THE ASSISTANT STORK
Your Document and Visa Specialist

Addresses for Departments of Vital Records & Secretaries of State

Last Revised 04/05/08

Adoption requires the prospective adoptive parents to assemble a variety of documents. These include certified birth certificates, marriage certificates, and divorce decrees among others. These can be obtained from the State Vital Records agency and authenticated by the Secretary of State of that state.

There is a service called "VitalChek" that can obtain your Vital Records for you. They are a bit expensive, and I understand they've been having problems lately, but many familes have used them with no problem and swear by them. Their number is: 1-800-255-2414 and their webpage address is: http://www.vitalchek.com Most of the time, they will only get the Vital Record, not the State Seal. You may still have to send the document back to the Secretary of State's office for the State Seal.

No matter where you order your Vital Record from, be sure to ask for a "certified original" or "certified copy" of your Vital Record. Many states also require a "live signature" on your records. As each state becomes more "computer literate" they seem to be dropping that requirement. Virginia and DC have recently stopped requiring live signatures. Ask your Sec. of State's office for their requirements. There are 50 states and each state has it's own set of laws. It can be very confusing! When sending your request to the Vital Records Office, ALWAYS mention that you are adopting internationally on your request. Some states have different forms for international adoption.

When you receive your Vital Record, it usually has a raised seal on it. Sometimes it even has a tiny raised seal that says "Great Seal of the State," but this is NOT all you need. Unless you receive specific instructions from your agency that you do not need it, the next step is to send your document to the Secretary of State's office. Repeat, the one sheet of paper is NOT all you need! You almost always have to take the next step... the Secretary of State. This is the most common mistake made by adoptive parents in the paperchase. Guatemala is one of the few countries that does not always require a State Seal on the Vital Record. Sometimes the PGN in Guatemala requires it, but sometimes not. Check with your agency first if you are adopting from Guatemala. If you are adopting from China, Vietnam, Ukraine and most of the other countries, you will need that State Seal!!!!! If you are adopting from Russia or Kazakhstan, you will need an Apostille.

When sending your request to the Secretary of State, ALWAYS mention which country you are adopting from on every request. Check to see if your adoptive country signed the Hague Convention of 1961 (Convention 12): http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=conventions.status&cid=41 If your country did NOT sign, you need a State Certification (sometimes just called a State Seal or State Authentication - every state calls it something different.) If your country DID sign the Hague Convention, you need an Apostille. Pay close attention to the date it goes into Force. Your country may have signed, but the Convention has not gone into force yet. That means until that date, you get the regular certification, not the Apostille.

Always include a daytime phone and always include a Prepaid Mailer with all your requests. For a sample request letter see: Secretary of State Cover Letter. This is a basic template. Please edit to fill your needs.

If you live in a state that requires county authentication of your documents, please be aware of the county in which your notary was registered. It may be different than the county you believe. Check with the notary! This will save you extra steps.

These addresses and phone numbers have been assembled from a variety of sources, but some information is VERY old. Please call the office to verify the information first, before you send your money. This could save you lots of time and frustration. This information is accurate to the best of my knowledge. If you find that some of this information is incorrect, please help us by sending corrections and updates to my address: laura@asststork.com

States:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Born Overseas to American Parents

Alabama Alabama Center for Health Statistics (updated 7/07) Department of Public Health PO Box 5625 Montgomery, AL 36103-5625 334-206-5418 or 334-206-2667
Fee: $12/doc, $4 for 2nd copy of same doc Check to "Department of Public Health" http://ph.state.al.us/chs/vitalrecords/vrecords.html

DOCUMENTS OTHER THAN VITAL RECORDS MUST BE COUNTY AUTHENTICATED BEFORE GOING TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE - Here is the contact info for the County Clerks in Alabama (look under Probate office)
Secretary of State (updated 7/07) Alabama State House 11 S. Union St., Ste. 200 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-242-7210 or 800-274-8683 Fax: 334-242-4993
Fee: $5/doc, Check to "Alabama Secretary of State" http://www.sos.state.al.us
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Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics (updated 2/05) 5441 Commercial Blvd
Juneau, AK 99801 907-465-3391 or FAX: 907-465-3618 Fee: $20/doc+ $12 per form for International use (This includes the $2 for the State Seal) Money Order Only to "Bureau of Vital Statistics" http://www.hss.state.ak.us/dph/bvs/

Office of the Lieutenant Governor (updated 10/05) Authentications Department 240 Main Street, Suite 301 Juneau, Alaska 99801 907-465-3509 Fax: 907-465-5400 Fee: $5/doc, Check to "State of Alaska" notary@gov.state.ak.us http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/

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Arizona Arizona Department of Health Services (updated 1/05)
Office of Vital Records Office Address: 1818 West Adams: Phoenix, AZ 85007 Mailing Address: PO Box 3887; Phoenix, AZ 85030 (602) 364-1300 Fee: Certified copies of birth certificates for births occurring 1990 to present
are $10.00 each. All others are $15.00 each. CERTIFIED CHECK OR MONEY ORDER to "Office of Vital Records" you must include xerox of picture ID http://www.azdhs.gov/vitalrcd - for application form and more info
Arizona Secretary of State (updated 11/06) Attn: Authentications & Apostilles 1700 W. Washington, #7 Phoenix, AZ 85007 602-542-4285 Fax: 602-542-1575
Fee: $3/doc, Check to "Secretary of State" http://www.azsos.gov/business_services/notary/Apostille.htm
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Arkansas Division of Vital Records (updated 4/06) Department of Health Slot 44 4815 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205 501-661-2336 Office open: 8AM-4:30PM Fee: $12/for 1st copy, $10 for each additional copy - Check to "Vital Records" http://www.healthyarkansas.com/certificates/certificates.html
Secretary of State (updated 12/07)
State Capitol Building Little Rock, AR 72201 Attn: Commercial 501-682-3409 or 888-233-0325
Fax: 501-682-3510
Fee: $5/Certification, $10/Apostille Check to "Secretary of State" http://www.sosweb.state.ar.us/
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CaliforniaOffice of Vital Records 304 S Street Sacramento, CA 95814 916-445-2684 (recording) Fee: $12/doc (for 16-20 wks processing time) Check to "Office of Vital Records" You can also charge it for $7 additional fee (for 3 wks processing time) Fax: 1-800-858-5553 http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/

As of 7/99, California prefers you obtain your vital records from the county. - Here is contact info for all the County Clerks in California
San Diego County Clerk: (current 6/99) Office Address: The County Administration Center;1600 Pacific Highway, Room 103; San Diego, CA 92101
Mailing Address: San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk; P.O. Box 121750; San Diego, CA 92112-1750 619-237-0502, Press 20 Fee: $15/doc for birth certificate; $8/doc for death certificate http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/cnty/cntydepts/general/assessor/vitals.html If you need a traveling notary in Sonoma County, CA, please contact
KIM ROJAS at klrojas@nww.net
Office of the Secretary of State (current 4/05) Notary Public Division Office Address: 1500 11th St., Second Floor; Sacramento, CA 95814 Mailing address PO Box 942877; Sacramento, CA 94277-0001 916-653-6814 Fee: $20/doc, Check to "Secretary of State" If you come in person, you also pay $6 per different notary "expediting fee" http://www.ss.ca.gov/business/notary/notary_authentication.htm

If you need a traveling notary in Sacramento, another adoptive Mom is available to help.
Her name is Jasmine and her email is: supergirljasmine@yahoo.com

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Colorado Vital Records Section (updated 2/08) Department of Health 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South HSVRD-VR-A1 Denver, CO 80246-1530 303-756-4464 Fee: $17 first copy/$10 for additional copies Check to "Vital Records Section" http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ Secretary of State (updated 7/06) Attention: Licensing Division 1700 Broadway, Suite 300 Denver, CO 80290 303-894-2200, ext 6409
Fee: No fee for notarized documents, $2/doc for Vital Records, if mail in or drop off
$15/doc for notarized documents and $17/doc for Vital Records if "while-you-wait" service,
Check to "Secretary of State" http://www.sos.state.co.us