Virginia Apostille Services
Virginia apostille preparation depends on the record, its issuing office and the destination. Miami Dade Apostille helps review and coordinate birth, marriage, death, court, school, corporate and eligible notarized documents. Tell us your document type and destination before sending originals. If mailing, use a trackable shipping method and keep your tracking number.
Before you start
- Identify the destination country and confirm whether the Apostille Convention applies between that country and the United States.
- Obtain the correct certified record from the responsible issuing office — issuance and authentication are handled by separate offices.
- Contact us with your document type and destination before sending originals. If mailing, use a trackable shipping method and keep your tracking number.
Record issuance and authentication are separate
- The Virginia Office of Vital Records issues certificates but does not perform apostille authentication.
- After obtaining the appropriate certified record, the separate Secretary of the Commonwealth process verifies the relevant official signature.
- Do not assume that paying for expedited certificate delivery includes the apostille.
Check the twelve-month preparation requirement
- Virginia requires vital and court records, State Corporation Commission records and notarizations to have been issued or completed within the previous twelve months.
- This concerns the record's issuance or notarization date, not the date of the underlying birth or marriage.
- Vital certificates must come from Virginia Health or DMV; do not notarize them.
Court records need the correct certification
- Request the Circuit Court's two-page Certification of Official Record/Triple Seal for court records and court-issued marriage certificates.
- It must include the certification date and the clerk or deputy clerk's signature and printed name.
- A notarized photocopy does not replace this certification.
- SCC records require the Commission Clerk's signature and must not be notarized.
Order the record the recipient actually needs
- Check eligibility and identification requirements before requesting a Virginia vital certificate.
- A divorce certificate and the court's divorce decree serve different purposes; ask which one the overseas recipient requires.
- Virginia's current vital-record certification paper may lack a raised seal.
- Do not reject a newly issued certificate solely for that reason; consult Vital Records if its format is questioned.
University of Virginia diploma and transcript preparation
- UVA describes separate procedures for diplomas and transcripts.
- For a diploma, follow the registrar's instructions for sending a photograph by email or mailing an 8.5-by-11-inch copy to UREG, P.O. Box 400203, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4203. The university verifies, certifies and notarizes the copy, then returns it to the address you provide.
- For an official transcript, add an attachment requesting notarization when ordering.
- The notarized record then goes through the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
- Check the linked university instructions before ordering and confirm the recipient's paper or electronic requirements; do not assume a digital diploma meets every overseas requirement.
Electronic notarization needs special attention
- Virginia currently states that it cannot authenticate electronic notarizations with an apostille or Great Seal.
- Its notarial certificate must be in English even when the document is in another language.
- Review the complete state checklist before using a notary; a stamp alone is insufficient.
Build the submission package
- Create the cover letter through the official portal.
- Include prepared documents, the current fee and a prepaid return mailer.
- Keep each document's pages together.
- Appointments are reserved for individual constituents; courier and apostille companies must use the prescribed delivery/drop-box process and receive documents back by mail, not pickup.
- Our coordination does not provide access to constituent-only appointments.
Use the address for your carrier
- USPS: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentication Division, 1111 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
- FedEx, UPS and DHL: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Authentication Division, 400 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
- For commercial carriers, the return label must show your name and address as both sender and recipient, not the state office.
- Retain outbound and return tracking information and check current pickup instructions.
Plan a personal visit before traveling
- An appointment is required for constituent service.
- Check the official booking page and current document limit before making travel plans.
- Preparation, government review and shipping take separate time; no overall completion date is guaranteed.
Match the state or federal route to the document
- Out-of-state public records belong with their issuing authority.
- Federal agency records, including FBI background checks, follow the federal authentication route rather than Virginia's state process.
- Confirm whether the Apostille Convention applies between the United States and the destination.
- Where it does not, further authentication and consular legalization may be needed.
- The recipient's requirements for document content, format and translation remain important.
How Miami Dade Apostille helps
- We review preparation and coordinate the appropriate state or federal submission.
- Certified translations are available through qualified translators.
- Eligible private documents may qualify for our remote online notarization service subject to identity, witness, document and recipient requirements. A Florida notarial act follows the Florida route; it cannot replace Virginia public-record certification or bypass Virginia's electronic-notarization restriction.
- We are a private coordinator, not a government agency or law firm, and do not issue apostilles or provide legal advice.
Working toward a deadline? Send us a scan before committing originals — we can review requirements and help coordinate the correct process.
Frequently asked questions
Virginia locations served
Miami Dade Apostille serves clients throughout Virginia by mail. Documents can be sent from anywhere in the state — no in-person visit to our office is required.
- Richmond
- Virginia Beach
- Norfolk
- Chesapeake
- Arlington
- Alexandria
- Charlottesville
- Roanoke
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 Virginia apostille?
Send us your documents by mail from anywhere in Virginia. 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 Secretary of the Commonwealth, a government agency, or a law firm. We do not issue apostilles or government records.