A marriage certificate issued in South Carolina is apostilled by South Carolina, not by the state where you live now. A marriage certificate apostille is essential for couples navigating international life. Whether you're sponsoring a spouse for immigration, changing your name with foreign authorities, purchasing property abroad as a married couple, or registering your U.S. marriage with a foreign government, an apostilled marriage certificate proves the legal validity of your union. Because marriage certificates can be issued at either the county or state level depending on the jurisdiction, knowing which document to submit is critical to avoiding delays.
Upload a clear scan of your South Carolina marriage certificate. We prepare a notarized true copy and obtain the South Carolina apostille on it, so the original never leaves your hands. This is the fastest path for most destinations.
Start True CopySome receiving authorities require the apostille on the original certified marriage certificate. Ship the document to us and we file it with South Carolina and return it with the apostille attached. Transit time is separate from processing.
Start Original ProcessingEvery order starts with a free review so problems are caught before anything is filed with South Carolina.
In many states, marriage certificates are issued by the county clerk where the marriage was performed, not the state. This means the apostille must be issued by the Secretary of State for that state, and the county clerk's signature must be on file with the Secretary of State. If the county clerk's signature is not on file, additional county authentication may be required first.
If a name change occurred at marriage and your passport still reflects your maiden name (or vice versa), destination country authorities may question the document. Some countries require both the marriage certificate apostille and a separate apostilled document establishing the name connection. We flag these issues during our review.
Many couples receive a decorative marriage certificate at their ceremony - often with ornate borders, calligraphy, or religious imagery. These are keepsakes, not legal documents, and cannot be apostilled. You need an official certified copy from the county clerk or state vital records office.
Some destination countries require that the certified copy of your marriage certificate be recently issued, even if the marriage itself took place years ago. If your certified copy is more than a year old, we may recommend ordering a fresh copy before processing the apostille.
Yes. The apostille always comes from the state that issued the document, so a South Carolina marriage certificate is apostilled in South Carolina regardless of where you live now, including outside the United States. You upload or ship the document to us and we handle the South Carolina filing.
Not always. True Copy processing starts with a clear upload and is the faster path for most marriage certificate orders. Original Document Processing is for destinations that require the apostille attached to the original; in that case you ship the document to us and transit time is separate from processing.
It depends on your state. In some states, you can apostille either version, but the county-issued certificate is more common because that's where marriages are recorded. The apostille always comes from the Secretary of State for the state where the marriage was performed. During our review, we'll confirm which version you have and whether it qualifies.
Yes. An apostilled marriage certificate is commonly required for spousal visa and immigration petitions in Hague Convention countries. The apostille confirms the authenticity of the document. Some countries may additionally require a certified translation of the certificate into their official language.
The apostille must be obtained from the state where the marriage took place, not where you currently reside. For example, if you were married in Nevada but live in Florida, the apostille comes from the Nevada Secretary of State. We handle processing in all 50 states.
Name transliteration differences are common, especially with non-Latin alphabets. The apostille authenticates the document as-is. The destination country's authorities will typically handle name matching on their end. However, if the destination country requires exact matching, you may need a sworn affidavit or court order linking the names, which can also be apostilled.
In most cases, only the marriage certificate (which confirms the marriage was performed and registered) needs to be apostilled. The marriage license (which authorized the marriage to take place) is typically not required by foreign authorities. However, some countries request both - we can advise based on your destination.
