Getting an Apostille for Marriage Certificate
How To Get an Apostille for Your Marriage Certificate?
Your marriage certificate is from IL.
Therefore it has to go IL Secretary of State for Apostille.
For your adoption, you need 2 apostilled marriage certificates.
You would have to contact the county which issued your marriage certificate and get 4 certified copies all together. 2 of these 4 are for your dossier.
Since they’re issued by the state, they do NOT need to be notarized. However, IL Secy of State says they have to be “certified by the Country Clerk or local registrar where the marriage occured”. This may come standard when you order your marriage certificate, but I would quote them this and request it. If they can’t include it, they will tell you how to get it.
You will send them to the Secretary of State for Apostille.
Their address is:
Illinois Secretary of State
Index Department
17 N. State St., Ste 1010
Chicago, IL 60602
IL charges $2 per document. Make out check or money order to Illinois Secretary of State.
Please use a pre-paid envelope with a tracking number for the return mail.
You can call them at (312) 814-8218.
Please verify that the address and the fees are the same. Ask them if they have a preferred mail courier for the return mail. Ask if anything is different due to Covid?
Below, for your convenience is the Cover Letter that IL uses to process apostilles.
What To Do With Birth Certificates?
Good news! Your birth certificates DO NOT need to be apostilled.
They still need to be included in your dossier, just don’t need an apostille. Please include 2 certified originals in each set of your dossier. (Your dossier is in 2 sets).
What About Any Divorce Certificates?
For any divorces, the divorce certificates need to be presented with the adoption dossier. Only photocopies of these divorce certificates/degrees are required. No apostilles. Just copies of each one.
