How to Apostille a California Degree From Abroad
To apostille a California degree from abroad, a school official signs a statement in front of a California notary, and the California Secretary of State apostilles the notary’s signature. You do not fly back. We run the chain from Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and ship the finished set to your address overseas.
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Who apostilles a California degree for a graduate living abroad?
The California Secretary of State apostilles the degree, working from a notary. The registrar signs a statement in front of a California notary. Sacramento then attaches the apostille to that notarized page. The state fee is $20 per apostille. Counters in Sacramento and Los Angeles work same day. Mail goes to Sacramento only. Photocopies, scans and PDFs are not accepted.
- Who apostilles: California Secretary of State, Notary Public Section
- State fee: $20 per apostille
- Counter extra: $6 special handling per different official signature, for in-person requests
- Counters: Sacramento and Los Angeles, same day
- Not accepted: Photocopies, scans or PDFs
Who apostilles a California diploma, and in what order
The California Secretary of State is the only office that apostilles a California school record. It does not keep your registrar’s signature on file for this purpose, so it works from a notary. The registrar signs a statement in front of a California notary. The notary seals it. Sacramento attaches the apostille to that notarized page.
From abroad you do three things. Ask the registrar for a notarized transcript or diploma statement and give a U.S. address that can receive it. Send that package to the state with its $20 fee. Then ship the finished set to your overseas address. For clients who cannot be in California, we take over the middle step.
Registrar signs, notary witnesses, Sacramento apostilles. Ship the diploma last, not first.
Five hands between your campus and a university abroad
A foreign reader of your apostille sees one statement: the Secretary of State of California certifies the signature of a notary public. The state does not vouch for your degree. The notary vouches that a school official signed in person. The school official vouches for the record.
- School registrarsigns a statement
- CA notarysees the signer in person
- Secretary of StateSacramento or Los Angeles
- Apostilleattached to the notary page
- Courier abroadtracked, signed for
- You and your officeuniversity or ministry
Originals only
The state’s apostille page says the document must be signed by a California public official or be an original notarized or certified document, and a photocopy is not acceptable. Pomona College and Cal Poly Pomona agree.
The signer must be in the room
The Secretary of State’s notary handbook says a video image is not a personal appearance under current California law. A school official cannot sign over a video call.
Notaries do not certify diploma copies
The same handbook lets a California notary certify copies of powers of attorney. Diplomas are not on that list. So the school issues its own original page, and the notary witnesses the official’s signature on it.
Why a Boston counter cannot help. Massachusetts apostilles Massachusetts records only. A California school record has to go through Sacramento, even when the graduate now lives near Boston. Our out of state guide explains how we route those files.
What the Secretary of State in Sacramento says
The California Secretary of State’s apostille request page lists $20 per apostille. By mail, that is a check or money order payable to the Secretary of State. The page lists a separate $6 special handling fee for each different public official’s signature, and it shows that fee for in-person requests only.
Mail goes to Sacramento only. Put the Notary Public Section on the envelope. USPS mail uses P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, CA 94277-0001. FedEx, UPS and DHL use 1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. The counter in Sacramento is at 1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor, and takes cash, cards, checks and money orders.
The Los Angeles counter is at 300 South Spring Street, Room 12513. Its office page says walk-ins only, no appointments, no mail, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except state holidays, and no cash. The page also says the office is temporarily on the first floor in suite 1215 because of an elevator outage. Check that before anyone visits.
Mail is handled in the order received, and the office says it cannot pull a file for expedited service. A cover sheet naming the country of use is required, and the office returns the apostille by regular USPS mail unless you supply prepaid postage for tracked return. The processing times page, updated October 23, 2026, says Sacramento is working on mail received October 14, 2026. The same page says counter requests are usually done in about 30 minutes, and to arrive by 4:30 p.m.
Two things the state page does not address. It does not say how someone abroad should pay, and it does not describe electronic apostilles. Ask the office on (916) 653-6814 for Sacramento or (213) 897-5310 for Los Angeles. The counter is the fast door, and it needs a person in California to walk the file in.
Two counters, one mail desk
- Sacramento counter and mail desk, 1500 11th Street.
- Los Angeles counter, 300 South Spring Street.
- Mail from abroad: ask the office, the page does not cover it.
What eight California schools say on their own pages
We read each page below in October 2026. School fees and steps change, so confirm before you pay.
| Institution | What the page says | How a student abroad requests it | Confirmed from |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley. | The registrar notarizes official transcripts, verification documents and diplomas or diploma photocopies for $15 per document. It arranges notarization twice a month, typically the first and third weeks. Apostilles come only from the Secretary of State. | Through CalCentral if you still have access. Otherwise a verification form by email, mail or at 120 Sproul Hall. | Berkeley notary services page. |
| UCLA. | The registrar notarizes only documents it issues, such as diplomas, official transcripts and proofs of enrollment. Online requests take up to one week, not counting delivery. A special handling fee applies and the amount is not on that page. | Online request with sign-in, or by mail to Attn: Notary Request, Box 951429, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1429. | UCLA notary services page. |
| Caltech. | The registrar prepares a cover letter naming the documents and the destination country and has them notarized. The state fee is a $20 check or money order. No turnaround is stated. | Mail the transcript request form, a copy of the diploma and payment to the registrar in Pasadena. Only mail is listed. | Caltech apostille page. |
| Cal Poly Pomona. | The registrar notarizes transcripts and letters. Diplomas go through a vendor at $25 each. Only originals qualify, electronic notarized transcripts are not an option, and the page says third-party services cannot be accommodated. Allow up to 15 business days after the documents are issued. | Transcripts through the National Student Clearinghouse with the notarization form attached. Diplomas through the vendor site. | Cal Poly Pomona notarization page. |
| San Diego State. | No in-house notary or apostille service. You book a mobile notary who meets you at the registrar. Notary help pauses in the first two and last two weeks of each semester. Parchment transcripts, paper or PDF, cannot be notarized. | Email the registrar before you order. Undergraduate diplomas go through the contact form, graduate diplomas through the graduate division. | SDSU notarization page. |
| Pomona College. | The registrar provides a notarized letter at $15 per document, paid before notarization, usually within five business days. It does not complete apostilles. A replacement diploma takes 4 to 6 weeks. | Email the registrar, order a paper transcript for pickup, and name any recipient with a prepaid return label. | Pomona apostille page. |
| Saint Mary’s College. | The registrar prints new transcripts and a duplicate diploma, has them notarized, and sends them to Sacramento with your cover letter. The page lists a state check larger than the $20 the state itself lists, so confirm it. No timing is given. | Mail a request packet with a stamped self-addressed envelope to the registrar in Moraga. That works poorly from abroad. | Saint Mary’s apostille page. |
| Whittier College. | The registrar provides neither notarization nor apostilles. You order a diploma reorder and a mailed transcript, find your own notary, then mail the set to the state. | Diploma reorder form, plus a transcript order marked for mail delivery. | Whittier transcripts page. |
Stanford, USC and the community colleges. We found no official Stanford or USC page that describes a notarization route. Stanford’s student services pages describe certified electronic diplomas for 2015 graduates and later, and say a printed copy cannot be validated. We found no community college page on apostilles at all. Ask the registrar or Admissions and Records which route they use before you order anything.
Does a public registrar skip the notary?
Some commercial sites say public California schools can send a registrar-signed page straight to the state. We have not seen the Secretary of State say that, and every registrar page above uses a notary. Plan on the notary and treat any shortcut as a bonus.
The Berkeley graduate with a PDF diploma
A 2022 graduate in Berlin is told to apostille her diploma. Berkeley’s registrar says an apostille is likely not necessary for the certified electronic diploma. She asks the receiving office first. If the office insists on paper, she uses the notary route and plans around the twice-monthly notary dates.
Which documents an apostille applies to, and which it does not
The apostille attaches to a signature. The question is always whose signature and whether it is on an original page.
Yes, through a school original
Most registrars will not notarize the framed original. They issue a duplicate or notarize a statement about it. Pomona says a replacement takes 4 to 6 weeks, so order it first. Our diploma apostille page covers the general rules.
Yes, if it is a paper original
Order a fresh official transcript on paper with the notarization attached. Sealed envelopes cannot be notarized unopened, so ask the registrar how to keep the seal meaningful. Electronic transcripts cannot be apostilled.
Yes, as a notarized letter
Degree and enrollment verification letters are the simplest item. The registrar signs, the notary seals, and Sacramento apostilles.
Not as federal forms
The I-20 is a federal immigration form issued by your school’s designated official, and the DS-2019 comes from an exchange program sponsor. Sacramento does not apostille those forms. If a foreign office wants proof of your study, ask for a notarized school letter instead.
Only as a school statement
Credential evaluators sometimes ask for course descriptions. A department or registrar official can sign a statement in front of a notary. Some schools decline, so ask early.
A different office entirely
An FBI report is a federal document and goes to the U.S. Department of State, not to Sacramento. See our FBI background apostille page and keep it out of this order.
A realistic timeline, step by step
- 1
Ask the receiving office what it wants
Apostille or certified electronic credential? Paper original or notarized copy? Translation? Get the answer in writing. A wrong guess costs weeks.
- 2
Order from the registrar
Request the notarized transcript or letter. Give a U.S. mailing address that will be staffed, such as our Tewksbury office. Schools like Pomona and UCLA mail to a recipient you name.
- 3
Wait out the school step
Pomona says about five business days. Cal Poly Pomona says up to 15 business days. Berkeley notarizes twice a month. Duplicate diplomas add weeks.
- 4
File in Sacramento or Los Angeles
At the counter, apostilles are usually same day. By mail, add the weeks on the state’s processing page plus postage both ways.
- 5
Ship the finished set abroad
Use DHL, FedEx or UPS with a signature on delivery. Ask the carrier for a quote to your postcode. Customs holds and remote addresses add days. Share the tracking number with us in ApostilleDesk.
California runs on Pacific time. A 9 a.m. call to a registrar lands at roughly 1 a.m. in Seoul and 6 p.m. in Berlin, give or take daylight saving. Email first, then call in your evening.
What goes in the box: the apostilled originals, flat, with every staple left in place. Do not remove the apostille page. Add a printed contents list and the receiving office’s name and address. Put the diploma in last, after the transcripts and letters are done.
The UCLA graduate in Seoul
A graduate in Seoul has a graduate school deadline. She files UCLA’s online request, which the registrar says takes up to a week before delivery. The notarized set goes to Tewksbury. We file it in Sacramento and send it to Seoul. She keeps the registrar chat to her evening hours.
Six ways California files get delayed or returned
An electronic transcript
Cal Poly Pomona says electronic notarized transcripts are not an option, and San Diego State will not notarize Parchment transcripts in paper or PDF form. Order a paper original.
A photocopy or scan
The state page says a photocopy is not acceptable. A scan emailed to a notary is still a copy. Pomona College and Cal Poly Pomona restrict notarization to originals.
A remote notary
California law requires the signer to appear in person. A video notarization or an out-of-state notary produces a page Sacramento cannot use.
Payment from the wrong side of the ocean
The mail desk takes a check or money order, and Los Angeles takes no cash. Someone abroad cannot easily write one. This is why we pay the state fee for clients. See our common mistakes guide for others.
No cover sheet or no return label
The state requires a cover sheet naming the country. Without prepaid postage, the apostille comes back by regular USPS mail. Overseas, that is slow and untracked.
The wrong time of semester
San Diego State pauses notary help during the first two and last two weeks of each semester. Berkeley notarizes twice a month. Request in the middle of a term, not at graduation season.
Three typical situations, three regions
Europe: a graduate in Berlin
A recognition office or university asks for an apostilled diploma and transcript. The Hague status table lists Germany as a party since 1966, so an apostille is enough. A German translation is often requested. Ask which translators the office accepts before you pay for one.
Asia: a graduate in Shanghai or Seoul
The status table lists South Korea from 2007 and China from November 7, 2023. For China, the apostille now replaces the older consular route for most documents, but ask the employer or permit agent to confirm. Vietnam joined on September 11, 2026, and our Vietnam guide covers the change.
Latin America: a graduate in São Paulo
Brazil has been a party since 2016, and a ministry or university revalidating a foreign degree typically wants a translation by a sworn translator registered in Brazil. Our Brazil guide in Portuguese has the details.
About translation
We can provide ATA certified translations that get notarized. We are not a sworn translator and we do not arrange sworn translations. If your destination demands one, you hire a sworn translator there, and we ship the apostilled set to them. See certified translation and apostille.
Countries outside the Convention
If the destination is not on the status table, you need legalization instead. Read apostille versus legalization and check the country list.
If you also need a birth or marriage certificate
Many students bring a birth certificate or marriage certificate to the same foreign file. California vital records come from county offices or the state health department, and the state office has its own rules about which copies it accepts. Ask the issuing office whether you need a certified copy and whether a county step comes first. We confirm that during the free review.
Our pages on birth certificate apostilles and marriage certificate apostilles explain the general chain. Put them on the same order as the degree, so the whole set reaches you in one shipment.
What we do for you from Tewksbury
- Review your documents for free and tell you what the destination needs.
- Obtain the registrar’s certified or notarized set where the school allows it.
- Deal with the state office in Sacramento or Los Angeles.
- Ship the finished set abroad and track it in ApostilleDesk.
- Answer the phone in English and Spanish. Hablamos Español.
Our published prices on the pricing page cover Massachusetts documents. For a California degree we confirm Sacramento’s fee and turnaround during the free review and send one flat-rate quote before you pay. Ask us about a volume discount if you have several documents.
Know the pieces. The state charges $20 per apostille, plus $6 special handling per different official signature if a file goes in at a counter. Schools set their own fees, such as $15 per document at Berkeley and Pomona. We are a private service, not a government agency, and we are not affiliated with any state office or school.
One honest limit. A few schools, such as Cal Poly Pomona, say they cannot work with third parties. In that case you place the school order yourself, we guide you through the form, and we take over once the notarized set exists.
Get your quoteFrequently asked questions
Who issues the apostille for a California diploma?
The California Secretary of State, through its Notary Public Section in Sacramento. It apostilles the signature of a California notary or public official. It does not apostille the diploma itself, and the federal U.S. Department of State is not involved for a school record.
Does the state apostille my registrar’s signature directly?
The state’s page asks for a document signed by a California public official or an original notarized or certified document. Every registrar page we read uses a notary. Some sites claim a shortcut for public schools. Ask your registrar and plan on the notary.
How much does the state charge?
The state page lists $20 per apostille. It also lists a $6 special handling fee for each different public official’s signature on in-person requests. Schools charge their own fees on top, and ours is quoted after the free review.
How long does a California apostille take?
The state’s October 23, 2026 page said mail received October 14 was being processed, and counter requests usually take about 30 minutes. The school step comes first and ranges from days to several weeks depending on the registrar. Confirm both before you plan around a deadline.
Is a certified electronic diploma enough abroad?
Sometimes. Berkeley’s registrar says an apostille is likely not necessary for its certified electronic diploma, but the receiving office decides. PDFs and electronic transcripts cannot be apostilled, so ask for the requirement in writing before you spend money.
Do I have to be in California?
No. The school official must appear before the notary, but you do not. You order from the registrar, name a U.S. address for delivery, and we handle the filing. Some registrars, like Pomona, mail to any recipient you name.
Will you ship my original documents abroad?
Yes. After the apostille is attached we send the set by tracked courier with a signature on delivery. Customs and remote addresses can add days, so ask us for a current estimate.
I live near Boston. Can Massachusetts apostille my California degree?
No. Massachusetts apostilles only Massachusetts records, and a California school record goes through the California Secretary of State. We handle that routing from our Tewksbury office, so you do not need to travel to Sacramento.
Related guides
From a California registrar to a desk abroad
Tell us the school, the country and your deadline. We review your documents for free, confirm the California route and send one quote before you pay.
