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How to get a New Jersey birth certificate apostille

By Frank MetayerUpdated November 8, 2026

To apostille a New Jersey birth certificate, you need a certified copy from the State Office of Vital Statistics and Registry in Trenton, signed by the State Registrar or a deputy. The New Jersey Department of the Treasury's Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services then issues the apostille. New Jersey has no Secretary of State apostille desk.

The apostille itself is a one-page certificate stapled to your record. Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention accept it as proof that the registrar's signature and seal are genuine. It says nothing about the facts on the certificate.

Watch which copy you send. A certified copy from your town hall is a valid legal document, but the Division of Revenue won't apostille it.

For other New Jersey documents, such as powers of attorney and Standing Certificates, see our New Jersey apostille page.

Key takeaways

The Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, part of the NJ Treasury, issues apostilles for New Jersey birth records.
Order the certified copy from the State Office of Vital Statistics and Registry and mark on the application that you need it for an apostille.
A local or municipal registrar's copy is rejected, even though it's fine for everything else.
Plain-paper "certifications" are for genealogy only and can't carry an apostille.
The apostille doesn't expire. The receiving country decides how recent the copy must be.

Why the town-hall copy fails

Many New Jersey residents already hold a birth certificate from the registrar in the town where they were born. It has a raised seal and works for a passport or a driver's license. For an apostille, though, the Treasury needs the signature of the State Registrar or an Assistant or Deputy State Registrar, and a local registrar's copy doesn't carry it.

The Department of Health spells this out in its ordering guidance (as of 2026): order a certified copy, note on the application that you need an apostille, and you receive a copy bearing the original signature of the State Registrar or a deputy. That copy is the one you send to the Treasury.

Jersey City and Hudson County births have their own ordering page on the state site. Even then, ask for the state-signed copy meant for apostille use.

Certified copy or certification?

New Jersey issues two kinds of birth record, and the names are easy to mix up. A certified copy is printed on State of New Jersey safety paper with the raised seal of the issuing office. It is a legal document.

A certification is printed on plain paper with no seal. The state says it is not valid for identity or legal purposes and is mainly useful for genealogy. It can't be apostilled.

Very old births are kept elsewhere. Records from the early 1920s and before are held by the New Jersey State Archives. The cutoff year differs slightly between state pages, so confirm with the office before you order.

Getting the state copy

As of 2026, the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry takes orders online and by phone through VitalChek, by mail using the state order form, and in person at its walk-in center in Trenton. You need a completed application, a copy of your photo ID, and, for a certified copy, proof of your relationship to the person on the record if it isn't you.

New Jersey vital records are not public. If your name has changed since birth, the state asks for the marriage certificate or other document that links the names. Processing times aren't published on the ordering page, so check the request status page or call before you count on a date.

Short on time, or living far from Trenton? Our document retrieval service can order the state-signed copy for you and pass it straight to the apostille step.

How the Treasury handles the request

The Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services takes apostille requests through its online Apostille/Certification Service. After you file, you print the confirmation page and mail it or drop it off with the original certified copy at the Division's customer service center in Trenton. Staff staple the apostille to the record, and it must never be removed.

Tell the Division which country will receive the certificate. A Hague Convention country gets an apostille. Other countries get a certification instead, and that country's embassy or consulate then legalizes it.

New Jersey can only handle New Jersey records. If you live in Newark but were born in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania issues the apostille. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad is a federal record, so only the U.S. Department of State apostilles it.

We're based in San Diego and have no office in New Jersey. You send us the certificate by tracked mail, or we order it, and we submit it to the Treasury through our processing network. Our birth certificate apostille service follows the same steps for every state.

Recency and translation abroad

An apostille has no expiry date, but many consulates and civil registries want a birth certificate issued within the last few months. That rule comes from the receiving office, not from New Jersey, so ask before you order. Our guide to how long an apostille is valid covers the difference.

If the destination works in another language, plan on a certified translation, which we arrange. Usually the apostille is attached first and the translator works from both pages, though the receiving office has the final say. For Spain, many consulates ask for 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.

Have records from another state too? The rules differ. California, for example, splits copies into authorized and informational versions, which our California birth certificate apostille guide explains.

Reasons New Jersey sends a packet back

The copy came from a local or municipal registrar, not the State Registrar.
It's a plain-paper certification, a photocopy, or a hospital keepsake.
The order didn't say the copy was for an apostille, so it came without the State Registrar's signature.
The birth was registered in another state.
Someone notarized the certificate or a photocopy of it. Send the copy exactly as the state issued it.
The receiving office wanted a more recent copy.

Need the right New Jersey copy?

Send us what you have and we'll check whether it carries the State Registrar's signature. If it doesn't, we order the correct copy and submit it to the Treasury for the apostille. New Jersey rates are on our pricing page.

Start an order Call 1-800-889-7850

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the apostille for a New Jersey birth certificate?+

The New Jersey Department of the Treasury's Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, in Trenton. New Jersey has no Secretary of State apostille office. Only New Jersey can apostille a New Jersey birth record, no matter where you live now, and the U.S. Department of State does not apostille state birth certificates.

Why was my New Jersey birth certificate from the town registrar rejected?+

For an apostille, the certificate must carry the signature of the State Registrar or an Assistant or Deputy State Registrar. A copy from a local or municipal registrar is valid for most purposes but doesn't carry that signature, so the Treasury won't apostille it. Order a certified copy from the State Office of Vital Statistics and Registry instead.

How do I order a New Jersey birth certificate for apostille use?+

Order a certified copy from the State Office of Vital Statistics and Registry and state on the application that you need it for an apostille. As of 2026 the office takes orders online and by phone through VitalChek, by mail, and in person in Trenton. You need a photo ID and, if the record isn't yours, proof of your relationship. We can also order it for you.

Can a New Jersey birth certification be apostilled?+

No. A New Jersey certification is printed on plain paper without a seal and is meant for genealogy. Only a certified copy on state safety paper with the raised seal, signed by the State Registrar or a deputy, can be apostilled.

How long does a New Jersey birth certificate apostille take?+

Most orders, including New Jersey birth certificates, are completed in six business days or sooner. Government workload can lengthen this. If we first need to order the state-signed copy for you, add the time the Office of Vital Statistics takes to produce it.

How much does it cost to apostille a New Jersey 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.

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