Apostille Service in Edinburg, Texas
Apostille Request Form
As the county seat of Hidalgo County, Edinburg is where most of the county’s official records are created and kept. It is also home to the main campus of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Between courthouse records and university credentials, a lot of documents leave Edinburg needing a Texas apostille.
Apostille Authentications files those requests with the Texas Secretary of State. We have no office in Edinburg; clients mail or courier their documents, and we review, submit and return them.
UTRGV Credentials for Careers and Study Overseas
UTRGV was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013, enrolled its first class in fall 2015 and admitted the first students to its School of Medicine in summer 2016, according to the university’s catalog. Its campuses and teaching sites span Edinburg, Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen, Rio Grande City and the coast. Graduates who earned degrees under the former names, UT-Pan American in Edinburg or UT Brownsville, also come to us for help.
Reasons Edinburg graduates ask for apostilles:
- Teaching English or bilingual education abroad
- Enrolling in a master’s or medical program outside the United States
- Getting a nursing, engineering or other professional license recognized in another country
- Applying for a work visa that requires proof of a degree
A Texas apostille authenticates a public official’s or notary’s signature. For most university records, that means the registrar’s office provides a notarized letter or certification, or a school official signs before a Texas notary. We can look at what you have before you request anything from the school.
Some programs abroad ask for both the diploma and the transcript, each with its own apostille. Each one counts as a separate document for state fee purposes, so plan for that when you budget. If you are unsure whether a foreign university wants one or both, ask its admissions office in writing before you order records from UTRGV.
Records at the Hidalgo County Seat
Because Edinburg is the county seat, many residents can pick up certified copies within a few blocks of each other downtown.
| Office | Typical apostille documents | Address and phone |
|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo County Clerk | Birth and death records, marriage licenses and records | 100 N. Closner, Edinburg, TX 78539; (956) 318-2100; mail to P.O. Box 58, Edinburg, TX 78540 |
| County Clerk Vitals and Official Records | Walk-in requests for vital records | 317 N. Closner Blvd., about one block north of the courthouse |
| Hidalgo County District Clerk | Divorce decrees, name changes, adoption and other district court orders | Courthouse, 100 N. Closner, 1st Floor; (956) 318-2200 |
| City of Edinburg Vital Statistics (City Secretary) | Birth and death certificates for Edinburg; Texas birth abstracts | Open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; call the city for location |
Sources: Hidalgo County Clerk; the vitals office move reported by KRGV and the Advance News Journal; the District Clerk FAQ; City of Edinburg; and DSHS. Confirm hours before you go.
Why Hidalgo County Records Are Kept in Edinburg
The county seat was not always here. Hidalgo County’s 1886 courthouse stood in the town of Hidalgo, close to the Rio Grande and prone to flooding, and state law expected a courthouse near the middle of the county. A wood-frame courthouse went up in Edinburg, then called Chapin, in 1908, and construction on a larger one began in 1910 (Edinburg history).
The practical result for anyone ordering records today: older county documents, as well as current ones, are generally requested through Edinburg offices. If your parents married in the county decades ago, or a grandparent’s estate was probated here, the certified copy you need for a foreign court or notary will come from the County Clerk or District Clerk downtown.
Edinburg Consolidated ISD serves almost all of the city, so high school diplomas and transcripts for local graduates also come from one district office. As with university records, a school record must be notarized before the state can apostille it.
Court Orders From the Hidalgo County Courthouse
Divorce decrees are one of the most frequent courthouse documents sent abroad. A person who divorced in Hidalgo County and now wants to remarry in Mexico, Spain or Colombia will usually be asked for a certified, apostilled copy of the final decree.
The District Clerk’s FAQ says copies can be requested in person, by mail or by email, and that in-person requests are usually filled the same day unless the file is in storage. When you order, ask specifically for a certified copy. A plain copy, even if stamped “copy,” does not carry the clerk’s certification, and the Secretary of State will not apostille it.
The same rule applies to name change orders, adoption decrees and custody orders. If a judge signed it in Edinburg, the District Clerk is where the certified copy comes from.
How Austin Handles Your Edinburg Documents
- Where: Authentications Unit, Texas Secretary of State, 400 West 15th Street, Austin, TX 78701
- State fee: $15 for every document
- Our fee: $195 per document, in addition to the state fee (see pricing)
- Mail processing at the state: up to two weeks from when it arrives
- Counter service: same day; walk-in days are Monday and Friday, with appointments Tuesday to Thursday
- Paperwork: Form 2102, which we fill out for you
We submit on your behalf but do not set or guarantee the state’s timing. For an overview of every document type we handle, see our apostille and authentication service.
Mexico, Hague Countries and Everywhere Else
Where your document is going decides what it needs.
| Destination | What is required |
|---|---|
| Mexico | Texas apostille; Mexico’s Hague Convention membership took effect 14 August 1995 (HCCH) |
| Other Hague members (Spain, Colombia, India and many more) | Texas apostille |
| Non-members such as the UAE, Qatar or Kuwait | Embassy legalization instead of an apostille |
| Any country, for an FBI background check | U.S. Department of State, not Texas (FBI apostille help) |
For Spanish-speaking destinations, you may also be asked for a translation. We offer document translation; confirm with the receiving office whether a translator certified in that country is required.
Edinburg Apostille FAQ
Can I get my UTRGV diploma apostilled?
Usually yes, once the record carries a notarized signature from a school official or is otherwise certified in a form the Texas Secretary of State accepts. Share a copy with us and we will explain what to ask the registrar for.
What about a UT-Pan American degree?
Degrees from the former UT-Pan American in Edinburg are Texas academic records like any other. They follow the same notarization and apostille process as a current UTRGV diploma.
Where in Edinburg do I get a certified birth certificate?
The Hidalgo County Clerk handles birth records, with a vitals office at 317 N. Closner Blvd. The City of Edinburg also issues certified birth and death certificates for Edinburg events. Either certified copy can be apostilled.
How do I order a certified divorce decree from the Hidalgo County District Clerk?
Request it in person at the courthouse at 100 N. Closner, first floor, or by mail or email using the clerk’s copy request form. Ask for a certified copy so it can be apostilled.
Do you meet clients in Edinburg?
No. Apostille Authentications has no Edinburg office. We work with Edinburg clients by mail and courier and submit to the Texas Secretary of State in Austin.
Request Your Edinburg Apostille
Send us a photo of your document and we will tell you whether it is ready for Austin. Call (971) 514-3743, email info@apostilleauthentications.com, or fill out the form on our contact page to get started.
State specific information
Need statewide details? See our Texas apostille service page for the Texas Secretary of State process, fees and timelines.