{"stateName":"Northern Mariana Islands","slug":"northern-mariana-islands","summary":"Find the correct CNMI custodian and apostille authority, obtain a certified record and resolve unpublished submission details before mailing. This is a preparation guide with explicit source gaps.","commonDocuments":"Vital records, court records, certified company documents, school records and private notarized documents require separate document checks.","timing":"No current territorial apostille handling time or rush procedure was established from the checked official materials. Do not turn federal-court fees or ordinary office hours into a territorial service promise.","caveat":"The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is distinct from Guam and from the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. A federal court\u2019s $50 apostille fee does not price the Commonwealth Attorney General\u2019s service. [MP-04; HCCH-01]","officialResourceName":"CNMI Attorney General \u2014 contact","officialResourceUrl":"https://www.cnmioag.org/contact-us/","micrositeUrl":null,"lawResourceName":null,"lawResourceUrl":null,"secondaryLawResourceName":null,"secondaryLawResourceUrl":null,"legalNotes":["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: Northern Mariana Islands; designated federal court clerks | https://www.hcch.net/en/states/authorities/details3/?aid=353","MP-01 | CNMI Office of the Attorney General \u2014 Contact | official agency guidance or directory, not transaction acceptance evidence | checked 2026-10-28 | publication/revision: not stated; effective date not independently established | official inquiry channel; not a published apostille packet | https://www.cnmioag.org/contact-us/","MP-02 | CDC \u2014 Northern Mariana Islands vital records | official agency guidance or directory, not transaction acceptance evidence | checked 2026-10-28 | publication/revision: not stated; effective date not independently established | Birth/Death ordering and fees; Marriage/Divorce directory entries | https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/northern_mariana_islands.htm","MP-03 | CNMI Judiciary \u2014 Commonwealth Recorder | official agency guidance or directory, not transaction acceptance evidence | checked 2026-10-28 | publication/revision: not stated; effective date not independently established | Marriage Record Certification and True Copy Certification fee rows | https://www.nmijudiciary.gov/commonwealth-recorders-office","MP-04 | U.S. District Court for NMI \u2014 Fees Schedule | official agency guidance or directory, not transaction acceptance evidence | checked 2026-10-28 | publication/revision: schedule marks applicable items effective 2023-12-01; effective date not independently established | Certification, Exemplification, Issuance of an Apostille; federal court scope | https://www.nmid.uscourts.gov/fees-schedule"],"misconceptionTitle":null,"misconceptionIntro":null,"misconceptionNotes":null,"whatWeKnow":["Identify the authority by the record \u2014 HCCH designates the Attorney General/Acting Attorney General and Clerk/Deputy Clerk of the Commonwealth Trial Court. Ask the current office which designated official handles your record. Court-name history is not a reason to send every document to the federal District Court. [HCCH-01]","Birth and death records: start at CHCC \u2014 CDC directs applicants to Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Health and Vital Statistics Office, PO Box 500409, Saipan MP 96950. It lists birth $25, death $20, and $5 mailing service. Ask info-hvso@chcc.health for the appropriate mail-order form, provide a valid government-ID copy, and confirm eligibility/current charges at (670) 236-8717 or 236-8702. Money order or bank cashier\u2019s check names Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation. These are record fees, not apostille fees. [MP-02]","Marriage records: resolve the conflicting fee before payment \u2014 The current Judiciary Recorder page lists $25 marriage record certification; CDC\u2019s directory lists $10. Use the Recorder\u2019s direct current instructions for the order and ask it to confirm the total and accepted payment. Do not silently combine two different schedules or assume either amount includes an apostille. [MP-02; MP-03]","Court orders: request the exact certified filing \u2014 Practical preparation: identify the case number, decree/order and clerk\u2019s certification needed for foreign use. CDC\u2019s divorce directory lists copy/certification amounts, but this guide does not treat that directory as a complete current court-order process. Ask the Superior Court clerk about access, current fees, signature and apostille handling. A docket printout is not the same product as a certified decree. [MP-02; HCCH-01]","Company filings, school records and private signatures \u2014 Practical preparation: obtain issuer-certified company records; ask a school to identify its certifying official; use an appropriate notarial act for a private affidavit or authorization. The checked OAG contact page supplies no document-by-document prerequisite schedule. Ask the designated authority which original signature and certification it will accept before commissioning new work. [MP-01; HCCH-01]","Send a precise procedure question before originals \u2014 Use the official OAG contact channel to name the document, issuer/signatory, date, destination and format. Request the current form, any prior certification, fee and charge unit, payee/payment channel, processing estimate, appointment/mail acceptance, courier address and return-label instructions. These are practical questions, not claimed CNMI requirements. [MP-01]","Keep federal court documents on the federal court path \u2014 The District Court for NMI lists $50 for an apostille, $12 certification and $24 exemplification as separate items. Ask its clerk which items your court record needs and the total. Do not add all three automatically or apply these prices to territorial vital records. [MP-04; HCCH-01]","Build a return plan the office can actually use \u2014 Practical preparation: confirm who receives the completed original, whether a prepaid envelope/label is accepted, carrier restrictions, pickup authorization and international return availability. Do not buy an unconfirmed courier label or use a general contact address as proof of mail admission. Save submission and return tracking independently. [MP-01]","Example: Saipan birth record for overseas filing \u2014 First obtain the CHCC certified record; then confirm the competent territorial authority\u2019s preparation and submission instructions. The listed $25 record plus $5 mailing service is $30 before any apostille, transport or third-party charge. This is an arithmetic example, not a $30 apostille package. [MP-02]","FAQ: Is an unknown apostille fee zero? \u2014 No. This guide could not verify a current OAG apostille fee, payment method, public request form, return policy or timing. Ask for current written instructions. A service quote should identify those unresolved official charges and its own preparation/shipping scope separately. [MP-01]"],"whatMustBeConfirmed":["OAG/clerk: current competent desk, prerequisites, form, fee/unit/payee/payment, submission/appointment, return and timing.","Recorder: reconcile CDC $10 marriage entry versus Judiciary $25 certification; confirm format and current total.","Issuers/authority: certified corporate output, school preparation, electronic/RON documents and unusual signatures; no electronic apostille service 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}