How to Apostille an Illinois Degree from Abroad
You studied in Illinois, you are back in Seoul, São Paulo or Berlin, and a foreign office wants your degree apostilled. To apostille an Illinois degree from abroad, the registrar certifies the record in front of an Illinois notary. Then the Illinois Secretary of State’s Index Department apostilles the notary for $2 per document. A courier carries the set to you. The awkward parts are the state’s check-only payment and the return label, and we handle both from our Boston-area office.
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Who apostilles an Illinois degree for a graduate living abroad?
The Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department, apostilles the notary, not the registrar. The school records official certifies the record in front of an Illinois notary. The fee is $2 per apostille, paid by one check or money order for the total. Mail takes 7 to 14 business days. Counter requests in Chicago or Springfield are usually processed while you wait.
- Who apostilles: Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department
- State fee: $2 per apostille
- Mail processing: 7 to 14 business days, the state's own figure
- In person: Chicago, or Springfield at 2701 S. Dirksen Parkway
- Mail address: 160 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 100, Chicago, IL 60601
Illinois does not apostille a diploma directly
The Index Department of the Illinois Secretary of State apostilles signatures it recognizes. A registrar’s signature is not one of them. For transcripts and diplomas, the state’s instructions say the school records official certifies and signs the record in front of a notary public, and the notary notarizes that statement. The state then apostilles the notary.
Three things set Illinois apart from the Massachusetts chain we run every day. The notary has to be an Illinois notary. The state wants a check or money order for its fee, not a card. And it will return your papers by prepaid courier label if you supply one, which is how a graduate overseas gets them back without a trip home.
Registrar, Illinois notary, Index Department, courier. Four hands, in that order.
Read the chain backwards, the way a foreign clerk does
- School registrarcertifies the record
- Illinois notarynotarizes the signature
- Index DepartmentChicago or Springfield
- Apostille$2 per document
- Courier abroadprepaid label to you
Mail takes 7 to 14 business days. At the counter it is usually done while you wait.
The apostille vouches for the notary’s signature and seal. The notary vouches that the registrar signed. The registrar vouches that the record is true. A foreign clerk reads those links from the top down, so every one has to be complete or the ones above it mean nothing.
Notice what is missing: a county clerk. Some commercial sites say an Illinois notary needs a county clerk authentication first. The state’s three steps for a transcript or diploma do not include one. The University of Illinois registrar does say it uses the Champaign County Clerk when needed, so a school can add a step of its own. Ask your registrar if it does.
Ship the diploma last, not first
Do not put a framed original in a courier box. Several Illinois registrars make a duplicate or certified copy for exactly this purpose, including Loyola, DePaul and Illinois State. Many foreign offices accept the copy, but ask yours before you order.
The Index Department: Chicago, Springfield and the mail
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Apostilles and Certifications page is the source for everything here. I read it as captured in February 2026, because the live page refused my automated requests. Confirm the details with the office before you mail anything.
By mail, you send the Application for Authentication, the original documents, one check or money order for the total at $2 per apostille, and a self-addressed stamped return envelope. The mail address on that page is Illinois Secretary of State, Index Department, 160 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 100, Chicago, IL 60601. The state quotes 7 to 14 business days for mail requests.
In person, you go to the Chicago office at the same address or to the Springfield office at 2701 S. Dirksen Parkway. The page lists 312-814-8218 for Chicago and 217-782-7017 for Springfield. It says counter requests are processed while you wait, first come first served. It also notes that the Chicago-area offices handle foreign-use authentications only.
Several rules matter to a graduate overseas:
- Each document gets its own apostille and its own $2.
- If you add a prepaid, preprinted international shipping label, the office hands the package to FedEx or UPS. Without a label it goes back by first-class mail.
- Never remove an apostille once attached. Doing so invalidates it.
- The office does not translate. A translation must be done and notarized before you apply.
- Federal documents and other states’ records are not its business. Only Illinois public officials’ signatures qualify.
The page describes paper requests by mail or in person. It does not describe an electronic apostille for school records, so plan on paper. Countries outside the Hague Convention get a Certificate of Authority from the same office at the same fee, a point we return to below. Our apostille versus legalization guide covers what follows that certificate.
The state also publishes the Application for Authentication (form I-213). Loyola asks for a separate form for each country. Name the destination on every form.
Old street numbers are still in circulation
School handouts from 2024 still show 17 N. State Street in Chicago, with suite numbers that differ between schools. The state page now lists 160 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 100, and the office has used other addresses in the past. Check the current address on the state page before you mail a check.
What eight Illinois schools say on their own pages
Illinois registrars split into two camps. Some do the whole job and ship the finished set. Others notarize and hand the state step back to you. Fees and times are theirs, quoted from the pages linked in the last column.
| School | What the school says | How a student abroad requests it | Confirmed from |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | $30 for a certification or $150 for an apostille, for up to five documents, plus transcript costs if you have no Lifetime Transcript Fee. State step can run two to four weeks after the first email. Choose certification if you will file with the state yourself. | Order through Parchment. Upload the state application, and a clear photocopy of any diploma. | UChicago registrar apostille page |
| Northwestern | Notary $2 per transcript. Notary plus forwarding to the state is $50 by FedEx. You send the state application, a $2 check per document and a prepaid, addressed return envelope. Held 30 days. State time about 4 to 6 weeks. | Order through Parchment, then get the materials to Evanston. International FedEx on a diploma adds a surcharge. | Transcript page and diploma page |
| Loyola Chicago | Two-part process. A duplicate original diploma is $50 for the first and $25 for each extra. A separate check covers the state’s $2 per document. About six weeks. A card does not cover the state fee. Unpaid balances stop the order. | Mail or scan the request form. Ship to a third party if you wish. Transcripts need a handwritten signature, not a typed one. | Instructions form dated August 2024 |
| DePaul | One bundle at $135: duplicate diploma and official transcript, notarized, filed with the state and sent by FedEx to your chosen recipient, with a confirmation email. | Order online. The page I read was an archived capture from January 2026, so confirm the fee. | DePaul apostille page |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Registrar verifies and notarizes a duplicate diploma and official transcript, uses the Champaign County Clerk if needed, then files with the state. Mailed to the state in 3 to 5 business days. State needs 4 to 6 weeks. FedEx to the recipient. Fees not on the page. | Contact the Transcript Unit and name the recipient address abroad. | UIUC registrar apostille page |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Diploma and transcript bundle at $130. Degree letter at $25. Course descriptions at $35. Current-term enrollment at $15. To the state in 3 to 7 business days, then 4 to 6 weeks. UPS to the recipient. | Order through the Parchment link on the page and list a delivery address. | UIC registrar apostille page |
| Illinois State University | Notarized copies cost nothing. The registrar always notarizes two diploma copies. It forwards them with your state application, a $2 check per document and a pre-addressed, postage-paid return envelope. | Note the request on the diploma form. The page gives no international shipping guidance, so ask. | Illinois State diploma page |
| North Central College | Transcript $7 through Parchment, diploma reprint $30. Notarization included, up to three weeks. FedEx sends the notarized set to you with the state form. You then file by mail. | Email the registrar. From abroad the school suggests a prepaid bill receipt and shipping label for the state step. | Obtaining an Apostille, July 2024 |
The cheapest route is the one where the school also files
When the registrar sends the package to the state and mails it on, you skip the check and the label. That is why DePaul, UIC and UIUC are easy for a graduate overseas. Northwestern, Illinois State and North Central hand the state step back to you, and that is where students abroad stall. If your school is in the second group, that is the file we take over most often.
One brochure says an attorney must certify
The University of Illinois Student Legal Services has a brochure that describes an attorney certifying a copy of a personal document. That is a different route from a registrar’s certified record. The state page says a notary does the notarizing. Do not use the attorney route for school records unless the receiving office asks for it.
Which papers get an apostille and which do not
The receiving office names the document. Match it to one of these before you order anything.
Diploma
Apostilled as a registrar-certified duplicate or notarized copy. Schools differ on whether they supply the copy, so see the table. Keep the original.
Final transcript
Order a paper official transcript. North Central prints a hard copy for certification, and Northwestern notarizes the paper copy. Check that it shows your degree and conferral date.
Degree verification letter
A letter on school letterhead signed by the registrar, certified in front of a notary. UIC lists a degree letter as its own item. Ask others if they issue one.
Enrollment verification
Useful for a current student. UIC offers a current-term version. A graduate normally needs the degree letter instead, since an enrollment letter says nothing about completion.
I-20 and DS-2019
These are federal program forms issued through a school official, not Illinois public records. The Index Department does not apostille them. Ask the receiving office what it will take. A notarized copy only proves the copy.
Course descriptions and syllabi
UIC sells certified course descriptions. For a syllabus, a department must issue it and a school official must certify it. Registrars often refuse loose syllabi, so ask early.
Background-check letters are a separate track. Per the state’s FAQ, FBI checks cannot be authenticated by Illinois, and federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State. Our FBI report page explains that path. Our college diploma apostille service page covers the document types in general terms.
Step by step, with the clock and the courier
- 1
Pin down the request
Ask the foreign office for the document list, whether copies are fine, whether a translation is needed and the deadline. Get it in writing.
- 2
Pick the route
If your school files with the state and ships the result, use it. If not, decide who in the United States will handle the state step. That is where we come in.
- 3
Order paper, not PDF
Illinois asks for original documents certified by an official or notarized by an Illinois notary. A PDF nobody signed in front of a notary cannot be apostilled. Ask for a printed, certified copy.
- 4
Settle the state fee
The fee is a check or money order made out to the Illinois Secretary of State. Many graduates abroad have no U.S. checkbook, so someone in the United States, or an agent like us, sends it.
- 5
Supply the return label
Create a prepaid, preprinted FedEx or UPS label, since the state names those two carriers. Otherwise use a stamped U.S. envelope to a trusted address and forward it yourself.
- 6
Track and check
Read the apostille on arrival. The name must match your passport and the country must be right. Do not detach it.
What goes in the box
The original or certified documents, the completed state application with your destination country, the single check, and the pre-paid return label. Add a note with your phone number and email abroad. Nothing else needs to travel.
Three typical cases from graduates abroad
No client names. These are the patterns we see when an Illinois file starts from an overseas address.
The registrar is waiting on a check
A graduate needs a transcript apostilled for a Korean employer. She orders through Parchment, and the registrar holds the notarized copy for 30 days waiting for the state application, a $2 check and a return envelope. Nobody in her family has a U.S. checkbook. The fix is a U.S. agent who sends the check and a prepaid label, before the 30 days run out.
The bundle that just works
A graduate with a job offer orders the DePaul apostille bundle online. The school notarizes a duplicate diploma and transcript, files with the state and FedExes the set to him. His risk is not the process but the recipient address, which must be someone who will sign for a courier. We would add a free review of the employer’s list first.
The school only notarizes
A graduate of a small Illinois college finds the registrar will certify and notarize but will not go near the state. She has no contact in Illinois. We coordinate the registrar’s certified copy, deal with the Index Department and ship the finished set. The destination is in the Hague Convention, so an apostille is enough.
Six ways an Illinois degree file stalls
An out-of-date address
A check sent to a suite that no longer takes it is a check lost in the mail. Verify the Index Department address on the state’s page the week you send.
A notary who is not from Illinois
The state’s page says an Illinois notary public. A notary in your home country, or one commissioned in another state, cannot notarize a registrar’s signature for an Illinois apostille.
Paying the wrong way
Cards work for the school’s own charges and not for the state’s $2. Loyola says it will not process an order until that check arrives, unless you file at the counter yourself.
A PDF or a sealed envelope
An emailed transcript has no signature a notary can witness. A sealed envelope cannot be notarized without opening it. Ask for a second printed copy so you keep one sealed.
No return label
Without prepaid postage the state returns your papers by first-class mail. That is cheap, untracked and slow to get overseas. Supply a label for tracked service.
A hold or a name mismatch
Loyola will not process for students with an unpaid balance. A name that differs from your passport invites questions later. Fix both at the school before anything is signed.
Our apostille mistakes guide lists the general errors that apply in every state.
What the office abroad usually wants
Check your country on the Hague Conference status table before you order. These are typical situations, not rules for any one ministry.
A job or study file in Germany
Germany has been a party since 1966. A credential evaluator or employer typically asks for the diploma and transcript with an apostille. Some also want German translations. Ask whether the translator must be sworn in Germany.
An employer or visa office in Seoul, Delhi or Shanghai
South Korea has been a party since 2007, India since 2005 and China since November 2023. An apostilled degree and transcript are the normal ask. A visa office may name a time window. Ask for it in writing.
A ministry in Brazil or an employer in Riyadh
Brazil has been a party since 2016 and Saudi Arabia since December 2022. Brazilian offices often want a sworn translation by a translator registered in Brazil. A Saudi employer may add its own attestation rules. Ask what it needs.
When the country is not on the table
If the country is not a party, Illinois issues a Certificate of Authority instead of an apostille. The country’s embassy usually adds its own legalization after that. Our Hague country list helps you check, and the Hague Conference apostille section is the official source.
About translations
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 translation and apostille for how the order works.
Illinois vital records take a shorter road
If you also need a birth or marriage certificate apostilled, the school chain does not apply. The state’s page says a birth certificate comes from the county clerk, a local registrar or the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Vital Records Division. A marriage license must be signed by the county clerk, local registrar or the State Registrar. Those signers are public officials the Index Department can authenticate directly.
Divorce decrees come from the circuit clerk who granted the divorce. The state says not to notarize them. They need the official’s seal, signature, printed name and title. See our guides to birth certificates, marriage certificates and divorce decrees.
Your Illinois file, handled from Tewksbury
We obtain the registrar’s certified or notarized copy where the school allows it, prepare the Illinois application, deal with the Index Department and ship the finished set to your address abroad. Every order starts with a free document review. We track the file in ApostilleDesk from the moment it opens, and we speak Spanish.
Our published prices cover Massachusetts, where state apostilles start at $149.95 per document with the state fee and return postage included. For an Illinois degree, we confirm the state’s fee and turnaround during the free review and send one flat-rate quote before you pay. For a group of documents, ask us about a volume discount.
We are a private document preparation and courier service in the Boston area, not a government agency. We are not affiliated with the Illinois Secretary of State or any school. See our pricing page and how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois apostille a diploma directly?
No. The Index Department apostilles public officials and notaries. For school records, the registrar certifies the record in front of an Illinois notary, and the state apostilles the notary’s signature. A diploma mailed to the state without that notarized step is not what the office accepts.
How much does the Illinois Secretary of State charge for an apostille?
The state’s page lists $2 for each apostille or certificate, paid by one check or money order to the Illinois Secretary of State for the total. Each document needs its own apostille. Schools and couriers charge separately, and so do we, with the amount confirmed in the free review.
Do I need an Illinois notary for my school records?
Yes. The state’s instructions say documents must be certified by a government official or notarized by an Illinois notary public. A registrar’s certification is notarized in Illinois. A notary in your home country, or in another state, will not satisfy the Index Department.
Is there a county clerk step for an Illinois degree?
The state’s three-step instructions for transcripts and diplomas do not mention one. The University of Illinois registrar says it uses the Champaign County Clerk when needed. Third-party sites disagree. Ask your registrar whether it adds the step, and ask the Index Department if you are unsure.
Will my school ship the apostilled documents overseas?
It depends on the school. DePaul and UIUC use FedEx to the recipient you name, and UIC uses UPS. Northwestern and Illinois State hand the state step back to you with your own envelope. Ask your school whether it will address the package abroad and who pays.
What if my registrar only sends a PDF transcript?
A PDF cannot be apostilled. Illinois wants originals that a registrar certified and a notary notarized. Ask the registrar to print an official copy, certify it in front of a notary and mail it. Some schools do this on request. Others require a paper order through their vendor.
How long does an Illinois degree apostille take from abroad?
The state quotes 7 to 14 business days for mail. Several schools quote 4 to 6 weeks for the state step. Add registrar processing and courier days each way, and plan on a month to two months. A counter filing in Chicago is usually faster. Confirm the figures with your school.
Which countries accept an Illinois apostille?
Any country that is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. The Illinois Secretary of State issues an apostille for those and a Certificate of Authority for non-members. Check your country on the Hague Conference status table, because the list changes as countries join. Our team can check it during the free review.
Related guides
From a Chicago registrar to a desk abroad
Tell us the school and the country. We coordinate the registrar, the Illinois notary, the Index Department and the courier, from our office in Tewksbury, near Boston.
