Apostille Services in Texas

Texas birth and death certificates issued by the Department of State Health Services Vital Statistics Section go straight to the Secretary of State.

Notarized documents — powers of attorney, corporate resolutions, affidavits, translator certificates — need a Texas notary, whose signature the Secretary of State authenticates directly. The office needs the original notarized document, not a copy.

Mexico is the most common destination for Texas apostilles, and Mexico is party to the Hague Convention, so an apostille is the correct instrument. Documents heading to countries outside the Convention need consular legalisation instead.

Mexican civil registries and courts commonly require a US document to be apostilled and then translated into Spanish by a translator whose certification they will accept. The order matters: the apostille attaches to the US original, and the whole apostilled document is then translated.

Some Mexican states additionally require the translation to be performed by a perito traductor registered with their judiciary. Check before ordering — if that applies, a US certified translation will not substitute.