guardian may act for a dependent student under 18 under the school guide.
- The school official includes their title; original signatures are required.
- Confirm whether the recipient requires the school official's certification rather than a holder's statement.
- The state warns that its authentication is permanently attached to an original submitted document.
Mailing to the Office of the Great Seal
- Use the current authentication form with your destination, documents, payment and prepaid return arrangements.
- For a courier return label, list yourself as both sender and receiver.
- Foreign-language documents need an English translation.
- The form states that expedited processing is unavailable — paying for faster shipping does not create priority government processing.
- Check current estimates before making travel or deadline plans.
Appointments and the correct international route
- Select Secretary of State offices offer appointments; online and self-service-station authentication are unavailable.
- Confirm the location and appointment before traveling.
- FBI checks follow the federal U.S. Department of State route.
- For other-state public records, identify their issuing authority rather than assuming Michigan can replace that certification.
- The destination and treaty applicability determine apostille versus further authentication and legalization.
- Florida remote online notarization may be available for eligible private documents, subject to identity, witness, document and recipient requirements. It follows the applicable Florida route and does not turn a Michigan public record into a Florida record.
Michigan document routing
| Document | Start here |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate | MDHHS (State Registrar) or authorized county/city clerk → Office of the Great Seal. Provide destination country. Eligibility restrictions apply; a birth verification is not a certificate. |
| Death certificate | MDHHS (State Registrar) or authorized county/city clerk → Office of the Great Seal. |
| Marriage certificate | County clerk where the license was issued → Office of the Great Seal. |
| Divorce record | MDHHS divorce verification reports limited facts only. Confirm whether the recipient needs the full decree from the court that granted it. |
| Court decree / order | Review the court-document guide: county-clerk certification or true-copy statement signed before a Michigan notary by the record holder or producer → Office of the Great Seal. Confirm the correct preparation before submitting. |
| Notarized document (POA, affidavit, etc.) | Michigan notary with original signature and complete required notarial information → Office of the Great Seal. |
| School diploma / transcript | School official or record holder makes the statement and signs before a Michigan notary → Office of the Great Seal. Confirm whether recipient requires the school official's certification. |
| Corporate / business document (articles of incorporation) | Certified copy from LARA → Office of the Great Seal. |
| Other-state public record | Belongs with the issuing state — Michigan cannot authenticate another state's records. |
| FBI background check | Federal document — U.S. Department of State route, not Michigan. See our FBI apostille guide. |
How Miami Dade Apostille can help
- Send your document type, issuing office, destination and deadline before mailing originals. We can identify preparation gaps, coordinate the correct process and discuss translations with qualified translators.
- Government processing and delivery remain separate from our initial review.
Working toward a deadline? Send us a scan before committing originals — we can review requirements and help coordinate the correct process.
Frequently asked questions
Michigan locations served
Miami Dade Apostille serves clients throughout Michigan by mail. Documents can be sent from anywhere in the state — no in-person visit to our office is required.
- Detroit
- Grand Rapids
- Warren
- Sterling Heights
- Ann Arbor
- Lansing
- Flint
- Dearborn
- Livonia
- Troy
- Westland
- Kalamazoo
Sources
MIAMI DADE APOSTILLE IS NOT A LAW FIRM AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. WE ARE A PRIVATE DOCUMENT COORDINATION SERVICE. THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS FOR GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE. FOR LEGAL QUESTIONS, CONSULT A LICENSED ATTORNEY.
Ready to start your Michigan apostille?
Send us your documents by mail from anywhere in Michigan. We review, coordinate the appropriate authentication process and return your documents.
Submissions are accepted 24/7, 365 days a year. We typically reply within approximately two hours during regular business hours.
If you're working toward a deadline, message us before sending your documents. We can review requirements, help avoid preventable delays and coordinate the correct process.
State documents: same day to 4 days. Federal documents (FBI, U.S. Department of State): 7–14 days. Contact us with your document type and deadline to confirm availability.
Miami Dade Apostille is a private document coordination service. We are not the Michigan Secretary of State, a government agency, or a law firm. We do not issue apostilles or government records.