If you are planning to get married outside the country or need to prove your marriage is legal in a foreign country, you may need an apostille for your marriage certificate. An apostille is a certification that verifies the authenticity of a document and makes it valid outside the country where it was issued. In this blog, we will focus on how to get an apostille for your marriage certificate in Hawaii, where the process is fairly straightforward.
Step 1: Obtain a Certified Copy of Your Marriage Certificate from the Hawaii Department of Health.
Before you can get an apostille for your marriage certificate, you need to get a certified copy of the document from the Hawaii Department of Health. You can request a certified copy online, by mail, or in person at one of the Department of Health’s Vital Records Offices on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, or Hawaii Island. The fee for a certified copy is $10.
Step 2: Complete the Hawaii Apostille Request Form.
Once you have your certified copy of your marriage certificate, you need to complete the Hawaii Apostille Request Form. This form is available online on the website of the Hawaii Secretary of State. The form requires you to provide some personal information, like your name and address, as well as some information about the document you want to be apostilled, like its title, the date of issue, and the name of the issuing agency. You will also need to sign the form and have it notarized.
Step 3: Submit Your Request Form and Payment.
After you have completed the Hawaii Apostille Request Form, you need to submit it, along with your certified copy of your marriage certificate and the appropriate fee, to the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General. The fee for one apostille is $1, and additional apostilles on the same document cost $1 each. You can submit your request form and payment by mail or in person at the Department of the Attorney General’s Apostille and Certification Unit.
Step 4: Wait for Your Apostilled Marriage Certificate to be Mailed to You.
Once your request has been processed, your apostilled marriage certificate will be mailed to you at the address you provided on the request form. The processing time for apostilles is typically two to three weeks, but it may be longer during peak periods. If you need your apostilled marriage certificate more quickly, you can pay an expedited service fee of $10 per document to have it processed within two business days.
Step 5: Use Your Apostilled Marriage Certificate as Needed.
Now that you have your apostilled marriage certificate, you can use it to prove the legal validity of your marriage in other countries. Make sure to keep it in a safe and secure place and only provide it to authorized parties when necessary.
Getting an apostille for your marriage certificate in Hawaii may seem daunting, but it is a relatively straightforward process. By obtaining a certified copy of your marriage certificate, completing the Hawaii Apostille Request Form, submitting your request form and payment, and waiting for your apostilled marriage certificate to be mailed to you, you can have the documents you need to prove the legal validity of your marriage abroad. Remember to keep your apostilled marriage certificate in a safe place and only provide it to authorized parties when necessary. We hope this blog has been helpful in guiding you through the process of getting an apostille for your marriage certificate in Hawaii.
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