Apostille Service in Laredo, Texas
Apostille Request Form
Laredo sits on the Rio Grande directly across from Nuevo Laredo, and a large share of the paperwork that leaves this city ends up in front of a Mexican notary, civil registry or employer. Before a Texas birth certificate, marriage record or notarized power of attorney can be accepted there, it usually needs an apostille from the Texas Secretary of State.
Apostille Authentications handles that state step for Laredo clients by mail and courier. We do not run an office in Laredo or anywhere else in Webb County. You send us your documents, we check them, submit them to the Authentications Unit in Austin and return the finished apostilles to you.
Why So Many Laredo Documents Are Headed South
When the Texas Secretary of State toured the World Trade International Bridge in 2019, the office’s own news release quoted the city’s mayor calling Laredo the nation’s largest inland port and noted the city has four international bridges. That traffic is not only trucks. Families, workers and business owners cross daily, and their legal lives often span both countries.
Mexico has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since its accession took effect on 14 August 1995, according to the HCCH status table. That means a single apostille certificate from Texas is the authentication Mexican authorities look for. No consular legalization step is needed for Mexico.
Typical reasons a Laredo resident needs one:
- Registering a U.S.-born child with the Mexican civil registry to document dual nationality
- Marrying in Mexico, or recording a Texas marriage there
- Selling, inheriting or managing property in Nuevo Laredo or elsewhere in Mexico
- Giving a relative in Mexico authority to act through a notarized power of attorney
- Customs brokerage, freight and logistics companies setting up or proving the existence of a Texas entity for Mexican partners
Webb County and City Offices That Issue Your Certified Copies
The Secretary of State can only apostille a certified copy signed by an official whose signature is on file. Photocopies, hospital souvenir certificates and uncertified printouts will be rejected. For Laredo, the usual sources are listed below.
| Record | Office | Location and phone |
|---|---|---|
| Birth and death certificates | City of Laredo Health Department, Vital Statistics | 2600 Cedar Ave, Laredo, TX 78040; (956) 795-4929 |
| Birth, death and marriage records | Webb County Clerk | 1110 Victoria St., Suite 201, Laredo, TX 78040; (956) 523-4266; Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m. |
| Divorce decrees and court orders | Webb County District Clerk | 1110 Victoria St., Suite 203, Laredo, TX 78040; (956) 523-4268; Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m. |
| Birth or death records from anywhere in Texas | Texas Vital Statistics (DSHS), Austin | Order online or by mail; choose “Apostille” as the reason |
Contact details come from the City of Laredo, the Webb County Clerk, the Webb County District Clerk and the DSHS local office list. Call ahead, because hours and fees change.
If the event happened outside Laredo, such as a birth in San Antonio, order from that city or county, or go straight to DSHS. A copy recorded in another state cannot be apostilled in Austin; it goes to that state’s own office.
TAMIU and Laredo College Records for Work or Study Abroad
Graduates of Texas A&M International University and Laredo College regularly need their academic records authenticated for teaching jobs, professional licensing or graduate study outside the United States.
Texas apostilles attach to a public official’s signature, so a diploma or transcript straight from the registrar generally has to be notarized first. A common route is to have a school official sign a statement about the record before a Texas notary. We review what you have and tell you whether it is ready to submit.
- TAMIU Office of the University Registrar: 5201 University Blvd., ZSC 121, Laredo, TX 78041; (956) 326-2250. The registrar’s page lists a diploma remake fee of $30, or $50 for international mailing.
- Laredo College: the Fort McIntosh campus downtown and the South campus on Zapata Highway, per the college’s public profile. Contact its registrar for official transcripts.
If the receiving country does not belong to the Hague Convention, an apostille will not work. The UAE, Qatar and Kuwait are examples where embassy legalization is required instead. Our country guide explains which path applies.
What Happens in Austin, and What It Costs
Every Texas apostille is issued by one office: the Authentications Unit of the Texas Secretary of State at 400 West 15th Street in Austin. Laredo is well over 200 miles from the capitol, so a walk-in visit usually means a full day on the road plus a wait at the counter. That is the main reason people here choose to mail their documents instead, and why a missing signature or wrong copy type is so costly: it can mean a second trip or a second mailing.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| State fee | $15 for each document |
| Our service fee | $195 for each document, on top of the state fee |
| State processing by mail | Up to two weeks after the unit receives it |
| Walk-in counter | Same day; walk-ins Monday and Friday, appointments Tuesday through Thursday |
| Request form | Form 2102 |
We prepare Form 2102 for you and cover the submission. We do not promise a specific delivery date, because the state controls its own queue. Full details are on our pricing page and our Texas apostille overview.
One exception to keep in mind: an FBI background check is a federal document. Texas cannot apostille it, and it goes to the U.S. Department of State instead.
Spanish Translation After the Apostille
An apostille confirms a signature; it does not translate anything. Offices in Mexico frequently ask for a Spanish version of an English birth certificate, divorce decree or diploma, and some want the translation done by a translator they recognize locally. Ask the receiving notary or agency before you order one.
If an English-to-Spanish translation is accepted from the U.S. side, our document translation service can prepare it alongside the apostille so both pieces arrive together.
Laredo Apostille Questions
Does Mexico accept an apostille from Texas?
Yes. Mexico joined the Hague Apostille Convention with effect from 14 August 1995, so a Texas Secretary of State apostille is the standard authentication for Texas public documents used there. No Mexican consulate stamp is needed on top of it.
Can I use a birth certificate from the City of Laredo Vital Statistics office?
Yes, as long as it is a certified copy signed by the local registrar. Souvenir hospital certificates and photocopies cannot be apostilled. A certified copy from Texas Vital Statistics in Austin also works.
Where do I get a certified copy of my Laredo divorce decree?
Divorces finalized in Webb County are held by the Webb County District Clerk at 1110 Victoria St., Suite 203, in Laredo. Ask for a certified copy of the final decree, not a plain copy.
Is there an apostille office in Laredo?
No. Texas apostilles are issued only by the Secretary of State in Austin. Apostille Authentications does not have a Laredo office either; we work with Laredo clients by mail and courier.
Can my TAMIU diploma be apostilled?
Usually after it is properly notarized, since the state authenticates the signature of a public official or notary. Contact us with a photo of the document and we will explain the steps that fit your situation.
Send Your Laredo Documents
Have your certified copies in hand, or want help figuring out which Webb County office to order from? Call Apostille Authentications at (971) 514-3743, email info@apostilleauthentications.com, or fill out the request form on our contact page. We will confirm what you need before anything is mailed.
State specific information
Need statewide details? See our Texas apostille service page for the Texas Secretary of State process, fees and timelines.