20 Archbishop May Dr. St. Louis, MO 63119-5738

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Citizenship-Related Requests

Please carefully read the information on this page and use the form below to complete your request.

This form is NOT FOR GENEALOGICAL PURPOSES. It is for legal citizenship-related requests only.

For GENEALOGY research, please see the Genealogy Page.

Requesting Records from Open Or Closed Parishes

The Office of Archives and Records only issues certificates from closed parishes. If you are requesting a certificate from a closed parish, please continue reading and fill out the form below. A list of closed parishes is at https://www.archstl.org/archdiocesan-archives/closed-parishes. The Archives reserves the right to refuse access to records.

If you require a record from an open, active parish, please contact that parish directly. Contact information can be found at https://www.archstl.org/find-my-parish. Note that open parishes have authority over their own records; they may or may not issue documents for citizenship-related purposes.

Requesting Records 1930 and Prior

For records 1930 and prior, you must know the parish name and date of the sacrament. Archives staff will not conduct searches for records. Instructions on how to find sacramental records is on our Research Page at https://www.archstl.org/archdiocesan-archives/research.

If the record is dated 1930 or earlier, fill out the request form below with the following information:

1. Correct date and parish name where record is located. Research should be done prior to requesting the record. Find instructions on how to find sacramental records at the Research Page at https://www.archstl.org/archdiocesan-archives/research.
2. Full names of all known parties involved:
a. For baptisms, provide the names of the baptismal recipient, father’s full name, mother’s first name and maiden name, the celebrant, and witnesses.
b. For marriages, provide the names of the bride, groom, each of their fathers, each of their mothers with maiden name, the celebrant, and witnesses.

If you require additional information not on the form but represented in the sacramental record, please indicate this in the "Notes" field on the form.

NOTE: For records in this time period, variations in the spelling of names is a common occurence. Names were often Latinized, Anglicized, or spelled incorrectly. If you request a notarized affidavit, a statement is added regarding spelling variations.

Requesting Records 1931 and Later

Records of baptism or marriage may be released to a third-party requestor for citizenship purposes if the person(s) named in the record is deceased. If the record is dated 1931 or later, you will need to provide the following documentation to obtain a sacramental certificate or notarized document:

1. A copy of the death certificate of the person(s) named in the record. To request a marriage certificate, both parties named in the record must be deceased. The requestor must provide death certificates for both parties.
2. Copies of the birth/baptismal/marriage certificates that prove that the requestor is a descendant of the person named in the record. To request a marriage certificate, provide proof of relationship to one of the persons named in the record.
3. Photograph ID (driver’s license or state ID) of the requestor.

All additional documentation may be sent to [email protected], fax 314-792-7029, or by mail to Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives, 20 Archbishop May Drive, St. Louis MO 63119-5738.

Do I Request a Sacramental Certificate or Notarized Document?

You must check with the appropriate foreign consulate to determine whether they will accept a sacramental certificate or require a document with an apostille. Each country’s consulate will have different requirements. You may request one or both. Each document is $25.

Sacramental Certificates: A sacramental certificate is a Church-certified document that is signed and dated with the emobossed seal of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Notarized Documents and Apostilles: An apostille or public notary signature cannot be affixed directly to the sacramental certificate, which is an ecclesiastical document. An apostille is a specific form of authentication that is made by a state’s Secretary of State. If requested, Archives staff will issue you a Missouri-notarized affidavit for a sacrament. You can then use the notarized document to apply for an apostille with the State of Missouri. Archives staff does not work directly with the state and cannot advise on the process of obtaining an apostille from a state. Before you request the notarized affidavit from us, please check with the Missouri Secretary of State: https://s1.sos.mo.gov/business/notary/notary/certify.

Directions, Payment, and Identification

Please submit one form per person per sacrament (i.e. baptism or marriage).
When the request is received, Archives staff will notify you if there are any issues with the request. If there are no detected issues, staff will simply mail the document(s) to the address you have provided on the sacramental request form online.
Document(s) will be mailed within 5-10 business days.
Each document, whether a sacramental certificate or a notarized affidavit, is $25. If you request both a certificate and a notarized affidavit for a single sacrament, the total would be $50.

Payment can be made via credit card or check, made out to the Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives:

Pay online with your credit card after submitting the form below. Click the "Submit Online Payment" button after you submit the form.
Call us to relay your credit card information over the phone.
Mail payments to: Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives, Mail Stop # 100600, P.O. Box 953745, St. Louis, MO 63195-3745.

YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF YOUR PHOTO ID (State or Driver’s license, front of ID only) along with this request by one of the following methods:

Attaching a digital image of the ID to the form below.
Emailing a digital image of the ID to [email protected].
Faxing a copy of the ID to 314.792.7029
Mailing a copy of the ID to Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives, 20 Archbishop May Drive, St. Louis MO 63119-5738

Please fill out the form with complete information. Staff will contact you if there are any issues with the request.

Closed Parish
I am requesting the sacrament of:
The option to choose the type of document (sacramental certificate or notarized affidavit) is further below in the form.
Name on Record (with maiden name if applicable)

First Name
Last Name
Birthdate (Month - Day - Year)
Father's Name

First Name
Last Name
Mother's Name (use maiden name if present)

First Name
Last Name
Date of the Sacrament (Month - Day - Year)
Name of the Celebrant
The celebrant is the priest or deacon who performed the sacrament.
Name(s) of the Witness(es)
For a baptism, witnesses may also be known as "godparents." For a marriage, they might also be called "best man" and "maid of honor."
If you are requesting Marriage, please provide:
Name of Spouse (Use maiden name for women)
Name of Spouse's Father

First Name
Last Name
Name of Spouse's Mother

First Name
Last Name
Other Notes or Clarifications
You may include other information about the sacrament, identification of the person, information about your request, etc.
Notes
Your Contact Information
Document(s) will be mailed to the address you provide below.
Your Name

First Name
Last Name
Your Relationship to the person named in the record
Purpose of Request
Daytime Phone
Area Code - Phone Number
Email

Address

Street Address
Street Address 2
City	State / Province
Postal / ZipCode	Country

Attach an Image of your Photo ID
Filename
Status
Size
Add Files Start Upload
Click "Add File" to select the file. Then click "Start Upload" to upload it. YOU CAN ONLY UPLOAD ONE FILE. Please upload the FRONT OF YOUR ID ONLY. If you cannot attach it here, you may send it to us at [email protected], fax 314-792-7029, or mail. You must submit a copy of your state ID, driver's license, or other valid form of photo ID with this request.
Ordering Documents
Document(s) will be mailed to the address you provided above.
I am ordering the following document(s):

Sacramental Certificate ($25)
Missouri-Notarized Affidavit ($25)
BOTH a Sacramental Certificate and Notarized Affidavit ($50)

Payment Method

Online Payment (Pay the fee at the "Donation" screen after you click submit.)

Mail a check (Note that certificate will not be sent until payment is received.)

Call us at 314-792-7020 to relay your credit card information over the phone, or discuss other payment options.

The record will not be released without the Photo ID and payment
By checking this box and submitting this form, I attest that the requested document(s) will only be utilized for citizenship-related purposes.

I agree

Citizenship-Related Requests

Please carefully read the information on this page and use the form below to complete your request.

Requesting Records from Open Or Closed Parishes

Requesting Records 1930 and Prior

Requesting Records 1931 and Later

Do I Request a Sacramental Certificate or Notarized Document?

Directions, Payment, and Identification

Citizenship-Related Request Form

If you are requesting Marriage, please provide:

Other Notes or Clarifications

Your Contact Information

Ordering Documents

The record will not be released without the Photo ID and payment