Diploma Apostille in Louisiana
Louisiana's official apostille authority processes all Diploma apostilles for the state. The state charges $20 per apostille. Select your city to get started with a localized quote.
Louisiana Apostille Requirements
- Authority: Louisiana Secretary of State
- Office Location: Baton Rouge
- State Fee: $20
- Important Rule: Requires state certification.
Select your city to view local apostille processing options and courier times.
What Is a Diploma Apostille?
Diplomas are among the most frequently apostilled documents in the United States. The reason Diplomas come up in many international processes including visa applications, residency permits, citizenship documentation, employment verification, and foreign legal proceedings. For residents of Louisiana, only the Louisiana Secretary of State can issue this certification in LA.
An apostille is a type of international document authentication formalized by the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Unlike a local notary stamp, an apostille is accepted by all 124 Hague member countries — meaning your Diploma is valid for submission to foreign embassies, government offices, and employers. For residents of Louisiana, obtaining this certification goes through the Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge.
An important point is that an apostille is not a translation. Most foreign authorities additionally ask for a sworn or certified translation as well as the apostille. Most EU countries and many Middle Eastern authorities typically require both the apostille and a certified translation. We offer comprehensive apostille-plus-translation packages.
Louisiana: State vs Federal Authority
The most common apostille mistake is submitting your Diploma to the incorrect government authority. If you send a state Diploma to the US Department of State in DC, it will be rejected and returned. In reverse, sending an FBI Background Check to a state Secretary of State office results in the same rejection. Either way, the round-trip postal time sets your application back by weeks.
If you have a deadline, same-day processing is offered by our courier service. Some state offices provide same-day service for in-person deliveries. Our courier exploits walk-in submission options by walking documents in, which is typically the only way to access same-day or next-day processing.
The most commonly misunderstood thing to know about the apostille process for your document is determining which government authority issues apostilles for your specific document type. In the US, there are two parallel systems: state-level and federal. State-issued documents — like birth certificates, marriage certificates, and Diplomas go to the Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge. Documents from US federal agencies, like FBI Identity History Summaries and federal agency documents, must go to the US Department of State in Washington D.C..
Why Local Offices Cannot Help
Another reason local options fail is that Hague member countries 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 delay your entire application even if you have all other documents in order.
It is also worth knowing, local government offices in Louisiana do not have apostille authority. Even a trip to the Louisiana city hall, county courthouse, or register of deeds would not produce a Hague certificate. The sole authority in Louisiana that can attach the Hague certificate for state documents is the Louisiana Secretary of State.
If you are working under a tight deadline, relying on postal mail to the Louisiana Secretary of State is risky. A courier-assisted submission reduces turnaround from weeks to days. Our team handles Louisiana-area pickups and submissions with complete end-to-end shipment tracking on every submission.
The Louisiana Apostille Authority
For Diplomas issued in Louisiana, the official Hague authority is the Louisiana Secretary of State. Only the Louisiana Secretary of State is authorized to attach Hague Apostille certificates on records from Louisiana government agencies. The Louisiana Secretary of State is authorized to verify the seals and signatures of all Louisiana public officials and is therefore the only authorized source for apostilles on Louisiana-issued records.
When the Louisiana Secretary of State receives your Diploma, a state official reviews the document and confirms that the issuing official's seals match the registry. Once verified, the apostille is affixed as a cover page or attachment. The completed document is then held for courier pickup. Our courier picks it up within 24 hours.
The Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge is typically open Monday through Friday. Processing times without expedited service generally range from 5 business days to 4 weeks depending on current volume. If you are in Louisiana and need it faster, an in-person submission via a runner service can reduce processing time to 2 to 5 business days.
How to Get Your Diploma Apostilled in Louisiana
Once we have your documents, we inspect each document for compliance with the Louisiana Secretary of State's submission requirements. This intake review identifies issues like improper certification, wrong document versions, or missing state fees. Catching these before submission avoids the need to resubmit — a first-attempt rejection.
Getting a Diploma apostilled requires a clear sequence of steps. First: confirm that your document is the original or a certified copy. Step two: check that it has an official seal and signature from the issuing authority. Step three: send it to the correct authority along with the applicable state fee. Fourth: receive your apostilled document — ready for international submission.
Something many applicants miss is verifying that your document is current enough for the destination country. Federal background checks, for example, are typically required to be dated within 6 months at the time of consulate or visa submission. If your Diploma is past its useful window, a new document must be requested before submission to the Louisiana Secretary of State. Our team verifies document currency as part of our intake process to flag any potential rejections early.
How Long Does a Diploma Apostille Take in Louisiana?
The US Department of State has its own processing timeline for federal documents. Regular postal submissions to DC for federal apostilles can take 6 to 11 weeks due to the volume of requests from all 50 states. A physical courier in Washington D.C. gets the federal authentication done in 2 to 5 business days by walking documents in directly.
Knowing where your Diploma is is one of the most valued aspects of a physical courier over postal mail. We provide status updates at every milestone: pickup from your Louisiana address, receipt by our team, submission to the Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge, completion confirmation, and dispatch of the return shipment to Louisiana. This level of visibility is not possible with direct mail.
Processing times for apostille certification depend on the submission method and current government backlog. Documents sent by postal mail from Louisiana to the Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge usually require 4 to 8 weeks in total — accounting for shipping each way plus processing. During peak periods, such as spring and summer immigration seasons, government processing alone can take 4 to 6 weeks.
What to Include With Your Submission
A common question is whether they should include a cover letter with their apostille submission. For mail-in submissions, a brief cover letter is recommended stating your name, document type, document count, and return address. The Louisiana Secretary of State processes high volumes of requests and a simple cover sheet helps the office handle your request correctly and quickly.
The Louisiana Secretary of State's fee of $20 is required. Forms of payment differ at each Louisiana Secretary of State but generally include money order, certified check, or online payment. We handles the fee payment so you never worry about wrong payment forms.
An easy-to-miss detail: for non-English documents, some Louisiana Secretary of State offices may require a certified English translation before apostilling. In other cases, the Louisiana Secretary of State apostilles the foreign-language document as-is and translation is handled separately after the apostille. Our team clarifies document-specific requirements when you submit your request.
Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid
The number one mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. Louisiana residents sometimes send federal records to their state Secretary of State. In both cases, the documents come back with a rejection notice. This adds 2 to 4 weeks — the time lost in transit to and from the wrong authority — before you are even back to square one.
Sending original documents through standard postal mail without insurance is a significant risk. Uninsured postal shipments can be lost, delayed, or damaged. Original government-issued documents are sometimes time-consuming and costly to replace. We use FedEx with full insurance and tracking for maximum protection from the moment we receive your document to its return to Louisiana.
Sending a scanned printout instead of the original document is a common rejection reason. The Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge will only apostille documents with an authentic original seal and signature. Sending a photocopy will be returned immediately. Obtain an original certified copy from the issuing agency before starting the apostille process.
Get Your Diploma Apostilled in Louisiana
Our courier network covers the Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge, 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 Louisiana
Does my Diploma need to be notarized before apostilling in Louisiana?
Yes. Most Secretary of State offices — including the Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge — 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 Louisiana Secretary of State, and return of the completed apostille.
Which state handles the apostille if I now live in Louisiana 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 Louisiana institution, the Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge 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 Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge will accept. We can advise on institution-specific requirements when you place your order.
Will my apostilled Diploma from Louisiana 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 Louisiana Secretary of State in Baton Rouge 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.