North Dakota apostille services and document preparation
North Dakota offers coordinated apostille handling for newly ordered birth and death certificates, while county records and school documents have their own preparation steps. Miami Dade Apostille reviews vital, court, school, corporate and notarized private documents and coordinates the appropriate process. 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 exact requirements.
- Send us a scan for preparation review before committing originals.
Birth and death certificates: request both stages
- When ordering a certified birth or death record through North Dakota HHS, state that you need an apostille and name the destination country.
- Put that information in the online order comments or at the bottom of the paper request.
- After Vital Records completes the record order, it contacts the Secretary of State. That office then contacts you using the phone or email on your request to confirm the authentication and collect its separate fees.
- The finished order returns using the shipping option selected for your vital-record request.
- Record issuance and authentication remain two agency steps.
Marriage records follow the license county
- Request a certified marriage record from the county where the license was originally purchased and filed.
- HHS provides a county directory because the responsible office and fees can differ.
- Do not assume your present county of residence holds the record.
- Confirm the custodian and explain the foreign-use purpose before ordering.
Find the county holding the divorce decree
- Request divorce or annulment records from the appropriate clerk or recorder in the county where the decree was granted.
- If the county is unknown, North Dakota Vital Records offers help locating it at 701-328-2360 or [email protected].
- Identify the certified decree and any related orders the recipient needs, rather than ordering an unspecified record.
School copies need an original acknowledgment
- The state requires an original acknowledgment listing the attached school-document copies.
- The principal or equivalent school authority signs before a notary; keep that page stapled to the copies.
- Include the destination country, contact person and return instructions.
- Ask the school to prepare this package before sending a diploma or transcript for authentication.
University of North Dakota preparation
- UND offers an apostille document order that includes a notarized diploma, notarized transcript and authentication letter sent to the Secretary of State on your behalf.
- You must separately contact the state office about its additional fees and mailing arrangements.
- Check the university's current preparation charge before ordering. Registrar questions can be directed to [email protected].
- This forwarding service is specific to UND; confirm procedures with any other school.
Submit originals and allow for separate return shipping
- The Secretary of State recommends a preliminary document review before originals are mailed.
- The final package needs original documents, a letter naming the destination and payment.
- A record-search charge applies for each distinct notary signature, in addition to authentication fees.
- Send to 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept 108, Bismarck, ND 58505-0500.
- Include a prepaid, addressed label for expedited return delivery; faster shipping does not itself guarantee faster processing.
Keep federal and other-state records on their own routes
- FBI background checks and other federal records follow federal authentication.
- Another state's public records follow that state's authority.
- Confirm the destination's applicable apostille or legalization requirements, document format and translations.
- Authentication does not guarantee acceptance of the contents.
- Florida remote online notarization may suit eligible private documents, subject to identity, witness, document and recipient requirements; its Florida route cannot replace North Dakota public-record certification.
North Dakota document routing
| Document | Start here |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate | ND HHS Vital Records: state apostille and destination country in order comments or on paper request. SOS contacts you separately for authentication fees. Coordinated return using your selected shipping. |
| Death certificate | ND HHS Vital Records: same coordinated process as birth certificates. State apostille need and destination country when ordering. |
| Marriage certificate | County where the license was purchased and filed. Consult HHS county directory for the responsible office. Confirm foreign-use purpose before ordering → ND SOS. |
| Divorce decree / annulment | Clerk or recorder in the county where the decree was granted. If county unknown, contact ND Vital Records (701-328-2360 or [email protected]). Identify decree and related orders → ND SOS. |
| School transcript / diploma | Contact issuing school. Original notarized acknowledgment listing copies required — keep stapled to copies. Include destination country and return instructions → ND SOS. |
| UND diploma / transcript | UND apostille document order (notarized diploma, transcript and authentication letter forwarded to SOS). Arrange separate SOS fees and mailing. Contact [email protected]. |
| Notarized document (POA, affidavit, etc.) | Preliminary review recommended before mailing originals. Include original documents, destination letter and payment. Record-search charge per distinct notary signature → ND SOS. |
| Corporate / business document | Contact ND SOS for preparation and filing requirements → ND SOS. |
| Out-of-state public record | Belongs with the issuing state — North Dakota cannot authenticate another state's records. |
| FBI background check / federal record | Federal document — U.S. Department of State route, not North Dakota. 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 review preparation, coordinate the appropriate process and discuss translations with qualified translators.
- Government processing and delivery remain separate from our initial review. Acceptance also depends on the recipient's document, format and translation requirements.
Working toward a deadline? Send us a scan before committing originals — we can review requirements and help coordinate the correct process.
Frequently asked questions
North Dakota locations served
Miami Dade Apostille serves clients throughout North Dakota by mail. Documents can be sent from anywhere in the state — no in-person visit to our office is required.
- Fargo
- Bismarck
- Grand Forks
- Minot
- West Fargo
- Williston
- Dickinson
- Mandan
- Jamestown
- Wahpeton
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 North Dakota apostille?
Send us your documents by mail from anywhere in North Dakota. 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 North Dakota Secretary of State, a government agency, or a law firm. We do not issue apostilles or government records.