How to get an American certificate without travelling
In the United States there is no “American certificate” — there are fifty state systems (plus territories and cities with their own registers), each with its own access rules, fees and forms. The good news: almost all sell online and ship abroad. The bad: the rules on WHO may order range from “anyone” to “immediate family only, with documents”.
Where the American record lives
Births, marriages and deaths are registered by the state's vital records office — sometimes the county's or the city's (New York is its own case). The first step of any order is identifying the STATE of the event; the CDC site maintains the official directory “Where to Write for Vital Records”, which points to each state's right counter.
Old records migrate to the state archives per each state's rules — and become open-access historical documents, frequently digitised.
The online order
Two paths: the state's official portal (when it exists) and the official intermediary VitalChek, accredited by most states — it takes international cards and dispatches abroad. In both, prepare for identity verification: restrictive states require a photo-ID copy and proof of the connection (certificates connecting you to the holder), and some ask for a notarised sworn statement from outside requesters.
The certified copy is what matters
States issue certified copies (with an embossed seal or security paper — the legal document) and, some, informational copies (marked as having no legal value). For any proceeding, it is the certified copy — and to be valid in Brazil, apostilled by the Secretary of State OF THE ISSUING STATE. The apostille is state-level in the USA: a California certificate is apostilled in California, not in Washington.
The typical complete route
Identify the state → online order (official or VitalChek) → certified copy → apostille at the state's Secretary of State → tracked shipping → sworn translation in Brazil. The remote route's weak link is the apostille: some states accept apostille orders by mail (weeks of back and forth), others in practice require presence — and that is where a Hand in the right state turns the cycle into days.
Each state is a jurisdiction: the access rule, fee, timeline and apostille change when you cross the line. Always confirm on the official site of the event's state — what worked for the Texas certificate does not hold for the Illinois one.
Frequently asked questions
I'm the holder's grandchild. Can I order?+
It depends on the state: some are open (anyone), others restrict to immediate family — and a grandchild sometimes must prove the line with the intermediate certificates. The state's vital records page lists who is eligible.
Does the American consulate in Brazil issue US certificates?+
No — certificates come from the state of the event. For Americans born abroad there is the CRBA, issued by the Department of State: another document, another counter.
Informative content about request procedures. We do not cover citizenship or visa eligibility. Rules and amounts may change; always confirm before acting.