How to apostille a Puerto Rico document for use abroad

To apostille is to authenticate a Puerto Rico public document so another country will recognize it. The Department of State explains that the purpose of the apostille or certification is to authenticate the signatures of the public officials appearing on the document; it does not validate the content, it validates that the signature is genuine. Apostille authentication exists under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, signed in The Hague, Netherlands, which entered into force on 24 January 1965, and it is valid only between signatory countries. For countries outside the Convention, the Department issues a certification instead of an apostille.

It applies to citizens and entities that need to use a Puerto Rico public document abroad. What determines whether you receive an apostille or a certification is not you but the country where you will present the document: the Department states there are currently 103 Hague Convention members. What does depend on you is bringing the right document: the Department requires the original document or certificate, and in the case of public deeds, the certified copy issued by the notary with the corresponding stamps cancelled.

• Knowing whether the destination country signed the Hague Convention, because that determines which document you are issued: an apostille for Convention countries, a certification for those outside it. The Department states there are currently 103 members.Verified against the official source
• The original document or certificate. The Department requires this explicitly, and for public deeds you must present the certified copy duly issued by the notary with the corresponding stamps cancelled.Verified against the official source
• If you are apostilling a birth certificate, it must be from 1 July 2010 onward — the blue one. A certificate issued before that date is not accepted and you must request a new one from the Demographic Registry first.Verified against the official source
• A $3.00 internal revenue stamp for each document to be certified.Verified against the official source

• The document to be apostilled. The Department names among those apostilled or certified: birth, marriage and death certificates; transfers of remains, birds, animals and medicines; academic transcripts; diplomas; criminal record certifications; powers of attorney; and deeds.
• The $3.00 internal revenue stamp per document. If requesting by mail from outside Puerto Rico, the Department says to buy it under code R5120 through the Colecturía Digital mobile app, selecting the Department of State option, and to print the stamp that arrives by email to include with the documents.
• If requesting by mail, a letter stating where the documents will be used.
• If requesting by mail, a pre-addressed envelope with the exact address where you will receive the documents. The Department warns it will not process any request with insufficient postage, and recommends checking the cost with the postal service.

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   Step 1: Find out whether the destination country is in the Hague Convention

   This is the first step because it decides which document you receive. If the country signed the Hague Convention, the Department issues an apostille. If it did not, it issues a certification instead. They are not interchangeable: asking for the wrong one means the foreign entity will not accept it. The Department publishes the list of the 103 Convention members on its page.

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   Step 2: Get the original document, and check the date if it is a birth certificate

   The Department requires the original, not a photocopy. And there is one rule that sends a lot of people back: the birth certificate must be from 1 July 2010 onward — the blue one. If yours is older, first request a new copy from the Demographic Registry and come back with that. To apostille a public deed, what you present is the certified copy issued by the notary with the stamps cancelled.

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   Step 3: Buy a $3.00 stamp for each document

   The stamp is per document. If you are outside Puerto Rico, the Department says to buy it through the Colecturía Digital mobile app, selecting the Department of State option, under code R5120; the stamp arrives by email and must be printed to include with the documents.

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   Step 4: If you are in Puerto Rico, file at the Real Intendencia Building

   In-person filing is done at the Division of Certifications and Regulations, on the first floor of the Real Intendencia Building. The Department publishes an appointment button on the apostilles page, so it is worth booking one rather than showing up cold.

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   Step 5: If you are off-island, assemble the full package and send the email

   By mail the package includes: the original documents, the printed $3.00 stamp per document, a letter stating where the documents will be used, and a pre-addressed envelope with sufficient postage. Send it to: Departamento de Estado, Oficina de Certificaciones y Reglamentos, Apartado 9023271, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00902. Then write to certificaciones@estado.pr.gov with the name of the person on the document in the subject line, and in the body that full name plus two contact phone numbers.

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   Step 6: Keep the request number that arrives by email

   After that email you will receive a reply confirming it was received and that they are awaiting the documents. That notification carries a unique request number you can use to follow up and to answer requests for additional information, and they keep you updated on status through it. If it does not arrive in a reasonable time, the Department recommends checking your spam folder. Without an email address your request is still processed as it arrives by post, but you are left without a tracking number.

In person, at the Department of State’s Division of Certifications and Regulations, first floor of the Real Intendencia Building, preferably with an appointment — the Department publishes the booking link on its apostilles page. From outside Puerto Rico, by postal mail to: Departamento de Estado, Oficina de Certificaciones y Reglamentos, Apartado 9023271, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00902, with the email notice to certificaciones@estado.pr.gov.

• Requesting an apostille for a country that did not sign the Hague Convention, when a certification is what applies.
• Bringing a birth certificate issued before 1 July 2010: the Department only accepts the blue one, issued from that date onward.
• Presenting a photocopy instead of the original document, or a deed without the notary’s certified copy with the stamps cancelled.
• Buying a single $3.00 stamp for several documents, when the stamp is per document.
• Mailing the package with a return envelope lacking sufficient postage, which is grounds for it not being processed.
• Skipping the notice email and ending up with no request number to follow up with.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Departamento de Estado de Puerto Rico

  Departamento de Estado

  www.estado.pr.gov

• Birth certificate — Demographic Registry (to replace one issued before 2010)

  Departamento de Salud

  www.salud.pr.gov