Only Texas Can Apostille A Texas Marriage Record.
A consulate wants proof your marriage is real. Your state cannot give it to them. One office in Texas can, and we are the hands that walk it in.
Nothing is paid until it lands on our desk and we confirm it will pass.
A Texas Record Is A Texas Matter.
Same Apostille, same fee, wherever you are tonight. One price covers the filing and the FedEx ride home. The only question worth asking is when the consulate expects it in their hands.
Standard Apostille
- Walked in, not mailed off. Your record is hand-carried to the State, never dropped in a box and hoped for.
- Checked before they check it. We catch what gets refused while it is still fixable.
- FedEx home, included. Tracking from our door to yours, no charge waiting at the end.
- One fee, start to finish. Nothing new appears when it is time to pay.
Rush Apostille
- Front of the line. Your file moves the day your envelope reaches us, not the week after.
- Same hands, shorter clock. The same trained review, run against your deadline instead of ours.
- FedEx home, included. Tracking from our door to yours, no charge waiting at the end.
- For the date that will not move. A visa interview, a residency filing, a flight already booked.
Working against a tighter date? Call 281-713-5485 and we will tell you honestly what is possible before you spend anything.
Not a Hague country? Embassy legalization is handled as a separate service. Delivery outside the United States is quoted at booking, and certified translation starts at $100 per page.
Texas Marriage Records Work Differently.
Texas does not keep certified copies of marriage licenses at the state level. The county that issued your license holds the record. That surprises almost everyone, and it decides which document you send us.
Certified Copy From The County Clerk
Order it from the County Clerk who issued your marriage license. Not the county where you live now, and not the county where the wedding happened if the license came from somewhere else.
It arrives with a raised seal and a signature. That is the document we Apostille.
Verification Letter From The State
Texas issues a letter confirming a marriage was recorded, available for marriages since 1966. It proves the marriage exists without being a copy of the license.
It can be Apostilled the same way, at the same fee. Confirm your destination country accepts it before choosing this route.
Not sure which one they want? Ask whoever is requesting the document, in writing if you can. Sending the wrong type is the most expensive mistake on this page, and it is completely avoidable.
You Do The Easy Part. We Do The Rest.
Mail It With The Coversheet
Print the packet, tuck it in the envelope, send it tracked. That sheet is what marries your record to your Apostille order the second it reaches our desk.
Approve And Pay
We put trained eyes on it before the State ever does. If something would get it refused, you hear it from us, not from a rejection notice six weeks later.
Your Apostille Comes Home
Sealed, approved, and moving toward you by FedEx with a tracking number. Anywhere in the country.
Questions before you ship: Tracking@HoustonApostille.com
We Handle It A To Z
3 Ways To Avoid Rejection
Every one of these happens at the kitchen table, long before anyone at the State ever sees it. Sixty seconds here saves a month.
1. A Notary Stamp Kills It
Someone will helpfully tell you to get it notarized. They are wrong, and there is no undo. A notary seal on a vital record ends that copy's life the instant the ink dries. The State will refuse to Apostille it and nobody can fix it.
2. Your Keepsake Certificate Is Not The Record
The decorative one from the ceremony, the one the officiant signed, the one framed on the wall. None of those are the legal record. It has to be the certified copy from the County Clerk, or the State verification letter, with a raised seal and a hand signature.
3. Read The Issue Date, Not Your Anniversary
Look at when the document was printed, not the day you married. We Apostille records issued in the last 20 years. Go older and the official who signed it may have vanished from the state records, and a signature nobody can verify is a signature nobody will approve.
Questions We Get Every Week
Tap any question to open it.
Why do other services say they can Apostille this if only Texas can?
Because they are doing exactly what you would do, mailing your record to the government authority and waiting. Anyone can drop an envelope. We take it, guide it, catch the problems before the State sees them, and push it through faster. The Apostille always comes from Texas. The difference is whose hands it passes through on the way.
Where do I get a Texas marriage certificate Apostilled if I live in another state?
It happens in Texas no matter where you live. A different state cannot Apostille a Texas record. Mail it to a Texas Apostille service and it comes back finished.
Is return shipping included?
Yes. FedEx return with tracking is part of the fee on both the Standard Apostille and the Rush Apostille, anywhere in the United States. Delivery outside the United States is quoted at booking.
Why does Texas not have a copy of my marriage certificate?
Because Texas marriage licenses are issued and held by County Clerks, not the State. The State can confirm a marriage was recorded, but the certified copy comes from the county that issued your license.
Which document should I send, the county copy or the verification letter?
Whichever the receiving country asks for. Most want the certified copy from the County Clerk. Some accept the State verification letter, available for marriages since 1966. Ask whoever is requesting it before you order anything, because sending the wrong type costs you the most time.
What is an Apostille on a marriage certificate?
An official certificate attached by the State of Texas confirming your marriage record is genuine, so a foreign government will accept it. 129 countries require an Apostille.
Does my marriage certificate need to be notarized before the Apostille?
No, and it must not be. A notary seal on a Texas vital record invalidates it permanently.
Can I send the certificate from our ceremony?
No. The decorative certificate from the wedding is not the legal record and cannot be Apostilled. Only a certified copy from the County Clerk, or the State verification letter, with a seal and a hand signature.
How old can my marriage record be?
We Apostille records issued in the last 20 years. The issue date printed on it is what counts, not your wedding date. Older records risk rejection because the signing official may no longer be verifiable in the state records.
Is it safe to mail my marriage record to you?
We are a licensed Apostille service with a physical office in Katy, Texas, working since 2016. Send it tracked. We log it on arrival and confirm we have it.
Do Apostilles expire?
The Apostille does not. The country receiving it may still want a recently issued record, so ask whoever is requesting it.
What if my country is not in the Hague Convention?
Then an Apostille is not what you need. It requires embassy legalization instead, a three-step chain through the State of Texas, the U.S. Department of State, and the destination country embassy. Separate service, starting at $349.
Can you Apostille a marriage certificate from another state?
Yes, but that is a different service with a different timeline. A record issued outside Texas has to go to the state that issued it, which takes 3 to 6 weeks. Call and we will walk you through it.
How long does a Texas marriage certificate Apostille take?
Ten business days on the Standard Apostille, five days or less on the Rush Apostille. Add mail transit both directions. These are estimates, not guarantees, because government offices set their own pace.
Mail-In Terms, Rejections, And Refunds
Please read before shipping. By mailing a document to Houston Apostille you accept these terms.
Houston Apostille is not a government agency. We are a private authentication service. We do not issue, obtain, or provide access to vital records. Certificates are issued solely by the appropriate government authority.
Document type is the sender's decision. Whether a certified county copy or a State verification letter is acceptable depends entirely on the country or institution requesting it. Confirm with them before ordering. We Apostille what you send, and a document refused abroad for being the wrong type is not refundable.
Eligibility is the sender's responsibility. The requirements on this page exist so you can confirm your record qualifies before you ship it. We review documents on arrival as a courtesy, but the condition, age, authenticity, and eligibility of the document you send are yours to verify.
Rejections by the governing authority are not refundable. Service fees pay for our labor, handling, filing, and courier work, all of which are performed whether or not the authority approves the document. If a submitted document is rejected, fees already paid are not refunded, and government fees are not recoverable.
Return delivery on a rejected or ineligible document. The included FedEx return covers one completed order. A document returned because it was refused by the authority, because it was ineligible on arrival, or because the sender changed their mind after shipping is returned at the sender's expense, billed before the document is released.
Cancellations after shipment. Once a document is in our possession, intake labor has already occurred. Orders cancelled after arrival are subject to an intake and handling charge, and return delivery is billed separately.
Timelines are estimates. Processing times depend on government offices and mail carriers we do not control. Estimated turnaround is not a guarantee, and no refund is issued for delays caused by any government office, carrier, or weather event. Guaranteed timelines, when offered, are stated in writing on the invoice or service order.
Mail-in orders are not covered by the Gold Guarantee. That guarantee applies only to documents we handle in person, because we never inspect a mail-in document before it leaves your hands.
Ship with tracking. Houston Apostille is not responsible for documents lost, delayed, or damaged in transit before arrival at our office, or after release to the return carrier.