Dallas Apostille Services in Texas
Apostille Request Form
Apostille Service for Dallas and North Texas
If you live or work in Dallas or nearby cities such as Plano, Irving, Garland, Richardson and Frisco and need a U.S. document accepted abroad, we manage the whole process: document review, notarization where it is required, filing with the correct authority and return shipping to you or your recipient overseas.
We serve Dallas by mail and courier through our Texas office at 6124 Hwy 6 N, Houston, TX 77084. Phone: (971) 514-3743 (answered 24/7). You can also start your order online.
How Apostilles Work for Dallas Documents
Texas documents are apostilled by the Texas Secretary of State in Austin. Vital records need a certified copy first, from Texas Vital Statistics or the county clerk where the record was filed; for most Dallas births, marriages and deaths that is the Dallas County Clerk. Documents you sign yourself, such as a power of attorney or single status affidavit, are notarized before they are filed. FBI background checks are federal and go to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.
Dallas Apostille Pricing and Turnaround
| Service | Our fee | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Texas state apostille | From $195; additional documents $65 each, plus the state fee | 10 business days, depending on state delays |
| FBI apostille | $195 | 5+ weeks (regular U.S. Department of State processing) |
| Expedited FBI apostille | $390 | 10 business days |
Notary and translation fees are separate. See full apostille pricing.
Dallas Apostille FAQ
Do you have an office in Dallas?
We serve Dallas by mail and courier. Our Texas office is at 6124 Hwy 6 N, Houston, TX 77084, and we answer the phone 24/7.
Who issues an apostille for a Texas document?
The Texas Secretary of State in Austin issues apostilles for Texas documents. Federal documents, such as FBI background checks, are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State.
Where do I get a certified copy of a Dallas birth or marriage record?
Certified copies come from Texas Vital Statistics or the county clerk where the record was filed. For most Dallas records that is the Dallas County Clerk.
How long does a Texas apostille take?
A state apostille takes about 10 business days, depending on state delays. A regular FBI apostille takes 5+ weeks, and our expedited FBI apostille takes 10 business days.
How much does an apostille cost in Dallas?
Our fee for a state apostille starts at $195, with additional documents at $65 each plus the state fee. An FBI apostille is $195, or $390 expedited.
Two Vital Records Offices Serve Dallas Residents
Dallas is one of the few Texas cities that runs its own vital statistics office alongside the county’s. Which one you contact depends on where the birth or death happened and which version of the certificate the foreign authority wants.
The City of Dallas Vital Statistics office sits on the first floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library at 1515 Young Street (phone 214-670-3092). It issues long-form birth and death certificates from April 1983 onward, but only for events inside the incorporated city limits. It can also print short-form (abstract) birth certificates for any Texas birth from 1926 to the present.
The Dallas County Clerk’s Vital Records Division is in the Records Building, 500 Elm Street, Suite 2100 (phone 214-653-7099). It keeps birth, death and marriage records for the county, including the 31 other cities the county serves, and it releases birth and death certificates only to the registrant or immediate family.
| Record | Usual source | Note for apostille use |
|---|---|---|
| Birth inside Dallas city limits, 1983 or later | City Vital Statistics (Central Library) or Dallas County Clerk | Ask for the long-form certificate; many countries reject abstracts |
| Birth in a suburb such as Mesquite or DeSoto | Dallas County Clerk or Texas Vital Statistics | The city library office cannot issue a long form here |
| Marriage license recorded in Dallas County | Dallas County Clerk | Request a certified copy, not the souvenir certificate |
| Death certificate | City office (in city limits) or County Clerk | Needed for overseas estates and pension claims |
One rule catches many Dallas applicants: the Secretary of State apostilles only certified records issued within the past five years. A birth certificate your parents ordered in 2012 needs to be replaced with a fresh copy first.
Divorce Decrees and Court Orders on Commerce Street
Final divorce decrees, custody orders, adoption judgments and name changes from the Dallas County district courts are held by the Dallas County District Clerk. Its main counter is in the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street, First Floor West, Suite 103, and the administration line is (214) 653-7301.
A plain photocopy of your decree will not work. The court clerk must issue a certified copy bearing the clerk’s seal and signature, because that signature is what the Secretary of State verifies. If you remarry abroad, register a foreign residence or file for a spouse visa, expect the receiving office to ask for the complete decree rather than a one-page summary.
Tips for Dallas court records:
- Have the cause number ready; it speeds up the clerk’s search.
- Order the whole judgment, including signature pages and any attached property or custody exhibits the foreign office may want.
- If the case was heard in a county court at law rather than a district court, the County Clerk, not the District Clerk, holds the file.
Degrees and Transcripts from Dallas Campuses
Dallas institutions graduate a large number of people who later teach, practice medicine or study overseas. The Dallas Regional Chamber’s education guide lists UT Southwestern Medical Center, the University of North Texas at Dallas and its College of Law, Dallas Baptist University, Dallas Theological Seminary and the many Dallas College campuses, among others.
School records are private documents, so they need a registrar’s signature and a notary before Texas will apostille them. Southern Methodist University spells out its own route on its graduation and diploma services page: the registrar can certify a diploma for a $15 notary charge, and notarized degree letters come in sets of three through the SMU Marketplace option labeled “Degree Certification and Apostille.”
For other Dallas schools, ask the registrar for either a notarized copy of the diploma or an official transcript with a notarized registrar statement. Medical graduates of UT Southwestern applying for licensure abroad are often asked for both, plus a notarized letter confirming dates of training.
Business Documents for Dallas Headquarters and Hospitals
Dallas Economic Development reports that the city hosts eight Fortune 500 headquarters, and it names companies such as AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Texas Instruments, Energy Transfer and CBRE Group among the Fortune 1000 firms based here. Its list of the largest local employers is led by UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas ISD, Southwest Airlines and Parkland Health.
That mix shapes the commercial requests we handle for Dallas clients:
- Entity records such as certificates of formation and certificates of fact. Texas routes apostille requests for these through the Secretary of State’s Certifying team by email, which differs from the regular mail-in path.
- Corporate resolutions and powers of attorney signed by officers for overseas subsidiaries, bank accounts or tenders. These are notarized in Texas first.
- Employment and credential letters for nurses, physicians and engineers relocating abroad.
- Distribution and agency agreements that a foreign registry wants authenticated before it will record them.
If the destination is not a member of the Hague Convention, the same documents go through consular legalization instead. Check the destination on our country requirements page.
Records from Outside Dallas County
The city of Dallas reaches beyond its home county into Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties. A marriage license bought in Plano, or a birth recorded in a Collin County hospital, is a record of that county, so the certified copy has to come from that county clerk or from Texas Vital Statistics.
A few other situations change the route entirely:
- FBI Identity History Summaries are federal, so the U.S. Department of State issues the apostille. See our FBI apostille service.
- Documents issued in another state are apostilled by that state’s own authority, even if you now live in Dallas.
- Mexican documents needed in Dallas run the other way: they are apostilled in Mexico. The Consulate General of Mexico at 1210 River Bend in Dallas assists Mexican nationals with consular matters, but it does not apostille Texas records.
How a Dallas Order Reaches Austin
We handle Dallas work by mail and courier from our Houston office. A typical order moves like this:
- You tell us the document and the destination country, and we confirm what version is required.
- You order the certified copy from the city, county or court office above, or send us one issued within the last five years.
- Anything signed by you or a school official is notarized in Texas.
- We prepare Form 2102 for the Texas Secretary of State Authentications Unit at 400 West 15th Street in Austin and include the $15 state fee per document.
- The apostilled document is returned to you in Dallas or shipped directly to the recipient overseas.
Need the apostilled document in another language? Our translation service can prepare a certified translation once the apostille is attached.
Start Your Dallas Apostille
Call (971) 514-3743 or write to info@apostilleauthentications.com with a photo of your document and the country it is going to. You can also complete the request form and we will reply with the steps for your Dallas records.
State specific information
Texas Cities We Serve
Elsewhere in Texas? We accept documents by mail from every city. See our Texas apostille service guide.