Get a Colorado apostille yourself.

Choose the document

Use the certified government record for a vital, court or business record, and the correct notarial certificate for a private statement. The source office and notary state matter more than your mailing address. [CO-01; CO-03]

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Check the destination and business branch

Record the foreign country. Colorado will not issue this certificate for use in the United States or its territories. For company records, follow the business-specific branch below; do not infer identical Hague/non-Hague handling. [CO-02; CO-04]

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Choose mail, drop-off or expedited hand delivery

The form offers all three channels. The $15 expedited choice is per apostille and walk-in only; mail/drop-off are $5 per apostille. Paying a courier alone does not select state expedited handling. [CO-02]

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Choose a return method

The form offers pickup, free standard USPS, or your prepaid label. FedEx/UPS return requires a prepaid label; do not use the SOS name/address as the return address, or the form says standard mail will be used. [CO-02]

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Birth, death, marriage and divorce

SOS directs birth/death procurement to Colorado Vital Records. Marriage, divorce and other court copies come from the relevant county or district-court custodian. Confirm the precise record, access, certification, fee and delivery before ordering. The linked CDPHE ordering page was inaccessible during this review; no current vital-record procurement price or queue is asserted. [CO-01]

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Company records: obtain the certified product

Search the entity or transaction in the SOS database, open the Summary and select Get certified copies of documents. Choose individual filings or the whole record. The state says these certified copies are free and recommends color printing for official use. Match the exact requested filing rather than substituting a good-standing certificate. [CO-04]

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Company records: follow the destination-specific instruction

SOS describes business-record apostilles for Hague destinations after checking that a certified copy alone will not meet the requirement. For non-Hague business records it refers requests to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications. Retain the SOS-signed/sealed output and confirm the remaining destination chain; do not route it through a private notarial cover sheet. [CO-04]

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School example: CU Boulder transcript

Contact transcriptinfo@colorado.edu for notarization of a paper transcript before ordering. The registrar reports limited service and delays. Receive the notarized transcript, then forward it to SOS; an ordinary electronic transcript is a different output. Other schools need their own registrar procedure. [CO-06]

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Check the notarial certificate

SOS provides separate examples for acknowledgment, oath/affirmation, signature witnessing and copy certification. Select the act your document requires, then check the completed venue, date, signer and official signature/stamp. The examples are references, not permission to use copy certification for every record. [CO-05; CO-03]

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Avoid published rejection causes

SOS lists blank documents, improper copies of Colorado public records, and notary statements exceeding notarial authority. Its POA warning concerns legal conclusions such as explaining legal effect or certifying capacity, not every POA. Resolve the precise wording before the act rather than changing a completed document afterward. [CO-03]

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Use the agency review channel when needed

The rejection page offers PDF pre-review at Authentications@coloradosos.gov and estimates 3–5 business days, with multiple attachments possibly taking longer. Review feedback is not issued authentication or a recipient acceptance guarantee. You choose whether to submit your own document; this guide has sent none. [CO-03]

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Fill out the request and pay

Include requester details, destination, apostille count, service choice and return information. Pay mail orders by check or money order to Colorado Secretary of State. The form says no credit/debit cards and no mailed cash. Its counter-cash wording is broader than the FAQ’s check/money-order instruction; confirm before relying on cash. [CO-02; CO-01]

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Send the complete original packet

Use the form’s address: Authentications Program, Colorado Secretary of State, 1700 Broadway, Ste. 550, Denver, CO 80290. Include prepared original/certified output, form, payment and chosen return arrangements. The $5 state fee is separate from record acquisition, notarization and transport. [CO-02; CO-07]

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What if an out-of-state copy is offered?

The general FAQ describes Colorado notarial copy certification for out-of-state government documents, while the rejection page restricts copies obtainable from specified Colorado custodians. Neither makes the copy the issuing state’s certified original. Match the requested record and competent authority before choosing that distinct notarial route. [CO-01; CO-03]

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Can a service guarantee acceptance or speed?

No guarantee is established here. Compare direct submission with optional preparation/logistics help after resolving the record and destination. For a returned packet, obtain the written defect, identify the responsible source/notarial/request stage and arrange the proper replacement. This recovery sequence is practical guidance.

Worked case: Denver birth or death procurement

Denver’s issuer page covers Colorado birth certificates and Denver County death certificates. Its February 2026 applications require a signed request, current ID and applicable relationship/direct-interest evidence. The first certified copy is $25 and additional copies of the same record are $20. For mail, use check or money order payable to Manager of Finance, not SOS; do not send cash. Mail to Denver Public Health & Environment, Birth and Death Certificates, 120 W. 5th Avenue, Denver CO 80204. A first $25 record plus one ordinary $5 SOS certificate makes $30 before extras. Denver’s death-record coverage and these county payment rules are not statewide assumptions. [CO-08; CO-09; CO-10; CO-02]

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Keep Denver timing, card charges and restricted output in scope

Its page gives a response within 30 days for mailed/online orders, not a foreign-delivery deadline. Walk-ins are described at the county office Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m., excluding closures; state Vital Records uses its own arrangements. The county page lists a 2.5% card fee from May 1, 2025; mail check/money-order instructions remain separate. The death form gives relationship-specific evidence and limits some genealogy products to genealogical use. Do not assume certification or apostille expands that output’s permitted purpose. [CO-08; CO-10]

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Worked case: Denver recorded marriage copy

Follow the county clerk’s Search for Records certified-copy prompts. The certified recorded document costs $1 per document plus $0.25 per page; one page is $1.25, or $6.25 with one ordinary $5 SOS certificate before delivery. If the image is missing, the clerk asks for the reception number at recording@denvergov.org. A recorded marriage copy is a different product from a new marriage-license application, and another county sets its own procedure. [CO-11; CO-02]

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Worked case: Denver District Court decree

Its request form asks for the case, parties and exact filing, with certified/exemplified and mail/email/pickup choices. Specify the certified paper output needed for your authentication, rather than assuming an emailed search result supplies it. A representative quotes the cost and requires payment before fulfillment. The form allows three business days to respond, not to finish foreign delivery. Its listed ten-page example is 10 × $0.25 + $20 certification + $5 ordinary SOS certificate = $27.50 before postage or other charges. Restricted records may require proof of access. Exemplification is a separate product, not an assumed universal apostille prerequisite. [CO-12; CO-02]

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Additional school case: Colorado State University

Keep CU Boulder’s procedure above separate. CSU directs its notarization request through the registrar eStore, adds an official transcript at $20 and a one-time $25 notarization processing charge, then returns the original with its notarized authenticity letter. One such transcript plus one ordinary $5 SOS certificate totals $50 before extras. CSU publishes a minimum 15–20 business day preparation allowance, before SOS/transit; confirm any selected shipping option rather than reading that as guaranteed delivery. A diploma needs the original or a separately priced reprint. CSU prepares the record; it does not issue the apostille. [CO-13; CO-02]

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