Diploma Apostille in South Carolina
The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia is the official apostille authority for Diplomas. State fees are $2 per document. Our courier service handles submissions from cities across South Carolina.
South Carolina Apostille Requirements
- Authority: South Carolina Secretary of State
- Office Location: Columbia
- State Fee: $2
- Important Rule: Very low fee.
Select your city to view local apostille processing options and courier times.
What Is a Diploma Apostille?
The Hague Apostille Convention eliminated a previously complex chain of certifications that was standard before the Hague system. Under the old system, getting an American document accepted overseas required multiple rounds of authentication at different government levels followed by embassy stamps. The Convention simplified this into a single certificate from the appropriate government office. For Diplomas issued in South Carolina, that authority is the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia.
Diplomas are among the most frequently apostilled documents in the United States. The reason Diplomas are routinely required for visa applications, residency permits, citizenship documentation, employment verification, and foreign legal proceedings. For residents of South Carolina, only the South Carolina Secretary of State can issue this certification in SC.
An apostille is a form of government certification established by the Hague Convention of 1961. Unlike a local notary stamp, an apostille is recognized internationally — meaning your Diploma is valid for submission to overseas institutions without further legalization. For residents of South Carolina, obtaining this certification goes through the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia.
South Carolina: State vs Federal Authority
For state-issued Diplomas, the apostille must come from the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia. In most cases, the document needs to be in certified form with an authentic seal. The South Carolina Secretary of State reviews the document's seals and signatures and issues the Hague certificate usually within 1 to 4 weeks.
The most common apostille mistake is sending your Diploma to the incorrect government authority. If you send a state Diploma to Washington D.C., it will be rejected and returned. In reverse, mailing a federal document to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia results in the same rejection. Either way, the round-trip postal time sets your application back by weeks.
For urgent submissions, same-day processing is available in many cases. The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia offer walk-in or expedited processing. 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.
Why Local Offices Cannot Help
First-time applicants in South Carolina initially assume they can handle this through any notary in SC. This assumption is wrong. A local notary can only witness signatures and verify identity. They are not permitted to attach an apostille certificate — only the South Carolina Secretary of State can do this.
Something else to consider is that the receiving country will verify that the apostille came from the correct authority. 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 you have all other documents in order.
Beyond notaries, local government offices in South Carolina are equally unable to apostille documents. Even visiting the South Carolina city hall, county courthouse, or register of deeds would not produce an apostille. The only office in SC authorized to issue apostilles for state documents is the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia.
The South Carolina Apostille Authority
There is sometimes a step before apostille submission: some documents require prior notarization. Diplomas, powers of attorney, and affidavits often must be notarized before the South Carolina Secretary of State will apostille them. Our team advises you on any pre-apostille requirements before starting the submission so you are not surprised by a rejection.
When apostilling a Diploma from South Carolina, the official Hague authority is the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia. Only the South Carolina Secretary of State is authorized to grant Hague Apostille certificates on South Carolina-issued public documents. The South Carolina Secretary of State is authorized to verify the seals and signatures of all South Carolina public officials and is consequently the only entity capable of certifying their authenticity.
Once your document arrives at the South Carolina Secretary of State, a state official verifies the seals and signatures and checks that signatures are from known, authorized officials. Once verified, the apostille is attached as a separate certificate appended to your document. The apostilled document is then held for courier pickup. Our runner picks it up within 24 hours.
How to Get Your Diploma Apostilled in South Carolina
Some document types must be notarized before they can be apostilled. If your Diploma is a private document — such as an affidavit, power of attorney, or diploma, it will typically need to be notarized by a licensed notary prior to the South Carolina Secretary of State will accept it. Our service handles this coordination so there are no surprises at the South Carolina Secretary of State.
After we receive your Diploma, our team reviews it for any issues that could cause rejection. This pre-flight review identifies issues like missing seals, uncertified copies, outdated notarizations, or incorrect fees. Finding problems upfront prevents the most common cause of apostille delays — rejection from the South Carolina Secretary of State that restarts the whole process.
Getting an apostille on your Diploma involves a defined process. Step one: confirm that your document is the original or a certified copy. Step two: verify the document carries an authentic official seal. Third: send it to the correct authority along with the applicable state fee. Step four: collect the completed apostille — ready for any Hague member country.
How Long Does a Diploma Apostille Take in South Carolina?
If you need your Diploma apostilled urgently, the quickest option is a runner that hand-delivers to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia. Many South Carolina Secretary of State offices can complete apostilles same-day for in-person deliveries. Our courier uses this option wherever available to return apostilled documents to South Carolina 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 can take 6 to 11 weeks because of the national volume of federal authentication requests. A DC-based courier can complete the federal apostille in 2 to 5 business days by walking documents in directly.
Knowing where your Diploma is is a key advantage of using our courier service. We provide real-time tracking at each step: initial pickup, receipt by our team, submission to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia, completion confirmation, and outbound FedEx tracking back to South Carolina. This level of visibility is not possible with direct mail.
What to Include With Your Submission
Before sending your document to the South Carolina Secretary of State, make sure you include: the original document or a certified copy, any required notarization, the South Carolina Secretary of State's request form if applicable, payment for the state fee of $2, and a prepaid return envelope or shipping label. Missing any of these will result in your documents being returned unprocessed.
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 South Carolina Secretary of State handles many submissions daily and a simple cover sheet reduces processing errors.
Payment for the state fee must accompany your submission. Accepted payment methods vary by state but typically include money order, certified check, or online payment. We pays the South Carolina Secretary of State fee as part of the service so you never worry about wrong payment forms.
Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid
Forgetting to include return shipping is an easily preventable error that delays apostille returns. The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia will not return your document without a prepaid return method. Without a return label, your completed apostille could wait weeks to reach you. 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. South Carolina residents sometimes send state documents like Diplomas to the US Department of State in DC. In both cases, the office will reject the submission and return the document unprocessed. This mistake costs weeks — the round-trip postal time to the wrong office — before you are even back to square one.
Mailing irreplaceable originals through the US Postal Service without a tracking number is something we strongly advise against. Uninsured postal shipments can be lost, delayed, or damaged. Vital records and FBI Background Checks are sometimes time-consuming and costly to replace. We ship all documents via FedEx for maximum protection from the moment we receive your document to its return to South Carolina.
Get Your Diploma Apostilled in South Carolina
Our courier network covers the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia, 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 South Carolina
Does my Diploma need to be notarized before apostilling in South Carolina?
Yes. Most Secretary of State offices — including the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia — 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 South Carolina Secretary of State, and return of the completed apostille.
Which state handles the apostille if I now live in South Carolina 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 South Carolina institution, the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia 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 South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia will accept. We can advise on institution-specific requirements when you place your order.
Will my apostilled Diploma from South Carolina 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 South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia 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.