Diploma Apostille in California
In California, Diploma apostilles must be processed through the California Secretary of State in Sacramento. The state fee is $20 per document. Find your nearest city below to get started.
California Apostille Requirements
- Authority: California Secretary of State
- Office Location: Sacramento
- State Fee: $20
- Important Rule: Birth certificates must be certified by the County Clerk before apostille.
Select your city to view local apostille processing options and courier times.
What Is a Diploma Apostille?
The Hague Apostille Convention replaced the old multi-step embassy legalization process that existed before 1961. Under the old system, getting an American document accepted overseas required notarization, state-level certification, federal certification, and then embassy legalization. The Convention simplified this into a single certificate issued by one designated authority. For Diplomas issued in California, that authority is the California Secretary of State in Sacramento.
Diplomas are regularly among the highest-volume apostille requests. The reason Diplomas come up in many international processes including immigration, employment, international education, and cross-border legal matters. For residents of California, only the California Secretary of State can issue this certification in CA.
An apostille is a form of government certification created under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Unlike standard document certification, an apostille is recognized internationally — meaning your Diploma is valid for submission to overseas institutions without further legalization. For residents of California, obtaining this certification means submitting your document to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento.
California: State vs Federal Authority
For state-issued Diplomas, the apostille is only available from the California Secretary of State's office. Typically, the document needs to be in certified form with an authentic seal. The California Secretary of State verifies the document's origin and seal and issues the Hague certificate usually within 1 to 4 weeks.
The most common apostille mistake is sending your Diploma to the wrong office. For example, if you mail a Diploma issued in California to the US Department of State in DC, the federal office will refuse to process it. Similarly, sending an FBI Background Check to a state Secretary of State office results in the same rejection. In both cases, the wasted transit time sets your application back by weeks.
For urgent submissions, same-day processing may be available. Some state offices provide same-day service for in-person deliveries. Our team exploits walk-in submission options by physically appearing at the office, bypassing the mail queue entirely.
Why Local Offices Cannot Help
First-time applicants in California often expect they can get an apostille through any notary in CA. This is incorrect. A notary public can only witness signatures and verify identity. They cannot issue an apostille certificate — that authority belongs exclusively to.
Another reason local options fail is that the receiving country check whether the apostille was issued by the proper office. If your Diploma is apostilled by the wrong authority, your documents will be rejected at the destination. This may trigger a visa denial even if everything else in your application is correct.
Beyond notaries, local government offices in California in CA also cannot issue apostilles. Even visiting any local California government office will not produce a Hague certificate. The sole authority in California authorized to issue apostilles for state documents is the California Secretary of State.
The California Apostille Authority
There is sometimes a step before apostille submission: it may need to be notarized or certified first. Educational records and private documents typically require notarization as a first step. Our team advises you on any pre-apostille requirements before starting the submission so your submission is accepted on the first attempt.
For Diplomas issued in California, the designated apostille authority is the California Secretary of State. Only the California Secretary of State is authorized to issue Hague Apostille certificates on California-issued public documents. The California Secretary of State holds the official seals of California government officials and is therefore the only entity capable of certifying their authenticity.
When the California Secretary of State receives your Diploma, an authorized state officer reviews the document and checks that signatures are from known, authorized officials. Once verified, the apostille is issued as a cover page or attachment. The completed document is then held for courier pickup. Our runner picks it up within 24 hours.
How to Get Your Diploma Apostilled in California
Certain Diplomas must be notarized before they can be apostilled. When your document is not a government-issued record, it will typically need to be notarized by a licensed notary before the California Secretary of State will accept it. We manages the full notarization and apostille process so you never have to navigate this alone.
After we receive your Diploma, we inspect each document for any issues that could cause rejection. This pre-flight review catches common problems like improper certification, wrong document versions, or missing state fees. Catching these before submission prevents the most common cause of apostille delays — a first-attempt rejection.
Getting an apostille on your Diploma follows a clear sequence of steps. First: ensure your Diploma is in its original, certified form. Second: verify the document carries an authentic official seal. Third: submit it to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento along with the applicable state fee. Fourth: collect the completed apostille — ready for any Hague member country.
How Long Does a Diploma Apostille Take in California?
For California residents in a rush, the quickest option is a courier service that physically delivers to the California Secretary of State. Many California Secretary of State offices offer same-day service for walk-in submissions. Our courier uses this option wherever available to return apostilled documents to California in 2 to 5 business days.
The US Department of State operates on a separate schedule for FBI Background Checks and other federal records. Regular postal submissions to DC for federal apostilles can take 8 to 12 weeks because of the national volume of federal authentication requests. A physical courier in Washington D.C. gets the federal authentication done in 2 to 4 business days by physically submitting at the federal office.
Tracking your apostille is a key advantage of using our courier service. Our service includes status updates at every milestone: pickup from your California address, arrival at our processing hub, submission to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento, completion confirmation, and outbound FedEx tracking back to California. This level of visibility is not possible with direct mail.
What to Include With Your Submission
Before sending your document to the California Secretary of State, confirm you are sending: the original document or a certified copy, any required notarization, a completed submission form if required, payment for the state fee of $20, and a prepaid return envelope or shipping label. Leaving out any item will cause rejection.
Some California residents ask whether they should include a cover letter with their apostille submission. For direct submissions to the California Secretary of State, a brief cover letter is recommended stating your name, document type, document count, and return address. The California Secretary of State processes high volumes of requests and a clear cover letter helps the office handle your request correctly and quickly.
Payment for the state fee is required. Forms of payment differ at each California Secretary of State but typically include money order, certified check, or online payment. We pays the California Secretary of State fee as part of the service so the submission is never rejected for payment reasons.
Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid
Forgetting to include return shipping is a simple but common mistake. The California Secretary of State in Sacramento will not return your document without a prepaid return method. Without a prepaid return envelope, your apostilled document may sit uncollected for days. We handle return shipping as part of our flat-rate fee — you never have to worry about return logistics.
The most common and costly apostille mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. People in California sometimes mail federal records to their state Secretary of State. Either way, the documents come back with a rejection notice. This adds 2 to 4 weeks — the round-trip postal time to the wrong office — before you can resubmit correctly.
Sending original documents through standard postal mail without insurance is something we strongly advise against. Uninsured postal shipments can be lost, delayed, or damaged. Vital records and FBI Background Checks are difficult or expensive to replace. We use FedEx with full insurance and tracking for maximum protection from the moment we receive your document to its return to California.
Get Your Diploma Apostilled in California
Our courier network covers the California Secretary of State in Sacramento, typically returning your apostilled document in 2 to 5 business days. No need to visit any government office.
Order NowFrequently Asked Questions — Diploma Apostille in California
Does my Diploma need to be notarized before apostilling in California?
Yes. Most Secretary of State offices — including the California Secretary of State in Sacramento — require that Diplomas be notarized or officially certified by the issuing institution before an apostille can be attached. We coordinate the full process: notarization, submission to the California Secretary of State, and return of the completed apostille.
Which state handles the apostille if I now live in California but attended school elsewhere?
The apostille must come from the state where the issuing institution is located — not the state where you currently live. If your Diploma was issued by a California institution, the California Secretary of State in Sacramento is the correct office. If you attended school in another state, that state's Secretary of State handles the apostille.
How do I get a certified copy of my Diploma suitable for apostilling?
Contact the institution that issued your Diploma — typically the registrar, alumni office, or records department — and request an officially certified copy bearing an original seal or signature. This certified copy, not a photocopy, is what the California Secretary of State in Sacramento will accept. We can advise on institution-specific requirements when you place your order.
Will my apostilled Diploma from California be accepted in countries that require specific formats?
Countries like Germany and the UAE have specific requirements for educational documents beyond the apostille — including certified translations and sometimes additional attestation. The apostille from the California Secretary of State in Sacramento satisfies the Hague authentication requirement, but you may also need a sworn translation and, in some cases, attestation by the destination country's embassy. We offer full packages that cover apostille plus translation.