Virginia Vital Records

A Virginia vital-record request can be fulfilled at the state office, a DMV customer service center, a participating health department, or a circuit court, depending on the document. Those choices are useful only when the requested record and the office's authority match. The state can issue a divorce certificate, but the court's final decree contains the judicial decision. DMV can print many existing certificates, but it cannot decide an amendment. A historical index can identify a registration without providing an unrestricted image of the underlying certificate.

Several current details affect an application. Virginia increased its ordinary certificate/search fee to $15 on July 1, 2026; DMV's in-person search costs $17. Adult adoptees gained a separate route to their original birth certificates on July 1, 2026. The state also announced a December 1, 2026 change in the version of the surrogacy form it will accept. The fee and adoption changes are already operative at this review; the December form deadline remains a future requirement.

Separate the event record, its index, and the copy you may obtain

The Office of Vital Records describes birth and death holdings for 1853 through 1896 and from June 1912 forward, marriage records from 1853 forward, and divorce records from 1918 forward. Its modern indexed series are described separately: births and deaths from 1912, marriages from 1936, and divorces from 1918. An inventory starting year is not a statement that every record since that date is openly viewable as a document image.

Virginia Code section 32.1-271 ordinarily makes birth records public after 100 years and death, marriage, divorce, and annulment records public after 25 years. The statute retains exceptions for restrictions imposed by another statute, a court order, or a law-enforcement request. It separately provides for a public index containing at least the name, date, and city or county of occurrence, subject to the stated exceptions. Index access and access to the full underlying record therefore have different rules.

For recent records, the state instructions identify immediate-family categories including parents, a current spouse, an adult child or sibling, and grandparents, with identification and any required evidence. The statute specifically addresses a grandparent's request for a child's birth record with evidence of need, and permits a decedent's grandchild or great-grandchild to receive a death certificate under the prescribed procedures. Read those product-specific provisions rather than assuming that every family relationship permits every type of certificate.

Legal authority can also matter. A guardian requesting a birth record needs custody or guardianship proof. The state's FAQ discusses a legal representative with a properly executed power of attorney. Someone outside the listed family or representative categories should explain the actual legal interest and ask which product or authority applies. A former spouse, for example, does not gain access to the former partner's new marriage record merely through the prior marriage.

Section 32.1-271 also provides a review route for denied disclosure: a county or city registrar's decision may be appealed to the State Registrar, and a denied state request may be presented to the appropriate court described in the statute. A general public-record request does not automatically override the vital-record restrictions. Virginia's disclosure rules, public periods, index provision, and specified family access.

Use the state identification alternatives precisely

Virginia requires a legible photocopy of the requester's identification with an application. The state offers a primary-document route or a combination of two secondary documents. The birth application also requires a signature and asks for the applicant's relationship, contact details, and reason for requesting the record. An unsigned form or an unreadable identity image leaves required information missing even when payment is included.

Primary options include qualifying state-issued photo identification or learner permits that are current or expired for no more than one year, an unexpired U.S. passport or passport card, certain military and immigration documents, and a current school or employment photo identification card bearing an identification number. Check-cashing cards are excluded. The published list includes additional citizenship, consular, and correctional-agency documents, so a driver's license is not the only possible primary document.

The secondary list has different conditions. It includes specified school records, insurance documents, a DD214, qualifying expired photo identification or passports within the stated five-year period, a valid voter-registration card, and a utility bill from the preceding six months, among other listed documents. Two secondary items are needed. A document acceptable as one secondary item should not be treated as sufficient by itself, and expiration limits should not be transferred from one list to another.

The state describes a specific alternative for a parent who has none of the listed identification and needs a child's birth certificate. It calls for a letter on the birth hospital's letterhead and a letter on the prenatal care provider's letterhead. The provider's letter must identify the mother, the dates prenatal care began and ended, and the name, title, and signature of the person preparing it. That alternative is tailored to the parent-child request; it is not a universal replacement for identification in every transaction. Virginia primary, secondary, and parent identification alternatives.

If the ordinary evidence cannot be supplied, the FAQ suggests an eligible immediate family member making a request with that person's own identification, or a qualifying legal representative presenting the required authority. State clearly who is applying. Having a relative's identification does not make it your identification, and a representative's paperwork should explain the representative's role. The office can review unusual cases through its stated contact process.

The current birth form offers five document choices

Virginia's July 2026 VS6B application distinguishes a short-form birth certificate, a long-form birth certificate, a Certificate of Foreign Birth, a delayed birth registration certificate, and a pre-adoptee birth certificate. Choose the intended type before calculating copies. The short form is an abstract; the long form is an image of the Certificate of Live Birth received from the hospital, birth facility, or midwife. The form notes that a long form is commonly needed for dual citizenship.

The current form also asks for the name at birth and a later changed name when the change resulted from adoption, a court order, or another reason apart from marriage. It asks for the exact birth date, Virginia city or county, hospital if known, and parent names. Those fields help locate a particular registration. A mailing address where the person lives now is not a substitute for the location where the birth was recorded.

A delayed registration certificate concerns a birth that was not recorded at the time. A Certificate of Foreign Birth concerns the described foreign-born adopted child. The pre-adoptee option concerns an adult adoptee's original birth information; the statute restricts use of that sealed original for legal purposes. Selecting it for personal history is a different request from purchasing the post-adoption certificate currently used for identity.

The application also asks whether an amendment is required and uses codes to identify adoption, paternity, sex designation, court-ordered changes, and other work. The attached guidance is a starting checklist for the state to review the record. Choosing a code does not itself establish the facts needed to change an entry. When a correction is unresolved, make that issue visible rather than ordering an unchanged copy and expecting the registrar to infer the desired edit. July 2026 birth application, document definitions, and amendment guidance.

The state forms office links the current birth, death, marriage/divorce, stillbirth, amendment, and birth-parent contact-preference applications. These files have different fields and purposes. Use the current link for the selected product so an older saved form does not obscure a changed fee or a new option. Official Virginia forms office and document links.

State ordering and DMV service solve different practical problems

The state customer lobby is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227. Published walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Customer Care Center, 804-662-6200, has separate weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mail applications go to Office of Vital Records, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000. Do not substitute an older state street address repeated in another agency's explanatory material.

The state also describes a drop-off option for an ordinary certificate application. A complete signed request, legible identity copy, and the required payment can be left for mailing or a telephone notice when pickup is ready. Pickup requests must arrive by 2 p.m. and release is only to the requester; later submissions count as received the next business day. The ordinary drop-off option expressly excludes amendments, name changes, and corrections. Specialized units may have their own submission rules.

DMV offers certified Virginia birth, death, marriage, and divorce records at its customer service centers. It uses DL 81 for births and DL 82 for marriage, divorce, or death records, with acceptable identification and a $17 search charge. If the record can be found and printed, an eligible applicant can leave with it. If it cannot be found or printed, DMV forwards the application to the Department of Health for further research, and the state mails the certificate if available. The fee is still a search fee when DMV cannot issue a document.

A DMV visit is therefore useful for an existing record that its system can issue. It is not a substitute for the state registrar's decision on disputed facts, an adoption packet, or a new certificate requiring modification. DMV's mail instructions direct applicants to the state office with a $15 fee, rather than a $17 DMV counter payment. DMV eligibility, forms, search charge, and referral process.

Participating local health departments provide another route for many certificates. The state location guidance recommends calling ahead because the actual vital-record service can be housed somewhere other than the health district's main building. It also says changes and amendments can be completed only by the Office of Vital Records. Confirm the particular event type and service address instead of assuming every health location prints every certificate during every advertised office hour. State location guidance and limits on local amendment service.

Use the July 2026 fee and the estimate for the selected process

The state notice makes the ordinary vital-record issuance or search fee $15 effective July 1, 2026. It applies to each certified copy issued, or a search where a certified copy is not made. The state does not refund an unsuccessful search, and its FAQ says a failed birth search results in a no-record letter. There is no lower statewide additional-copy price described in the reviewed current instructions: calculate the ordinary state amount per requested copy.

An amendment has a separate $10 administrative charge. The state explains that an amendment plus one resulting certified copy totals $25. Further certified copies cost $15 each. This differs from merely buying an existing certificate, and also from a fee-free Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth. Use the charge for the requested operation rather than paying an old $12 figure or assuming the $10 amendment charge includes a copy.

The online application article, updated October 5, 2026, gives five business days for completed online applications and eight business days for complete mailed paper applications received by the office. It says amendments can take longer and ordinary certificates are sent by First Class Mail without shipment tracking. Applications receive a tracking identifier and email or text status updates; that identifier tracks the application, not necessarily the postal envelope. Current application-specific estimates, fees, and status updates.

Other official text still gives broader estimates: the forms office says four weeks for paper and two weeks online, while the FAQ allows up to four weeks for births without amendments and up to six weeks for records requiring changes. Do not add these estimates together or represent the shortest one as a guaranteed arrival date. Ask which current queue applies when a deadline depends on the answer. Delayed registration has no stated delivery interval because the necessary evidence must first be assembled.

For express service, the state identifies VitalChek as its contracted vendor. The express-service article, last updated before the July fee increase, lists a $20.80 record charge, a $12.70 service charge, and selected shipping prices, with all fees subject to change. It describes two-to-five-day service, while the main state overview advertises next-day processing for its express option. Check the live transaction total and confirm whether the record qualifies; do not rebuild a current vendor price by mixing an older article's components with the new state fee. UPS requires a signature and cannot deliver to a post-office box. Officially linked express vendor, dated price display, and delivery conditions.

The state's overview supplies the operative fee-change notice and current Richmond service information. An agency referring applicants to that office may retain an older address or fee in its own text. The current registry instruction is the relevant source for the state transaction. Virginia registry fee notice, counter hours, and ordinary drop-off conditions.

A death verification, death certificate, and estate qualification are separate records

Virginia's FAQ distinguishes a full certified death certificate from a Verification of Death for a non-immediate-family applicant with a direct and tangible interest. The verification lists the decedent's name, date and place of death, date of birth, and the last four digits of the Social Security number. It should not be described as a full certificate with every medical and personal field. Explain what the recipient needs before selecting that alternative.

The state's family-access summary is not the entire statute. Section 32.1-271 specifically allows death certificates for grandchildren and great-grandchildren under the prescribed procedures. A requester should identify the relationship and provide the evidence the office requires. An insurance or estate task can also involve another legal interest; stating that interest is more useful than selecting a family relationship that does not describe the applicant.

A letter of qualification for an estate is issued through the circuit court, not Vital Records. The state FAQ directs that question to the court for the city or county where the deceased person lived. The death certificate documents the death; it does not appoint an executor or administrator. If the organization needs both, obtain the judicial appointment document and the appropriate death document through their separate custodians.

Virginia's certification paper has not required the old raised-seal appearance since the February 2001 change described in its FAQ. A recipient questioning the paper should be directed to the Office of Vital Records. Do not discard a current state certificate merely because a generic checklist says every certified copy must have a raised seal. The state's document format, the issuing authority, and the intended recipient's requirements are the relevant details. State FAQ on death verification, estate qualification, certificate paper, and request procedures.

Locate the issuing circuit court for a marriage license copy

Virginia marriage licenses are issued by circuit court clerks. Fairfax's official instructions say there is no Virginia residency requirement and a couple may obtain a license from any Virginia circuit court. The license can be used for a ceremony within Virginia for 60 calendar days, with no waiting period or blood test. Both applicants must be at least 18. These issuance rules should not be confused with the state registry's later certificate service.

At Fairfax, both applicants appear together with valid photo identification, their Social Security numbers, and the full names of their parents, including maiden names where applicable. The office lists a $30 license fee and describes a card-processing charge for the accepted cards. Its online pre-application produces a confirmation document and allows 60 days to come to the courthouse for issuance. Completing that pre-application does not itself issue the license or perform the marriage.

Fairfax's marriage-license service is in Suite 116 at 4110 Chain Bridge Road, with published issuance hours of 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. A ceremony needs a separate arrangement; the clerk's instructions say the county does not provide a justice-of-the-peace service. For another circuit court, check that clerk's local appointment, payment, and document procedures rather than carrying every Fairfax counter detail to another location. Fairfax license issuance, age, validity, and pre-application requirements.

A certified marriage-license copy from Fairfax must concern a license issued by that court. The published price is $2.50 per copy. Mail requests require the date of marriage, both parties' full names, proper payment, and a self-addressed stamped envelope; personal checks, cash by mail, and card payments by mail are not accepted. Fairfax states that mailed copies are sent within two weeks after receipt. This local copy price differs from a $15 state certificate.

Fairfax flags special privacy handling for its 1997 through 2001 license series because older forms can expose Social Security or control numbers. It describes spouse identification and authorization requirements for those copies. The governing statute applies to unredacted applications and registers filed from July 1, 1997 onward, while allowing access to formats that block the protected number. Thus an older license-copy request can require more than a name-and-date search. Fairfax marriage-copy price, mail process, and older-form privacy instructions.

After a ceremony, the officiant must return the completed record to the issuing officer within five days. The issuing officer forwards the preceding month's filed marriage records to the State Registrar by the tenth day of the next month. That filing sequence can explain why a just-completed ceremony is not immediately retrievable through every statewide channel. Start with the issuing clerk when confirming whether the return has arrived. Marriage return deadlines, forwarding to the state, and protected application fields.

Choose the state divorce certificate or the court's final decree

The Virginia registry has divorce records from 1918 forward and issues a certificate through its ordinary application process. The final decree is a court document. Use the circuit court case when the task requires the judge's order, a restored name, or terms of the judgment. A statistical or vital certificate is not a complete copy of the litigation file.

Fairfax's divorce instructions direct people to its civil-records service for a certified final decree after the divorce becomes final. The records office asks for the case number or year of the order and the parties' full names. It recommends confirming the record's availability and page count before mailing payment. Older files can be stored off site; requesting review of the file and ordering a certified copy are related but different tasks.

The Fairfax civil-copy charge is $0.50 per page, with an additional $2 per document for ordinary certification. Its separately described triple-seal option has an additional $2.50 charge per document. Ask which form of certification the recipient requires rather than adding certification options indiscriminately. Mail requests use a certified check or money order payable to Clerk of the Fairfax Circuit Court and a stamped return envelope. The civil file room is at 4110 Chain Bridge Road, third floor, Suite 320.

Sealed files and juvenile or domestic-relations appeals have access restrictions. A person's ability to receive a state divorce certificate does not establish unrestricted access to every attachment in the judicial file. Give the clerk the precise document title and explain whether you are a party or an authorized representative when restricted materials are involved. Fairfax civil-record copies, certification fees, storage, and access restrictions.

Let the state review a birth or death amendment before assuming the evidence

The Office of Vital Records says it must inspect the record and proposed change before deciding what evidence is necessary. Its amendment request asks the applicant to identify the incorrect item and the intended correction. Supplying the precise existing wording and proposed replacement gives the reviewer a defined issue. A general request to fix the certificate can leave the office unable to identify what is disputed.

The current amendment instructions specify a $10 administrative charge and $15 for each resulting certified copy. They offer an online request or the printed VS43 form, followed by review and instructions for the next steps. A certified court order may be necessary for a judicial change. Where the order omits details needed to identify the birth record, accompanying court materials can be required. Merely submitting a petition that asks a court for a change is different from submitting an entered order granting it.

The ordinary state drop-off promise does not apply to unresolved amendment work. The general location guidance permits certain amendment material to be dropped off for later processing, while specialized instructions can require mailing. Do not expect a local DMV or health department to change the registration at the counter. Use the state modification process and obtain new copies after the altered record is ready. State amendment intake and the distinction between administrative fees and copies.

Marriage and divorce corrections begin with the circuit court that issued the record. The state FAQ says the court should forward its corrected certificate to Vital Records, after which the state reviews the court documentation and a request for a corrected copy. Asking the registrar to change a marriage or divorce entry without the court's corrected material skips the custodian responsible for that correction.

Use the parentage route that fits the existing birth record

The July 2026 birth application explains several parentage routes. Its acknowledgment-of-paternity guidance concerns a child born outside marriage. It says that acknowledgment cannot be used when another father already appears on the birth record or the mother was married at the birth or during the preceding ten months. A signed acknowledgment should therefore not be treated as a universal method for replacing an existing parent.

The same guidance describes a certified Virginia order determining parentage. Orders from another state must be filed and stamped by a Virginia circuit court under the application instructions. The genetic-test route calls for a certified result from an AABB-approved laboratory and the specified voluntary consent signed and notarized by the father. A consumer ancestry result lacks those described procedural elements.

Virginia Code section 32.1-261 separately addresses a new certificate after a final Virginia paternity order and requires a statement concerning the expiration of appeal time and absence of an appeal. Establish whether the legal decision and any required filing steps are complete before requesting the new certificate. The new record substitutes for the original; the original and supporting evidence are then subject to the statute's sealing rules. These steps concern the legal record, beyond simply printing a different name on an ordinary copy.

The sex-designation procedure uses a provider form, not proof of surgery

Virginia's current instructions require a request from the individual, or a parent for a person under 18, a valid identification copy, and a properly completed VS42 form bearing the medical provider's live-ink signature and date. The provider must be the health care professional from whom the person received clinically appropriate treatment for gender transition. The statute expressly bars a requirement to document a medical procedure.

The form identifies the provider's profession, licensing state, license number, the person's full name, and Virginia birth date and locality. It contains the provider's treatment statement and the requested male or female designation. Use the published Virginia form and its fields; another jurisdiction's self-attestation form does not satisfy Virginia's described provider requirement. VS42 provider statement and identifying fields.

A legal name change can be included if supported by a certified court order. The state says the petition or application is also needed when the order does not show the person's name at birth, birth date, and birthplace. The administrative charge is $10, and requested certified copies are $15 each. The name-change evidence and the provider's designation statement perform different functions; neither should be omitted because the other is present. Virginia's current designation-change packet and fees.

Adult original-birth access changed on July 1, 2026

An adult adoptee whose original birth certificate is sealed and filed with Virginia may now request it from the State Registrar without first obtaining a court order. The state announced that House Bill 301 took effect July 1, 2026. The request requires an application, identity proof, and the applicable fee. The current VS6B form includes a pre-adoptee option, and the FAQ describes submission by mail or in person at the Office of Vital Records.

This change concerns access to the original birth certificate. It does not make that original the certificate used for legal purposes, make it amendable, or automatically open every document in a court adoption file. The current statute expressly says the sealed original is not the birth certificate in use and may not be used for legal purposes. Order the current post-adoption certified record when that is what an identity transaction requires. Official announcement of adult adoptee access effective July 2026.

A birth parent can optionally submit a contact-preference form indicating direct contact, contact through an intermediary, or no contact. The form is filed with the located original certificate and provided to the adult adoptee requesting it. A parent can update the preference; the registrar may destroy the older version. The statutory program provides a way to communicate a preference, rather than changing the original record into a public genealogy document.

The current contact form requires one form per parent, accurate identifying information, a clear identification copy, and a $15 search payment. It permits additional information on the reverse but expressly says not to send photographs or extra documents, which will not be shared or returned. Complete the requested fields rather than enclosing an informal collection of materials in their place. Birth-parent contact-preference application and submission limits.

Creating the replacement certificate is distinct from accessing the original

To establish a new certificate after adoption, the registrar needs the adoption report or certified decree, enough information to identify the original birth record, and the information for the replacement. The statute allows the court, adoptive parents, or an adopted person who is at least 18 to request that a new certificate not be established. That wording is an option to decline replacement; it should not be converted into a blanket statement that adoption-related birth certificates cannot be prepared for anyone aged 18 or older.

For a foreign-born adopted person, Virginia can establish the described Certificate of Foreign Birth under the statutory conditions. It must show the true or probable foreign country of birth. The statute generally requires a statement that the certificate is not evidence of U.S. citizenship, with a separate route to remove that statement after the person attains citizenship and submits evidence of it. The state certificate is not a substitute for a federal citizenship determination.

The birth application's foreign-adoption checklist differentiates a Virginia readoption from a foreign adoption without readoption. It identifies certified adoption material, translations when needed, residency evidence, and the other listed supporting records. Supply the documents for the actual route. A Virginia mailing address today does not by itself establish the adoptive parents' required residency at the time of adoption.

There is a specific expedited statutory process when at least one adoptive parent is an active-duty or retired member of the military or military reserves. The filer must notify the court clerk in writing. The clerk then has five business days after receiving the judge's final decree to send the adoption records and standardized military-status confirmation. The registrar expedites issuance after receiving those materials and the completed request. The five-day clerk deadline is not a promise that a certificate arrives five days after the adoption hearing. Current new-certificate statute, original-record limitations, foreign births, and military-adoption procedure.

Follow the dedicated surrogacy packet and its announced form transition

Virginia distinguishes court-approved surrogacy contracts from contracts not approved by a court. The court-approved route requires the certified order directing a new certificate naming the intended parent or parents, the certificate application, identification, and payment. The non-court-approved route requires the signed contract and completed, signed, notarized VS41 materials, including the specified consents and physician's affidavit. Those lists are not interchangeable.

For the non-court-approved route, the state says the documentation and request must be completed and filed within 180 days of the child's birth. A packet still incomplete after that period cannot be processed through the described route. The guidance says genetic testing is needed when the physician's statement of biological parentage cannot be obtained and must use an AABB-certified laboratory. Additional evidence may be requested after the registrar reviews the circumstances.

The dedicated guidance was updated November 5, 2026. It requires mailing surrogacy packets and says walk-ins are not accepted for surrogacy processing, even though the general birth application's earlier checklist mentions drop-off. Use the specialized current instruction: ATTN Surrogacy, VDH Office of Vital Records, 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227. It lists six to twelve weeks after a complete packet is received and says travel commitments do not provide an expedited exception.

The same notice announces that submissions postmarked December 1, 2026 or later must use VS41 with the effective date 10/2026. A previous version must be postmarked by November 30, 2026 under that notice. Check the form's revision date as well as the packet's completeness. The stated charges are $10 for establishing the new birth certificate and $15 per issued copy. Current surrogacy document lists, mailing requirement, 180-day condition, and future form deadline.

Virginia's stillbirth certificate has no issuance charge

The Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth concerns an unintended intrauterine fetal death after a gestation of at least 20 weeks. The state says either parent listed on the fetal death report can apply. The certificate has no cost under the change effective July 1, 2022. Do not add the ordinary $15 certificate fee solely because the online process begins under a death-record menu.

The state's online instructions say to select Death, then Stillbirth, supply the applicant's relationship and identity information, and provide the date, place, gestation, and parent names. The child's name and hospital are optional fields under those instructions. Stillbirth certificates are not issued through the ordinary walk-in service. The office lists spontaneous fetal death reports from 1999 forward, which is separate from the year the certificate program was introduced. Fee-free stillbirth eligibility and application steps.

Treat the 1896-to-1912 gap and online collection limits as research questions

Virginia did not have a statewide birth-and-death registration law between 1896 and June 14, 1912. The Library of Virginia nevertheless identifies some surviving records for Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Richmond during the general gap. A statewide gap therefore does not prove that no local evidence exists. Identify the municipality and the event year before deciding that the only possible next step is delayed registration.

The state genealogy guidance describes surviving 1853-to-1896 birth and death records and earlier marriage material at the Library of Virginia. It directs historical research there because the certificate office is not equipped to carry out broad genealogical investigation. A known entry located through archival work can support a specific state certificate request, with the names, date, and city or county supplied. A request for an entire family history is a different service from a paid search for one identified registration. State historical holdings, registration gap, and research referral.

The Library's Ancestry for Virginians program provides free access to selected licensed collections for users whose Virginia location is validated by GeoIP. A free Ancestry account is still required. The program does not include every Virginia-related collection on the commercial service; broader search results may offer paid material outside the Library's agreement. Full Ancestry access is separately available in the Library's second-floor reading rooms.

The Library describes vital-statistics material spanning roughly 1853 to the present, subject to the public-release periods and the collection's actual coverage. Some collections include images and others direct the user elsewhere. Record the particular collection, index details, event date, and locality when tracing a result. Do not infer a complete public certificate-image series merely from a search interface spanning a long period. Library access terms, selected collections, and local exceptions to the registration gap.

Foreign authentication is handled after the certificate is issued

The Office of Vital Records does not perform authentications or apostilles. It directs applicants to the Secretary of the Commonwealth after obtaining the needed certificate. That office verifies the standing of the relevant Virginia public official; it does not create a missing birth or marriage record or correct an erroneous entry. Confirm the foreign recipient's requested document and authentication before selecting a short or long birth form.

The state referral lists the Secretary's Authentications Department at 1111 East Broad Street, first floor, Richmond, VA 23219, with telephone 804-786-2441 and authentication@governor.virginia.gov. Check that office's current submission instructions for the authentication stage. Its fee and processing are separate from the certificate order, and a shipping upgrade on the certificate application does not complete the later authentication. Virginia's referral to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.