The Colorado Apostille Process, Step by Step

If you’re marrying in Colorado as a couple from another country, this is the step that determines whether your marriage will be usable back home: proof of a marriage, recognized internationally, through an apostille. It’s also the step most likely to trip people up, because it’s really two separate steps handled by two separate offices, and it’s easy to conflate them.

Step 1: Get a certified copy from the county clerk

An apostille can’t be attached to a photocopy or a printout. It has to go on a certified copy of your marriage certificate. You get that certified copy from the county clerk’s office where your license was recorded, and it’s commonly issued the same day you request it, once the license itself has been recorded.

Don’t leave this office with just a regular copy for your records. You specifically need the certified version if an apostille is anywhere in your plans.

Step 2: Get the apostille from the Secretary of State

The certified copy then goes to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Authentications office:

1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, CO

This is a completely separate office from the county clerk, and it’s the only place in Colorado that issues the apostille itself.

Mail-in vs. walk-in

• Mail-in has no rush or expedite option; plan for the turnaround to take longer than walk-in service, and build in extra time if you’re mailing in your certified copy rather than delivering it in person. This is also the route for getting an apostille after you’ve already left Colorado.
• Walk-in expedited service exists, but only if you hand-deliver the document before 4:30 PM, and it comes with an added fee. It’s commonly reported to be done in under an hour, but that’s not a guarantee: a backlog on a busy day could push it longer.

We haven't gone through this process ourselves yet. Exact fee amounts for standard vs. expedited apostille service, current mail-in turnaround times, and current office hours are all worth confirming directly with the Colorado SOS Authentications office before you go. See our full cost breakdown for the commonly cited figures we've gathered so far.

Payment: cash, check, or money order only

Worth knowing ahead of time: the Authentications office does not accept credit or debit cards. Bring cash, a check, or a money order. See how can we actually pay for this? for more on payment methods throughout the process.

Use the free pre-submission review before you show up

The SOS office offers a free pre-submission review by email: you can send your document in advance and have them check whether it will pass before you make the trip to the office in person. Given that the office is only in Denver, and given the cash-only payment rule, this free check is worth using every time. It turns a potential wasted trip into a five-minute email exchange.

Putting the two steps together

1. Return your signed marriage license to the county clerk within 63 days of your ceremony.
2. Once it’s recorded, request a certified copy from that same county clerk (same-day).
3. Email the SOS Authentications office for a free pre-submission review of the certified copy.
4. Hand-deliver (for same-day expedited service) or mail the certified copy to 1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, for the apostille.
5. Pay in cash, check, or money order; no cards.

With the apostille attached, your Colorado marriage certificate is ready to travel with you. What happens after that depends on your home country’s own requirements. See the bringing it home and country notes sections of the guide. Planning to change your name, either of you? You’ll need this same certified copy for that too; see changing your name after getting married in Colorado.