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How to get an Illinois birth certificate apostille

By Frank MetayerUpdated November 2, 2026

Say you were born in Chicago, you live in Houston now, and a consulate wants your birth certificate with an apostille. The Cook County Clerk or the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) issues a certified copy.

The Illinois Secretary of State's Index Department then attaches the apostille, a one-page certificate that Hague Convention countries recognize as proof that the signature on the copy is genuine. Your Houston address doesn't change anything: only the state that issued the record can apostille it.

That certificate vouches for the signature and seal of the official who certified the copy, not for the facts printed on it. Illinois also insists that the copy go in exactly as the office issued it, never notarized.

For death records, powers of attorney, and other Illinois documents, see our Illinois apostille page.

Key takeaways

The Illinois Secretary of State's Index Department issues the apostille for any birth registered in Illinois, no matter where you live today.
Start with a certified copy from the county clerk, a local registrar, or IDPH. Genealogical copies, hospital keepsakes, and photocopies can't be apostilled.
Don't notarize the certificate. The apostille covers the issuing official's signature, which is already on it.
In Illinois, only the person named (18 or older), a parent on the record, or a legal representative can order a certified copy.
The apostille never expires, but the country receiving it may want a recently issued copy and a translation.

Three offices can issue the certified copy

Illinois accepts a certified copy from three sources: the clerk of the county where the birth happened, a local registrar where one keeps the record, or IDPH's Division of Vital Records in Springfield. As of 2026, the Secretary of State's apostille instructions list those three.

For a Chicago birth, the county office is the Cook County Clerk, which keeps birth records for Chicago and suburban Cook County. As of 2026 it takes orders online through VitalChek, by mail, and in person, and its downtown Chicago office can usually print a certified copy while you wait. A birth in another county, such as DuPage, Lake, or Will, goes to that county's clerk.

IDPH holds statewide records going back to January 1, 1916, but it is slow by mail. As of 2026 it quotes about 12 weeks from the day your request arrives, with no updates in between. On a deadline, the county clerk is usually the faster route. Confirm current processing times before you count on them.

A certified copy you already own works too, as long as the signature and seal are intact and nothing has been added to it. No copy, and no easy way to reach the office? Our document retrieval service can order one for you and send it straight on for the apostille.

Short version or long version?

IDPH issues two certified versions of a birth certificate, and it says both are suitable for legal purposes. The shorter version lists set items: name, date and place of birth, sex, details about the parents, the file date, and the state file number. The fuller version reproduces everything collected at the time of birth, which has varied over the years.

Either one can be apostilled. For use abroad, the fuller version is usually the safer choice. A foreign civil registry copies details into its own records, and it may want something the shorter version leaves out. If the receiving office names a version, order that one.

Illinois doesn't split its certified copies into "authorized" and "informational" versions the way California does. If you also have a California record, our California birth certificate apostille guide explains that rule.

What won't work is a genealogical copy. IDPH sells uncertified genealogical copies of records more than 75 years old, and Cook County stamps its genealogy copies "For Genealogical Purposes Only." They're fine for family history, but they can't carry an apostille. The keepsake certificate a hospital gives new parents isn't an official record either.

Gathering an older relative's record for a citizenship-by-descent file? Ask for a certified copy, not a genealogy copy. IDPH has a separate request form for the birth record of someone who has died.

Illinois keeps birth records confidential

Illinois birth records are not public. Under state law, a certified copy goes only to the person named on the record, if 18 or older; a parent shown on the record; a legal representative; a government agency; or someone with a court order. IDPH also asks for proof of identity, normally an unexpired government photo ID.

A legal representative can be an attorney acting for the person, an agent under a power of attorney, a court-appointed representative, or an agent holding the person's written, notarized authorization to get the copy. Notice where the notary comes in: on the authorization letter, never on the certificate.

Ordering for a parent or a sibling? Check that you qualify, or have that person sign an authorization first.

Leave the notary out of it

An Illinois birth certificate goes to the Index Department exactly as it left the issuing office. The apostille confirms the signature of the county clerk, the local registrar, or the State Registrar at IDPH, and that signature is already on the certified copy. A notary adds nothing the office can use, and a notarized photocopy isn't a certified copy at all. Either one comes back.

The same caution covers court papers that often travel with a birth certificate. If your name changed by court order, that order comes certified by the circuit clerk of the court that granted it. The Secretary of State asks that documents signed by a circuit clerk or judge not be notarized either.

How the Index Department handles it

The Secretary of State's Index Department issues apostilles for Illinois documents headed abroad. As of 2026 it takes requests by mail and in person in Chicago and Springfield, and it has added apostille service at some Secretary of State facilities. Its locations have moved, so confirm current addresses on the Secretary of State's website before you send anything.

A mailed request includes the original certified copy, the state's request form, and a prepaid return envelope. Tell the office which country the document is for, because that decides what you get.

A country in the Hague Apostille Convention gets an apostille. For a country outside it, the office issues a certificate of authentication instead; depending on the country, the U.S. Department of State may add its own authentication before that country's embassy or consulate legalizes it.

We're based in San Diego and have no office in Illinois. You send us the certificate by tracked mail, or we order it for you, and we submit it to the Index Department through our processing network. Our birth certificate apostille service works the same way for every state.

Born outside Illinois, or born abroad?

Illinois can only apostille Illinois records. If you were born in Indiana and live in Chicago, Indiana's Secretary of State issues the apostille, and the Index Department can't help. Your home address doesn't matter. The state of birth decides.

A birth certificate is a state record, so the U.S. Department of State never apostilles it; for some non-Hague countries it adds an authentication after Illinois.

The exception is a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, the record issued when a child is born overseas to U.S. citizen parents. That is a federal document, and only the U.S. Department of State apostilles it.

What the receiving country may ask for

Many consulates and registries want a birth certificate issued within the last few months, even though the apostille itself never expires. Some citizenship files are stricter. That rule belongs to the receiving office, not to Illinois, so ask before you order. Our guide to how long an apostille is valid explains the difference.

If the destination works in another language, plan on a translation. Usually the apostille goes on first and the translation covers the certificate and the apostille together, but the receiving office sets the order. We arrange certified translation. Spain generally wants a sworn translation by a Traductor-Intérprete Jurado, a translator appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC). Hector Gomez on our team holds that appointment.

Mexico is one of the most common destinations we see, and it has a twist of its own. Registering a birth at a Mexican consulate in the U.S. generally doesn't require an apostille, while a Registro Civil (civil registry) in Mexico usually wants one plus a Spanish translation. Our guide to apostilling a birth certificate for Mexico walks through both routes.

Before it goes in the mail

Check the certificate against this list. Each item is a common reason a packet comes back.

It was notarized, or it's a notarized photocopy.
It's a genealogical copy, a hospital keepsake, or a plain photocopy.
The birth was registered in another state, so Illinois can't apostille it.
It's a Consular Report of Birth Abroad sent to Illinois instead of the U.S. Department of State.
The receiving office wanted a newer copy, or the fuller version.
The translation was made before the apostille, so the apostille isn't in it.
The name on the certificate doesn't match the passport, and no name-change record explains why.

Born in Illinois, headed abroad?

We start with the county where you were born and the country that will receive the certificate. From there we check your copy, order a new one if you need it, submit it to the Index Department for the apostille, and arrange a certified translation when the destination requires one. Illinois rates are on our pricing page.

Start an order Call 1-800-889-7850

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the apostille for an Illinois birth certificate?+

The Illinois Secretary of State's Index Department, for any birth registered in Illinois. It apostilles a certified copy issued by the county clerk, a local registrar, or the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state where you live now can't apostille it, and the U.S. Department of State never apostilles a state birth certificate; for some non-Hague countries it adds an authentication after Illinois.

Which copy of an Illinois birth certificate can be apostilled?+

A certified copy that carries the issuing official's signature and seal. IDPH issues two certified versions, and both are suitable for legal purposes; for use abroad, the fuller version with the information collected at birth is usually safer. Genealogical copies are uncertified and can't be apostilled, and neither can a hospital keepsake certificate or a photocopy.

Should I get my Illinois birth certificate notarized before the apostille?+

No. The apostille confirms the signature of the county clerk, local registrar, or State Registrar that is already on the certified copy. A notarized certificate or a notarized photocopy is rejected, so send the certified copy exactly as the office issued it.

I was born in Chicago. Where do I get the certified copy?+

From the Cook County Clerk, which keeps birth records for Chicago and suburban Cook County, or from IDPH in Springfield. As of 2026, Cook County takes orders online, by mail, and in person, while IDPH quotes about 12 weeks for mailed requests. Only the person named (18 or older), a parent on the record, or a legal representative can order one. We can also order it for you.

How recent does an Illinois birth certificate need to be?+

Many consulates and foreign registries want a birth certificate issued within the last few months, even though the apostille itself never expires. Some citizenship processes are stricter. That rule comes from the receiving office, not from Illinois, so ask them before you order your copy.

How long does an Illinois birth certificate apostille take?+

Most orders, including Illinois birth certificates, are completed in six business days or sooner. Government workload can lengthen this. If we first need to order a certified copy for you, add the time the issuing office takes to produce it.

How much does it cost to apostille an Illinois birth certificate?+

We charge a flat price per document, based on the document type and the state or agency that issued it. You see that price before you order, with no hidden fees.

Keep reading

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