The Secretary of State’s office is the only office in New Mexico authorized to issue a certification or apostille for a notarized document going to a foreign country.  This office also issues certifications and apostilles for other public documents issued by government agencies including those issued by County Clerks and the State Registrar of Vital Records.  Apostilles are accepted by those countries that are members of the Hague Conference of October 1961 on Private International Law (Convention #12).  A listing of the countries that are members of the Hague Conference (Convention #12) is available at the  Hague Conference's website or by contacting our office.

An apostille is attached to a notarized original document or a certified recorded instrument.  For documents that are notarized, the apostille verifies  that the person who notarized the document was appointed to a notary public commission in New Mexico at the time of the notarization.  For certified recorded instruments issued by government  agencies, the apostille verifies that the person who certified the document was an appointed or elected official in New Mexico at the time of the certification.  Examples of  public documents  include  birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, and school transcripts. If you should need a certified copy of your divorce decree contact your district court clerk at www.nmcourts.com in the district where your divorce was filed. For a certified copy of your marriage licence contact the county clerk listed at the Clerks page where you applied for your marriage licence.

Notarized documents  going to foreign countries that are  not party to the Hague Convention receive a certificate of appointment.  A certificate of appointment also certifies that the individual who performed the notarization was appointed to a notary  public commission at the time of the notarization.

The statutory fee for a certificate of  appointment or  an apostille is $3.00 per document.  Checks and money orders should be made payable to the “Secretary of State”.   You may request an apostille or certificate in person  or by mail.  Requests are processed daily by the Operations Division.  Our office is located at 325 Don Gaspar - Suite 300, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 (driving  directions).  Our hours are 8:00 - 5:00, Monday-Friday.  Please mail the  original document(s) and specify the country to which the document(s) will be sent and please provide a telephone number in the event that we need to contact you regarding your request.   If delivery other than first class mail is needed, you must enclose  a pre-addressed, pre-paid airbill with your request.

Sample view of Apostilles and Certificates of Appointment.
Request Form for Apostilles and Certificates of Appointment.  (Notarized Documents Only).

Please call our office at 1-800-477-3632 if you have further questions regarding authentications.

Related Links:
International Adoptions, Passport Information, Visa Services, United States Embassies
Hague Conference on Private International Law (home page)
Other Secretary of States Web Sites (NASS)