{"stateName":"Guam","slug":"guam","summary":"Prepare a Guam document for foreign use: identify the record, obtain the right certification and resolve the Department of Administration\u2019s published ambiguities before paying or sending originals.","commonDocuments":"Vital records, court records, certified company documents, school records and private notarized documents require separate document checks.","timing":"DOA publishes a minimum 7\u201310 days, in receipt order; it does not label these business days. Appointments are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Record issuance and transport are additional. [GU-01]","caveat":"Guam is a U.S. territory. Its DOA page mixes federal and local instructions. The federal-only wording conflicts with HCCH\u2019s designation of Guam DOA officials. Do not notarize a federal original or infer a county-clerk step for every Guam document. Resolve the actual document with DOA first. [GU-01; HCCH-01]","officialResourceName":"Guam DOA apostille instructions","officialResourceUrl":"https://doa.guam.gov/apostille/","micrositeUrl":null,"lawResourceName":null,"lawResourceUrl":null,"secondaryLawResourceName":null,"secondaryLawResourceUrl":null,"legalNotes":["GU-01 | Guam Department of Administration \u2014 Apostille | official agency guidance or directory, not transaction acceptance evidence | checked 2026-10-28 | publication/revision: not stated; effective date not independently established | location, appointment, timing, fee, requirements and paid-receipt paragraphs | https://doa.guam.gov/apostille/","GU-02 | CDC \u2014 Where to Write for Vital Records: Guam | official agency guidance or directory, not transaction acceptance evidence | checked 2026-10-28 | publication/revision: not stated; effective date not independently established | Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce; directory, not an apostille order form | https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/guam.htm","HCCH-01 | HCCH \u2014 United States competent authorities | official agency guidance or directory, not transaction acceptance evidence | checked 2026-10-28 | publication/revision: 2026-09-02; effective date not independently established | Other Subdivisions: Guam; federal court and agency distinctions | https://www.hcch.net/en/states/authorities/details3/?aid=353"],"misconceptionTitle":null,"misconceptionIntro":null,"misconceptionNotes":null,"whatWeKnow":["Choose the issuing authority \u2014 Birth or marriage records, court orders, registry-certified company filings and private signatures need different preparation. Identify the official whose signature is to be authenticated. A Guam return address does not make an FBI record a Guam record. [HCCH-01]","Use the Guam office, with a document-specific check \u2014 HCCH lists DOA\u2019s Director, Acting Director, Deputy Director and Acting Deputy Director. Start with DOA at (671) 475-1101 option 8; its counter is ITC Building, second floor, Director\u2019s Office Suite 224. [GU-01; HCCH-01]","Obtain a vital record from its custodian \u2014 CDC lists $5 birth/death and $10 marriage copies, with an existing-record mail/drop-box route at Rancare, 761 S. Marine Corp Drive, CBU Box 109, Tamuning GU 96913. Supply record name/date, payment and a stamped self-addressed envelope. Confirm current fees and eligibility with Vital Statistics at 300-9263/9264/9265/9270; its directory has conflicting local-check versus personal-check language. [GU-02]","Keep divorce and other court records separate \u2014 Vital Statistics does not issue divorce decrees. CDC directs Guam divorce requests to Superior Court Records, (671) 475-3449. Ask for the actual certified decree and the certification needed for foreign use; copy fees, access conditions and return instructions remain court-specific. [GU-02]","Company records and school papers need the correct signer \u2014 Practical preparation: request a registry-certified filing or certificate from the company-record custodian; ask a school registrar what official certification it can provide. DOA\u2019s page does not establish a complete company or school checklist. Before ordering, have DOA confirm the exact official signature, physical/electronic format and any intermediate certification. Do not replace the official record with a notarized customer photocopy. [GU-01]","Prepare a private signature only after choosing the act \u2014 A power of attorney or affidavit may need a notarial act. Ask DOA which Guam notarial certificate and original output it will authenticate. Its generic county/state bullets do not establish a Guam county step, remote-notary rule or a requirement to notarize issued vital/court records. [GU-01]","Budget the published fee without guessing its unit \u2014 DOA lists $50 due on submission and cash, check or money order; checks/money orders name Treasurer of Guam. Its wording does not resolve per-document versus per-request charging. Obtain the total for your count before payment, and retain the paid receipt required for collection. [GU-01]","Plan appointment, mail and return separately \u2014 The page gives PO Box 7420, Tamuning GU 96931, but does not publish a complete mail-in packet, courier street address or return-label policy. Confirm these before shipping; a general postal address does not prove every remote submission is accepted. [GU-01]","Handle translation and source defects before submission \u2014 DOA calls for original seals/signatures and specifies an English certified translation with notarized true-translation certification for foreign-language documents. Clarify who must sign that certification. Its copy restriction excludes notary true copies of vital, court and federal records. These are published preparation limits, not a claim that your packet has been formally rejected. [GU-01]","Example: Guam marriage certificate and FBI result \u2014 Practical example: procure the marriage certificate through its Guam custodian, confirm the DOA certification path, and keep the FBI result on the federal route. Quote the two handling chains and shipping separately; one envelope does not give one authority jurisdiction over both. [GU-02; HCCH-01]","FAQ: Can I post everything today? \u2014 Resolve the fee unit, accepted source certification, mail admission and return method first. No complete public mail form or e-apostille procedure was established by the checked material. A private service can help with preparation or agreed logistics; it cannot cure those gaps by promising rush access. [GU-01]"],"whatMustBeConfirmed":["DOA: reconcile federal-only text with the territorial designation for this exact document; identify required signer/certification.","DOA: $50 charge unit, remote request form/cover details, accepted payment by channel, courier destination and physical return arrangements.","Issuer/DOA: company certification, school signer, electronic/RON output and any unusual record; no e-apostille availability established."],"sourceConfidence":"Dated official-source preparation guidance with explicit conflicts and unpublished facts; no completed-transaction acceptance evidence or independent final review claimed.","lastReviewed":"2026-10-28","contentUpdateUrl":null,"canIssueEApostille":null,"eApostilleCapabilityNote":"Electronic apostille availability was not established for this office/document. An electronic source file is not by itself an electronic apostille.","apostillePhysicalSecurityLevel":null,"apostillePhysicalSecurityFeatures":null,"apostillePhysicalSecurityNote":"Keep the completed official attachment intact. Ask the issuing office to resolve an attachment or signature concern; do not detach or add seals yourself.","targetedLawReviewDate":null,"targetedLawReviewScope":null}