Get a Vermont apostille yourself.

Decide what the receiving office actually needs

Write down the destination country or territory, receiving institution, purpose, exact record, number of copies, language and deadline. An apostille certifies a public signature, capacity and seal; it does not approve the document’s contents, legal effect or translation. Check the HCCH table’s entry-into-force, territorial-extension and objection records on the intended use date. Where the Convention applies, do not automatically buy embassy legalization after an apostille; a waiver may remove authentication entirely. Outside that route, obtain the destination authority’s written authentication/legalization sequence. [HCCH-01: Arts.1–5, 9, 12; HCCH-02: table notes.]

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Choose Vermont only when the signature belongs there

VSARA issues certificates for Vermont certified public records and Vermont notarized documents on behalf of the Secretary of State. A Vermont resident’s New Hampshire birth certificate stays with New Hampshire. A private affidavit notarized under another state’s commission follows that notary state even if signed by a Vermont resident or delivered to Vermont. Foreign-issued records arriving in Vermont obtain authentication from the competent authority at origin when required; Vermont does not re-apostille the foreign record. Section 5378 addresses the evidentiary effect of foreign notarial acts, while §5377 addresses Vermont notarial signatures. Domestic use does not become a foreign route merely because a requester lives abroad. [VT-01: scope; VT-13: (a); VT-14: (a)–(f); HCCH-01: Art.1.]

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Keep public-record certification with its legal custodian

For a birth, death, marriage, court order or filed company record, obtain the issuing office’s certified version. VSARA’s published exclusion specifically covers Vermont public records certified by a notary instead of their legal custodian. A notarized personal copy, custodian affidavit or cover sheet authenticates its own notarial signature; it does not convert the underlying public record into the custodian-certified record the foreign office asked for. Do not add notarization to every official document. [VT-01: What VSARA Will Not Apostille or Authenticate; VT-04: certified/noncertified copies; VT-11: certified copies.]

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Order a certified Vermont birth or death certificate

Start at the Health Department’s Order Vital Records page. Select a certified copy, not the free watermarked noncertified copy or a hospital souvenir. For 1909 onward, town/city clerks can issue birth/death certificates; older records can be requested from the clerk holding them. Certified copies cost $10. The May 2026 application requires the event/name/parent details, an eligible relationship, a signature/date and a copy of valid ID. Its page 3 accepts a U.S. or foreign passport among primary IDs and lists a two-document alternative; use that actual list rather than guessing. For a court-authorized applicant, the form requires a certified court order, not a photocopy. [VT-04: Options One–Three; VT-05: pp.1–4.]

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Mail birth/death procurement to Health, not the apostille office

For the Health Department mail option, include the completed four-page application, required ID evidence, check or money order in U.S. funds payable to Vermont Department of Health, and a self-addressed envelope. Send to Vermont Department of Health, Vital Records, 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-8370. That payment and address buy the certified record; they are distinct from VSARA’s apostille fee/payee/address. Once the issued copy arrives, use the apostille steps below. A correction to the underlying record must go through its issuer before authentication; apostilling an incorrect name does not correct it. [VT-05: pp.2–4; VT-04: Additional Services.]

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Choose the marriage or divorce form by event year

For marriage/divorce certificates from 1909 through 2023 and civil union certificates for all years, use VSARA-09, revision 02/2025. Enter the parties’ details, event date/place, number of copies and destination in its Apostille Required line. Each certified copy is $10 and each apostille is another $10; mail the form, check/money order in U.S. funds payable to Vermont Secretary of State, and self-addressed stamped envelope to VSARA’s Montpelier mailing address below. The PDF’s actual heading is marriage/civil union/divorce despite an inaccurate search title. For 2024 onward marriage/divorce certificates and all-year civil union dissolution certificates, use the June 2026 Health Department form and its $10-per-copy payment to Vermont Department of Health at 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-8370. A civil union certificate and its dissolution are different records. [VT-06: p.1; VT-07: pp.1–2.]

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Use the official combined online vital-record route when it fits

The Vermont Vital Records Request Service covers birth, death, marriage, civil union, divorce and dissolution certificates. The SOS guidance says authentication can be ordered online simultaneously with a certified vital record. Select the foreign-use/authentication option and the country when the service presents it; ordering an ordinary certificate alone does not include an apostille. The public welcome page lists $12 per certified copy through Vermont.gov, comprising the $10 record plus $2 online processing, and $14.50 optional expedited shipping. The additional authentication is $10. Review the actual order summary before paying; checkout, eligibility and fulfillment were not exercised for this guide. [VT-01: online vital-record option; VT-04: online fee; VT-08: Welcome; VT-09: additional fee.]

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Worked case: one older marriage certificate for foreign use

For a 2018 Vermont marriage certificate requiring one apostille, VSARA-09 allows the certified record and apostille to be requested together:1×$10 certification+1×$10 apostille=$20 before any additional return-postage cost. Include the country and payee stated on that form. Using the official online service instead has a $12 certificate price and $10 authentication, or $22 before optional shipping; the $14.50 shipping option would bring those listed amounts to $36.50. The recipient still decides whether that certificate, a different record or a translation is needed. These are synthetic calculations from published fees, not completed transactions or a service quote. [VT-06: copy/apostille lines; VT-08: fee/shipping; VT-09: fee.]

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Order a divorce decree or court order from the case court

A divorce certificate records the event; a divorce decree contains the court’s terms. For a decree, name-change order, judgment or other filing, use the Judiciary’s Request for Access to Court Records form and send it by email, mail or hand delivery to the court where the case was handled. Supply the case number, parties, exact filing/date, certified-copy request, paper-return instructions and foreign-use purpose. Use the linked Court Locations page for that court’s address. The current Judiciary page lists paper copies 25¢/page with $1 minimum, certified copies $5, and possible $7.50 older-file retrieval postage. Pay by check/money order to Vermont Superior Court; for phone card payment, the page tells you to email the form and request the call. Court procurement is paid separately from VSARA. Ask the clerk for the certification format needed for foreign authentication rather than assuming a portal printout is equivalent. Access restrictions may require a court decision; the page provides an appeal process. [VT-11: request/fees/divorce/appeal.]

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Prepare academic records through the registrar

Vermont SOS says academic documents need a Vermont-notarized attestation by the school registrar regarding authenticity. Ask the actual registrar for the transcript, diploma or certification the receiving school/employer requested, the registrar’s attestation and notarization suitable for VSARA. A student’s sworn personal photocopy is a different certification. For a school outside Vermont, obtain that school’s issuing/notary-state instructions instead of assuming Vermont can certify its registrar. At UVM, the replacement-diploma page directs students needing notarization/apostille information to registrar@uvm.edu and lists $35 for replacement diplomas. Its overseas delivery requires a prepaid label. Those are UVM procurement instructions, not a statewide diploma price or a promise that a replacement is necessary. [VT-01: academic documents; VT-12: Diploma Reprints/Note.]

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Worked case: UVM diploma plus a private affidavit

A former UVM student first establishes whether the recipient wants a diploma, transcript or both. If a $35 replacement diploma is needed, request the registrar’s proper attestation/notarization; one $10 apostille gives a $45 subtotal before any unlisted registrar/notary charges or shipping. A separate affidavit signed before a Vermont notary ordinarily needs its own $10 certificate. If instead the affidavit uses a Florida notary, keep that separate Florida apostille route; the UVM record does not move to Florida simply to combine the shipment. No two-for-one fee or universal registrar charge is implied. [VT-12: replacement fee; VT-02: per-document fee; VT-01: Vermont scope.]

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Order business records through the separate Business Services process

Identify the exact entity name/ID and whether the receiving office wants good standing/status or certified copies of specific filed documents, such as articles. An entity-search screenshot is neither. Use the official MISC-1b request form for existing Secretary-of-State business records. Supply the return name/address, business name, desired document selection, specific filings if not all, country and certificate count. The inspected form is revision 06/01/18 and has misnumbered internal cross-references; follow the named fee rows and separate-check checklist rather than guessing from those reference numbers. Business Services publishes a 7–10-business-day estimate for this route. Private corporate affidavits and operating agreements are different notarized-document requests. [VT-10: scope/form/timing; VT-15: p.1, items 1–8.]

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Worked case: one certified business filing with apostille

The current indexed Business Services administrative fee schedule lists $25 for a certified copy, matching MISC-1b’s record-fee row. For one requested certified-copy certificate plus one $10 authentication, the listed subtotal is $35 before shipping. The form calls for one check/money order payable to VTSOS for the record amount and a separate check/money order payable to VT STATE ARCHIVES for authentication. Send the completed form, both payments and chosen return materials to Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division, 128 State St., Montpelier, VT 05633-1104. Its return options name USPS domestic first-class at no additional charge, or enclosed USPS/FedEx/UPS labels or prepaid envelopes; do not assume the general VSARA form’s international/DHL choices apply to this business form. For good standing/status, the current indexed fee schedule distinguishes a business corporation’s $25 certificate from a nonprofit corporation’s $35 certificate and an LLC’s $35 certificate of existence. Adding one $10 authentication gives listed subtotals of $35, $45 and $45 respectively before shipping. The 2018 form’s blanket $25 row therefore understates the record amount for those latter examples; use the current entity-specific fee and resolve any remaining form/schedule discrepancy with Business Services before paying. Other entity types must use their own current schedule row. [VT-15: p.1, items 4–8; VT-16: Administrative Fees and entity-specific certificate rows.]

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Have private documents notarized only when their route requires it

For an affidavit, authorization or power of attorney, establish the required act and certificate wording from the receiving authority or qualified counsel, then take the complete document and acceptable ID to a Vermont notary for that act. Keep the completed original and ensure the notarial certificate identifies the act, date, venue and signing official with the required signature/stamp information. Do not pre-sign a document that must be signed under oath or witnessed. A notary executes an authorized act; notarization does not validate the private transaction. Remote notarization, an electronic signature and an e-Apostille are separate questions. The reviewed VSARA sources do not establish an electronic apostille service or an automatic printout-conversion route; obtain specific official output instructions before relying on an electronically notarized file. [VT-01: notarized-document scope; VT-13: signature authentication; HCCH-01: Art.5.]

VT-01 source VT-13 source HCCH-01 source

Federal records stay on the federal route

An FBI Identity History Summary, federal agency record or federal court record is not made a Vermont public record by the requester’s residence. Start with the U.S. Department of State’s official document-preparation instructions and, for a federal court record, the issuing court’s certification instructions. The federal office provides FormDS-4194 and separate submission, fee and return procedures; do not put a federal packet in a Vermont $10 order. A private notarized statement attached to an FBI report is not authentication of the FBI signature. Federal and state documents in one personal package may require separate authorities before final delivery. [US-01: Prepare document/DS-4194; HCCH-01: Art.6; VT-01: Vermont scope.]

US-01 source HCCH-01 source VT-01 source

Complete the current VSARA-35 general request

Download VSARA-35 from the source list. The inspected form is marked Rev.08/2021. Print or type the destination country, total documents, requester name, contact telephone/email and address; list the records and select Vermont Certified Public Record or Vermont Notarized Document as appropriate. Enter a different final delivery address if needed. Count the requested certificates and complete the fee calculation:documents×$10. For example, three eligible separately certified/notarized documents needing three certificates cost $30, before procurement, notarization, translation and shipping. Use the separate business order described above for SOS business records and the combined vital-record form when applicable; do not submit duplicate orders for the same record. [VT-02: p.1.]

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Prepare payment and the return before sealing the packet

For the general VSARA-35 order, use a check or money order drawn on a U.S. financial institution payable to Vermont Secretary of State. Do not assume a foreign-bank cheque, cash or a card number written on the form is an accepted substitute. The form offers domestic return at no additional charge and international first-class mail at no additional charge, or a customer-provided USPS International Priority/Express envelope with postage, or a customer-provided FedEx/UPS/DHL label. For tracking or faster carriage, include the appropriate prepaid label and envelope and retain its tracking number. A free first-class return is not tracked express service. Match the label to the actual destination and include any carrier-required documents; arrange payment directly with that carrier before submission. [VT-02: payment and return choices; VT-01: trackable/expedited return instruction.]

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Use VSARA’s mailing address or its Middlesex physical location

For mail, address the general request to Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Secretary of State, 1078 US RTE 2, Middlesex, Montpelier, VT 05633-7701, as printed on VSARA-35. The physical delivery location is 1078 U.S.Route 2, Middlesex; a drop box is advertised there. For a courier, use that street location and verify the carrier’s address validation rather than sending a parcel to the unrelated 128 State Street business-office address. VSARA’s public building hours are Monday–Friday 7:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The current hours page identifies apostille as a mail-order service, while the older VSARA-35 says in-person requests may be made. Do not infer a staffed apostille counter, walk-in completion or an appointment entitlement from building hours. Mail or drop-box delivery avoids that uncertainty; before a special counter trip, verify service arrangements at 802-828-3700 or SOS.StatutoryFilings@vermont.gov. [VT-02: footer; VT-01: delivery; VT-03: hours/services.]

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Send the complete packet and plan each clock separately

For a general request, enclose the eligible certified/notarized originals, completed VSARA-35, correct check/money order and chosen return materials. Retain scans for reference and the outbound/return tracking details; keep associated pages together. The reviewed general VSARA materials did not establish a processing-day promise or a paid state expedite option. Do not borrow Business Services’7–10-day estimate for every document. The vital-record portal says most ordinary record orders ship within 5–7 business days; its overnight option describes shipping on the fulfillment day, not guaranteed issuance tomorrow or an authenticated-order deadline. Budget separately for record procurement, correction, VSARA handling and both transport legs. Obtain a current office estimate if a deadline makes uncertainty material. [VT-02: submission; VT-08: processing/shipping; VT-10: business-only timing.]

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Check the returned packet without dismantling it

Verify your original/certified record is present and the apostille or authentication identifies the intended signing official and document; compare names, dates and destination-sensitive instructions. Keep the certificate attached exactly as issued, and retain a complete scan and envelope/tracking history. A scan-back of a paper packet is not a true e-Apostille and may not satisfy the receiving office’s original requirement. If authenticity needs checking, request verification from the issuing authority; ConventionArticle 7 provides for register verification. No specific Vermont physical anti-fraud feature or public e-register was verified in this research, so do not infer one. [HCCH-01: Arts.4–7; VT-02: paper request/return.]

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Recover from a state rejection or recipient refusal

Read and keep the written return notice. Separate a missing form/payment/return-label defect from an unrecognized signature, an unsuitable copy or a foreign-recipient objection. For an unsuitable vital/court/company copy, order the correct issuer-certified record; for a defective notarization, return to the original notary or obtain a new lawful act as appropriate. Do not erase dates, append stamps to a completed packet, replace pages under an existing apostille or hide the first rejection. Ask the issuing office which defect must be corrected, whether a fresh fee is due and how to resubmit with the reference number. If the recipient refuses an intact issued certificate, obtain its written reason, reviewer/office, required legal form and escalation route before buying another chain. An informal phone comment is not a formal rejection decision. These are Greg Lirette / Notary Geek’s practical handling principles, not a published Vermont appeal procedure. Court-record access denials have the separate appeal process linked by the Judiciary. [VT-11: Appeal; HCCH-01: Arts.5, 7.]

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Choose free DIY or pay for a defined logistical service

This guide and the official government instructions are free; government records, certificates and postage still carry their own charges. Once the act and certificate are settled, a bank, workplace or local notary may be convenient; ask its actual fee and availability. Greg Lirette / Notary Geek’s practical distinction is that paid management can help coordinate the correct record, multiple issuing states, paper custody, return labels, scan-back and overseas delivery. A runner can move a packet or retrieve records where permitted; it cannot manufacture an issuer’s certification, promise acceptance or shorten an unpublished state queue. Agree on exactly which tasks, carriers and charges are included before paying. No Vermont counter-runner availability, fixed Notary Geek price, expedited state outcome or foreign-recipient guarantee is established by this guide.

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