West Virginia Apostille Services

Before you start

1. 1Identify the destination country and confirm whether the Apostille Convention applies between that country and the United States.
2. 2Obtain the correct certified record from the responsible issuing office — vital records, court orders and corporate certificates each come from different offices.
3. 3Contact us with your document type and destination before mailing originals. If mailing, use a trackable shipping method and keep your tracking number.

Choose the correct record before requesting an apostille

• A birth certificate for a family application, a divorce decree for remarriage and a diploma for overseas study each begin with different preparation.
• Ask the receiving office for its exact document list, required format, translation requirements and any age limit.
• We can review those instructions alongside your records and help identify the next step.
• An apostille verifies an official signature or seal; it does not confirm the contents or guarantee that a foreign authority will accept the document for every purpose.

Official signatures, seals and certified copies

• West Virginia accepts documents attested by an appropriate state official or West Virginia notary.
• Birth and death copies may be signed by the State Registrar or county commission clerk; marriage copies follow the county commission clerk route.
• Divorce decrees come from the circuit court clerk that issued them.
• Clerk, deputy or registrar certifications need the original signature and raised seal.
• If a certified public copy is available from the custodian, use it: a notary cannot replace that certification.
• Powers of attorney, affidavits and other private originals need proper notarization, including the acknowledgment statement, original notary signature and stamp.
• School records need the school official's signature and proper West Virginia notarization.

Ordering a missing vital record in Charleston

• The West Virginia Vital Registration Office provides certified birth, death and marriage records.
• For a mailed birth or death request, use the appropriate application, include a color copy of the required identification and the correct payment.
• Review eligibility and identification instructions before ordering a record for someone else.
• The office also describes in-person ordering and links to its online vendor.
• A certificate order and an apostille request are separate steps; completing one does not automatically complete the other.
• Vital Registration's mailing address is 350 Capitol Street, Room 165, Charleston, WV 25301-3701. This is the records office, not the apostille submission address.

WVU diplomas and transcripts: different copy rules

• West Virginia University's registrar can notarize a diploma or a scanned or faxed diploma image, but the student should first confirm which format the receiving agency accepts.
• Transcripts are different: WVU notarizes official transcripts, not transcript images or unofficial copies.
• Complete the current Registrar Notarization Form and follow the university's service-fee instructions before the separate Secretary of State apostille step.
• Contact [email protected] or 304-293-5355 with university-specific questions.
• Students from other institutions should ask their own registrar how to arrange an authorized signature and notarization rather than assuming WVU's procedure applies.

Corporate certificates are not ordinary printouts

• For a requested certificate of good standing, West Virginia uses a certificate of existence for a domestic entity or a certificate of authorization for a foreign entity.
• The Secretary of State describes eligibility in terms of registration, active status and annual reports.
• A certificate cannot be issued solely under a DBA.
• It also does not certify every tax or other obligation or prove financial soundness.
• Identify the exact entity and document requested abroad before ordering; discuss the certification format needed for the subsequent apostille.
• Internal documents and state-filed records should be reviewed separately.

Prepare the AC-1 request and return delivery

• Use the current Apostille and Certification Request, Form AC-1.
• Include the country where the documents will be used, requester contact information, document count, signature, date and correct payment.
• Check the current fee instructions for your set of documents.
• The June 2026 form directs apostille submissions to: West Virginia Secretary of State, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East, Bldg. 1, Ste. 157-K, Charleston, WV 25305.
• The office telephone is 304-558-8000.
• If you want a return method other than regular USPS mail, include the prepaid return envelope required by the form.
• Confirm current office availability before traveling, and keep document copies and tracking details for your records.

State documents, federal documents and destination requirements

• An FBI background check follows the U.S. Department of State route, not the West Virginia Secretary of State.
• Other federal records also need review under federal requirements.
• For each destination, confirm whether the Apostille Convention applies with the United States; otherwise additional authentication and consular legalization may be required.
• A state apostille is not a replacement for those additional steps.
• Send us the issuing agency and destination so we can help separate state and federal documents in a mixed package.

How Miami Dade Apostille coordinates your request

• We review the document type and destination, explain what preparation is missing, and coordinate the applicable submission and return arrangements.
• We can discuss translation and eligible remote online notarization options.
• A Florida online notarization does not change the issuing state of a West Virginia public record; any private-document notarization must fit the applicable route and receiving authority's requirements.
• Miami Dade Apostille is a private coordinator, not a government agency or law firm. Government authorities issue the certifications.
• Submit a review request 24/7, 365 days a year; we typically reply in approximately two hours during regular business hours.

Frequently asked questions

West Virginia locations served

Miami Dade Apostille serves clients throughout West Virginia by mail. Documents can be sent from anywhere in the state — no in-person visit to our office is required.

• Charleston
• Huntington
• Morgantown
• Parkersburg
• Wheeling
• Martinsburg
• Beckley
• Clarksburg

Sources

• West Virginia Secretary of State: authentication for international use ↗
• West Virginia Vital Registration Office ↗
• WVU Registrar: notarizations and apostilles ↗
• West Virginia Secretary of State: certificates of existence or authorization ↗
• West Virginia Secretary of State: Form AC-1 ↗
• U.S. Department of State: apostille certificate ↗