Mississippi apostille services and document preparation
In Mississippi, a marriage record and a divorce decree come from different county offices. School records may also have a registrar-specific preparation process. Miami Dade Apostille can review your document, destination and deadline and coordinate the appropriate route. 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.
Begin with an eligible original document
- The Secretary of State requires original documents bearing a Mississippi public official's signature or a Mississippi notarization.
- A notary who is not employed by the issuing government agency cannot certify copies of official government documents, including birth and death certificates.
- Obtain the proper certified record rather than adding a notary stamp to a photocopy.
- For an unusual document or corporate record, confirm the signer and preparation with the Notary Division at 601-359-1615.
Birth and death records: eligibility and ordering
- MSDH holds Mississippi birth and death records from November 1912 onward.
- Access is restricted to eligible applicants with a legitimate and tangible interest; identification and supporting authority may be required.
- The office issues certified long-form certificates, not the former short forms.
- Its guidance allows a separate Secretary of State payment when requesting a birth, death or marriage record for foreign use — confirm the complete submission requirements before ordering.
- Corrections require the amendment process; changing details on a copy request does not change the underlying record.
Marriage records: ask the Circuit Clerk
- Contact the Circuit Clerk in the county that issued the marriage license.
- MSDH also holds marriage records for January 1, 1926–June 30, 1938 and January 1, 1942 onward, but not every record is on file.
- A marriage-record order placed at the Ridgeland office is mailed later — do not plan on immediate pickup.
- Confirm the required certificate and available county record before submitting an apostille request.
Divorce decrees: ask the Chancery Clerk
- A certified divorce decree comes from the Chancery Clerk in the county that granted the divorce.
- MSDH does not hold the decree itself.
- If the county is unknown, its five-year index search can identify the county, book and page for the covered periods: January 1, 1926–June 30, 1938 and January 1, 1942 onward.
- Index coverage is incomplete — an unsuccessful search does not by itself establish that no divorce occurred.
School documents: a Mississippi State University example
- MSU asks students to request a duplicate diploma and indicate apostille use.
- Under its registrar-managed process, send the diploma request, university payment, state request form and state payment together to the Registrar's Office — the university arranges notarization and forwards the package to the Secretary of State.
- For a transcript, mark the Parchment order for apostille and notify [email protected].
- These are MSU's instructions. Students of other institutions should ask their own registrar for the appropriate preparation.
Mail and return arrangements
- The state form asks for your return address, destination country, request type and daytime telephone number.
- Follow the current form for fees and the state page for courier delivery instructions.
International routing and timing
- For FedEx or UPS return service, include a completed prepaid return envelope; otherwise the state uses regular mail.
- Confirm current processing times before setting a deadline.
- FBI background checks require the federal U.S. Department of State route.
- The destination and treaty applicability determine apostille versus further authentication and legalization.
- An apostille does not guarantee that a recipient accepts the document's contents, format or translation.
- 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 Mississippi public record into a Florida record.
Mississippi document routing
| Document | Start here |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate (Nov 1912 onward) | MSDH (eligible applicants only; long-form certificate) → Secretary of State. Separate SOS payment may be included with the MSDH order for foreign use. |
| Death certificate (Nov 1912 onward) | MSDH → Secretary of State. |
| Marriage certificate | Circuit Clerk in the county that issued the license → Secretary of State. MSDH holds some records (1926–Jun 1938; 1942 onward) but not all — confirm availability. |
| Divorce decree | Chancery Clerk in the county that granted the divorce → Secretary of State. MSDH index search (1926–Jun 1938; 1942 onward) can help identify the county if unknown. |
| Notarized document (POA, affidavit, etc.) | Mississippi notarization with original signature and complete notarial information → Secretary of State. |
| School diploma / transcript (MSU) | MSU registrar-managed process: diploma request + university payment + state form + state payment → Registrar's Office. Transcript: Parchment order marked for apostille + notify [email protected]. |
| School diploma / transcript (other institutions) | Ask your institution's registrar for the appropriate preparation before submitting. |
| Corporate / unusual document | Confirm signer and preparation with the Notary Division (601-359-1615) before submitting. |
| Out-of-state public record | Belongs with the issuing state — Mississippi cannot authenticate another state's records. |
| FBI background check | Federal document — U.S. Department of State route, not Mississippi. See our FBI apostille guide. |
How Miami Dade Apostille can help
- Send your document type, issuing office, destination country 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
Mississippi locations served
Miami Dade Apostille serves clients throughout Mississippi by mail. Documents can be sent from anywhere in the state — no in-person visit to our office is required.
- Jackson
- Gulfport
- Southaven
- Hattiesburg
- Biloxi
- Meridian
- Tupelo
- Olive Branch
- Greenville
- Horn Lake
- Pearl
- Madison
Sources
Sample Mississippi apostille certificate
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 Mississippi apostille?
Send us your documents by mail from anywhere in Mississippi. 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 Mississippi Secretary of State, a government agency, or a law firm. We do not issue apostilles or government records.