Diploma Apostille in Maryland
Getting your Diploma apostilled in Maryland requires submitting through the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis. The Maryland Secretary of State charges $5 per document. Select your city below.
Maryland Apostille Requirements
- Authority: Maryland Secretary of State
- Office Location: Annapolis
- State Fee: $5
- Important Rule: County clerk certification needed for notarized docs.
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 Maryland, that authority is the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis.
Diplomas are among the most frequently apostilled documents in the United States. This is because Diplomas are routinely required for visa applications, residency permits, citizenship documentation, employment verification, and foreign legal proceedings. If you are in Maryland, the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis is the correct office for Diploma apostilles.
An apostille is a type of Hague certification formalized by the Hague Convention of 1961. Unlike a local notary stamp, an apostille is recognized internationally — meaning your Diploma will be accepted by foreign embassies, government offices, and employers. For residents of Maryland, obtaining this certification requires working with the Maryland Secretary of State.
Maryland: State vs Federal Authority
For Maryland-issued records, the apostille can only be issued by the Maryland Secretary of State's office. In most cases, the document must carry an original official seal or notarization. The Maryland Secretary of State verifies the document's origin and seal and attaches the apostille typically in 1 to 3 weeks.
The most common apostille mistake is sending documents to the incorrect government authority. If you send a state Diploma to Washington D.C., the federal office will refuse to process it. In reverse, mailing a federal document to a state Secretary of State office will also come back unprocessed. In both cases, the wasted transit time adds 2 to 4 weeks to your timeline.
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 uses these expedited tracks by physically appearing at the office, bypassing the mail queue entirely.
Why Local Offices Cannot Help
People across Maryland initially assume they can handle this through any notary in MD. This assumption is wrong. A notary public can only witness signatures and verify identity. They cannot issue an apostille certificate — that authority belongs exclusively to.
Something else to consider is that foreign authorities will verify that the apostille came from the correct authority. If your Diploma is apostilled by the wrong authority, the receiving country will refuse the document. This may result in an outright rejection from the foreign authority even if you have all other documents in order.
Beyond notaries, county clerks, municipal offices, and city government offices are equally unable to apostille documents. Even a trip to any local Maryland government office would not produce a Hague certificate. The sole authority in Maryland authorized to issue apostilles for state documents is the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis.
The Maryland Apostille Authority
Before your document can be submitted to the Maryland Secretary of State: it may need to be notarized or certified first. Educational records and private documents typically require notarization as a first step. Our team identifies whether any notarization is needed before submitting to the Maryland Secretary of State so there are no delays from missing prerequisites.
When apostilling a Diploma from Maryland, the designated apostille authority is the Maryland Secretary of State. The Maryland Secretary of State is the sole office in MD to grant Hague Apostille certificates on records from Maryland government agencies. The Maryland Secretary of State maintains the official registry of state seals and is therefore the only entity capable of certifying their authenticity.
When the Maryland Secretary of State receives your Diploma, an authorized state officer 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 returned by mail. Our runner retrieves it and ships it back to Maryland.
How to Get Your Diploma Apostilled in Maryland
Depending on your document type 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 prior to the Maryland 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 compliance with the Maryland Secretary of State's submission requirements. This pre-flight review identifies issues like improper certification, wrong document versions, or missing state fees. Finding problems upfront saves days or weeks — rejection from the Maryland Secretary of State that restarts the whole process.
Getting a Diploma apostilled requires a defined process. Step one: confirm that your document is the original or a certified copy. Second: check that it has an official seal and signature from the issuing authority. Step three: send it to the correct authority with the required state fee of $5. Step four: collect the completed apostille — ready for any Hague member country.
How Long Does a Diploma Apostille Take in Maryland?
If you need your Diploma apostilled urgently, the fastest path is a runner that hand-delivers to the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis. The Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis offer same-day service for walk-in submissions. Our courier capitalizes on this to get Maryland clients their apostilles in 2 to 5 business days.
The US Department of State has its own processing timeline for FBI Background Checks and other federal records. Regular postal submissions to DC for federal apostilles often takes 8 to 12 weeks due to the national volume of federal authentication requests. A DC-based courier gets the federal authentication done in 2 to 4 business days by walking documents in directly.
Tracking your apostille is a key advantage of using our courier service. Our service includes real-time tracking at each step: pickup from your Maryland address, receipt by our team, delivery to the government office, completion confirmation, and outbound FedEx tracking back to Maryland. This end-to-end tracking is unavailable with standard postal submission.
What to Include With Your Submission
When submitting your Diploma for apostille, confirm you are sending: your original Diploma or an official certified copy, any required notarization, the Maryland Secretary of State's request form if applicable, correct fee payment for the state apostille, and a prepaid FedEx or USPS return. Missing any of these will delay your apostille.
A common question is whether a cover letter is needed with their apostille submission. For direct submissions to the Maryland Secretary of State, including a short cover page is advisable with your contact information and document details. The Maryland Secretary of State processes high volumes of requests and a simple cover sheet reduces processing errors.
The Maryland Secretary of State's fee of $5 must accompany your submission. Forms of payment differ at each Maryland Secretary of State but generally include personal check, money order, or credit card for online portals. We handles the fee payment so the submission is never rejected for payment reasons.
Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid
Failing to provide a prepaid return label is a simple but common mistake. The Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis will not return your document without a prepaid return method. Without a prepaid return envelope, your completed apostille could wait weeks to reach you. Our service includes return shipping — 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 Maryland sometimes mail state documents like Diplomas to the US Department of State in DC. 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 the US Postal Service without a tracking number is something we strongly advise against. Documents sent by uninsured mail are vulnerable to loss with no recourse. Original government-issued documents 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 Maryland.
Get Your Diploma Apostilled in Maryland
Our courier network covers the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis, 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 Maryland
Does my Diploma need to be notarized before apostilling in Maryland?
Yes. Most Secretary of State offices — including the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis — 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 Maryland Secretary of State, and return of the completed apostille.
Which state handles the apostille if I now live in Maryland 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 Maryland institution, the Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis 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 Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis will accept. We can advise on institution-specific requirements when you place your order.
Will my apostilled Diploma from Maryland 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 Maryland Secretary of State in Annapolis 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.