How to apostille a Pennsylvania degree from abroad
To apostille a Pennsylvania degree from abroad, the school registrar has the diploma or transcript notarized by a Pennsylvania notary, and then the Pennsylvania Department of State in Harrisburg attaches the apostille for $15 per document. There is no county clerk step. From overseas you order the paper records, ship them to Harrisburg with a U.S. payment, and wait about two to three weeks plus mail time. We run that chain from our Tewksbury office outside Boston.
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Who apostilles a Pennsylvania degree for a graduate living abroad?
The Pennsylvania Department of State, Apostilles & Certifications, in Harrisburg apostilles the degree. A Pennsylvania notary must notarize the diploma or transcript first, and the state then certifies the notary. The fee is $15 per document, not per page. Mailed requests typically take two to three weeks, not counting mail time. The state accepts originals only.
- Who apostilles: Pennsylvania Department of State, Apostilles & Certifications, Harrisburg
- State fee: $15 per document, not per page
- County clerk step: None for diplomas and transcripts
- Mail turnaround: About 2 to 3 weeks, plus mail time
- Return by courier: Not FedEx or DHL, UPS works with the right air bill
Pennsylvania has one government stop, and it is in Harrisburg
Pennsylvania is simple on paper. A university registrar is not a public official the state apostilles, so the record is notarized first. The Department of State then certifies the notary. That is the whole chain for a diploma, a final transcript or a degree verification letter.
The hard part is logistics for someone far away. Registrars take checks and money orders drawn on U.S. banks. The state wants an original, a cover letter and a return method it accepts. A courier you would normally pick may be refused.
A typical case: a Temple graduate in Bogotá needs the degree apostilled for a Colombian employer. Her parents still hold the original diploma in Philadelphia, but the employer wants a notarized copy, not a photocopy. She cannot fly back. She needs the right paper ordered, notarized, filed in Harrisburg and shipped to her. That is the job.
Registrar, Pennsylvania notary, Department of State. Then the courier. Ship the diploma last, not first.
Who signs what, and in which order
Read the diagram from the top left. The foreign office reads it backwards, from the apostille to the notary to the school.
- Registrarsigns the record, paper only
- PA notarynotarizes that signature
- Department of StateHarrisburg, Room 201, $15 per document
- Apostillecertifies the notary, stapled on
- Courierfinished set goes to you abroad
Why the notary is the signature that counts
The Department of State certifies public officials. On its apostille page it says diplomas, transcripts and criminal record checks must be notarized by a Pennsylvania notary public before it will issue an apostille or certification. So the apostille on your degree vouches for the notary. The notary vouches for the registrar. The registrar vouches for the record.
The notary has to be a Pennsylvania notary. A notary from another state or from your own country does not satisfy that line. It is the most common way a graduate abroad loses a month.
What the notarial certificate must say
The same page says the certificate of the notarial act must be in English. It may also appear in a second language, placed right next to the English text. Registrar notaries know this. A freelance notary may not.
The state accepts originals only. Photocopies of notarized documents cannot be certified. A copy your school notarizes counts as the original here. A photocopy of that does not.
The Pennsylvania Department of State in Harrisburg
The office is called Apostilles & Certifications and sits inside the Department of State. The Department of State’s document certification page lists the address as North Office Building, Room 201, 401 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0029. It lists the fee as $15 per document, and it says per document, not per page.
Mail is the normal route for anyone abroad. The page says mailed requests typically take two to three weeks, not counting mail time. When we read it on October 23, 2026, the office was working on mail received October 19. That figure moves daily, so treat it as a snapshot.
Walk-in service exists, first come, first served. Since November 25, 2024 the counter takes checks, money orders and credit cards, but no cash. The North Office Building’s front doors are locked after 3 p.m.
What goes in the envelope
- The original notarized documents, with the staples left alone.
- A cover letter, or the office’s Request for Legalization of Documents form, naming the destination country and your name, phone, email and full mailing address.
- A personal check, money order or cashier’s check payable to “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” for $15 per document. A foreign bank check must be in U.S. dollars and carry a routing number.
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope, or a prepaid air bill if you want a courier return.
Two more details from the same page. The Department no longer accepts FedEx or DHL for returning documents, a rule dating to October 1, 2009. For UPS returns, list yourself as both sender and recipient on the air bill. It also recommends tracking on both envelopes.
On e-apostilles: the page does not describe a digital-only apostille. It says the apostille now carries an electronic seal printed in black ink, and anyone can check a certificate number in the Department’s document search. If a foreign office wants an electronic apostille, ask Harrisburg at 717-787-5280 before you promise anything.
What eight Pennsylvania schools say on their own pages
The pattern is the same everywhere. The registrar notarizes only what it issued. It does not send anything to Harrisburg for you. After that, the details differ, and a few matter a lot for a student overseas.
| Institution | What the registrar says | How a student abroad asks | Confirmed from |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | Notarizes only documents Penn issued, for students and alumni. No same-day service. Apostille questions go to the Department of State. | Paper transcript: request form plus a $10 check or money order by mail. Degree letters: email registrar@upenn.edu. Diploma steps not confirmed. | Penn notary services page |
| Penn State | Notarizes up to three copies of a document it produced. Electronic transcripts and Ce-Diplomas cannot be notarized. Allow 1 to 2 business days. | Upload the notary form with an online transcript order, or mail it with the original diploma. Appointments at 814-863-0000. | Penn State notary page |
| Temple University | Offers a notarized diploma. The registrar does not send documents to the Department of State, so the student files them. | Order a duplicate diploma through Parchment and address it to the Temple registrar at 1801 North Broad Street. The page says to allow up to six weeks. | Temple notarized diploma page |
| Drexel University | Notary fee of $5 per document, money order by mail only. Cannot notarize a CeDiploma or a PDF transcript. Can return documents to a third-party agent. | Email transcripts@drexel.edu for transcript notarization. For a diploma, choose “Notarized Paper Diploma” in the credential portal. | Drexel transcripts page |
| Villanova University | Notarizes diplomas, transcripts and verifications. Payment by check or money order only. Lists $50 for a domestic return and $100 for an international one. | Email registrar@villanova.edu with the subject “Notary Services Request.” About a week for transcripts, up to six weeks for replacement diplomas. | Villanova apostille page |
| West Chester University | Campus notary acts once all paper records arrive. No tracking. Suggests a U.S. return address, or a prepaid label for international mail. | Order a paper transcript and replacement diploma, both sent to the registrar “ATTN: For Apostille” as a third-party address. | West Chester page |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Does not issue a Pennsylvania apostille. Offers a diploma authentication letter at $25 and says an apostille may not be necessary for its CeDiploma. | Email a legible color scan of the diploma with the form, or mail it. Ask whether the letter is notarized before you pay. | CMU diploma authentication page |
| University of Pittsburgh | Not confirmed. The current registrar site shows mailed transcripts through Parchment in 1 to 3 business days, but no notary or apostille page. | Ask the registrar at 412-624-7600 or ourpitt@pitt.edu whether it notarizes, and for which documents. | Pitt transcripts page |
Where the awkward bits are
Penn, Drexel and Villanova name checks or money orders as payment. A student in Lima or Seoul does not carry a U.S. checkbook. That is the biggest reason graduates ask us to step in. Drexel says it will return notarized documents to a third-party agent, which is how our involvement works.
Plan around the slowest item
West Chester will not start until every paper record has arrived. It says transcripts take one to two weeks and diplomas three to four. Time the whole file by the diploma, not the transcript.
Which records get an apostille and which do not
Diploma
The document most foreign offices want. If you hold the original, a registrar may notarize a copy, or you can order a duplicate or notarized paper diploma. A CeDiploma, which is a digital diploma, cannot be notarized at several schools above. Ask for paper.
Final transcript
West Chester says apostilles are typically needed for a diploma and not an official transcript, but students should check with the requester. A graduate program abroad often wants both. Order the transcript on paper. Penn State and Drexel say electronic transcripts cannot be notarized.
Degree verification letter
Penn and Villanova both list degree or enrollment verifications among the documents they will notarize. A foreign ministry sometimes prefers these short letters to a diploma. A registrar official signs them, so the same notary-then-state chain applies.
I-20 and DS-2019
These are federal immigration forms, even though your school’s international office prepared them. The Harrisburg office certifies the signatures of Pennsylvania officials, and a federal form is not one of those. A foreign office that asks for one often wants proof of study dates, which a degree verification letter or transcript can provide. Ask what it really needs.
Syllabi and course descriptions
Credential evaluators abroad sometimes want course content. These come from a department, not the registrar, so schools differ. Ask whether someone will sign a statement in front of a notary. The apostille attaches to the notary, as with any record.
Background-check letters
The Department of State page lists criminal record checks beside diplomas as items needing a Pennsylvania notary first. Federal reports go to a different office. Our FBI background check page covers that route.
Four questions for the registrar
- Do you notarize this exact document, and in what form?
- Is the notary a Pennsylvania notary on your staff?
- How do you take payment from someone abroad?
- Can you return the notarized set to my agent?
Step by step, with a realistic clock
A rough total is five to twelve weeks for a diploma that has to be reissued and under two months for a transcript alone. That is our estimate from the pages above, not a promise from any office. Start with the slowest document.
- 1
Ask what the destination wants
Check whether your country is on the HCCH Apostille Convention status table. Ask the receiving office which documents, whether copies are fine and whether it needs a translation.
- 2
Choose the paper
Decide between a notarized copy of the diploma you hold and a new paper diploma. Order a paper transcript. Never rely on a PDF.
- 3
Call or write the registrar at a sensible hour
Penn State’s office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. That is 9 or 10 in the evening in Seoul, usually 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Munich, and about the same as your clock in Bogotá. Email first. Phone for appointments.
- 4
Pay the registrar in a form it accepts
Checks and money orders drawn on U.S. banks are common. A U.S. agent saves a week of back and forth here.
- 5
Wait for notarization
Plan on 1 to 2 business days at Penn State once the documents are in hand, about a week for Villanova transcripts and up to six weeks for replacement diplomas at Villanova or Temple.
- 6
File in Harrisburg
The notarized originals go to Room 201 with a cover letter, $15 per document and the return envelope. Expect two to three weeks, plus transit each way.
- 7
Ship the finished set abroad
Pick DHL, FedEx or UPS for the final leg to your door. The rule against FedEx and DHL applies only to the return from Harrisburg, so plan that label separately.
Replacement diploma at Temple
A Temple graduate has no diploma at hand. She orders a duplicate through Parchment, addressed to the registrar, and waits up to six weeks. We then file the notarized diploma in Harrisburg and ship it. The long pole is the diploma, not the state.
An online Penn State finisher
A graduate who finished online uploads the notary form with a transcript order and mails the original diploma for notarization. The office notarizes at most three copies, so the graduate decides in advance how many sets the employer needs.
A Drexel CeDiploma
A recent Drexel graduate holds only a certified electronic diploma. Drexel says it cannot notarize one, so the graduate orders a Notarized Paper Diploma, then a notarized paper transcript by email. We collect both and file them together.
Six ways a Pennsylvania degree file stalls
1. The record was electronic
Penn State and Drexel both say they cannot notarize a PDF transcript or a CeDiploma. No notary, no apostille. Order paper first, even if the PDF arrives faster.
2. The notary was not from Pennsylvania
The state asks for a Pennsylvania notary. A notary in your own country, or one commissioned in another U.S. state, is a mismatch. Let the school’s notary do it, or use one commissioned in Pennsylvania.
3. A photocopy went to Harrisburg
The state wants originals. A photocopy of a notarized page is not one. Send what the notary signed in ink.
4. The wrong payment arrived
The state does not take cash by mail. A foreign bank check must be in U.S. dollars and carry a routing number. Fix this before posting, because a returned envelope can cost you weeks.
5. The wrong return courier
FedEx and DHL labels are refused for returns. UPS works if you are listed as both sender and recipient. A labeled return that the office will not use stalls the whole file.
6. Someone removed the staple
The office tells customers not to remove the staple from processed documents. Pulling it apart can leave the apostille looking detached from the document it certifies. Our apostille mistakes guide lists more of these.
Three typical situations in three regions
Spain
Spain is on the Hague table, in force since 1978. A graduate seeking recognition of a U.S. degree there is commonly asked for an apostilled degree and transcript, plus a sworn translation by a translator authorized in Spain. We can provide ATA certified translations that get notarized. We are not a sworn translator and do not arrange sworn translations. If Spain asks for one, you hire a sworn translator there and we ship the apostilled set to that person.
South Korea
The table shows South Korea in force since 2007. Employers and graduate schools there often accept English documents with the apostille. Ask whether a translation is wanted at all. If yes, ask who may do it before paying anyone.
Brazil
Brazil joined in 2016. Universities and ministries often want a sworn translation done in Brazil. Send the apostilled set to your translator there and let them work from it.
Saudi Arabia and countries outside the Convention
Saudi Arabia appears on the table, in force since December 2022. Some countries do not appear on the table at all, so look up your own. If yours is absent, you need legalization instead, which adds embassy steps. Our apostille versus legalization guide explains the difference, and the country list is a quick check.
If you also need a birth or marriage certificate
Pennsylvania treats these differently from a diploma. The Department of State page sends birth and death records to the Department of Health, and says a birth certificate should not be notarized. Marriage certificates must be signed by the register of wills or the clerk of the orphans court in the county. Divorce and adoption records go to the county office. See our birth certificate apostille and marriage certificate apostille pages.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health vital records page is the starting point for birth and death certificates. If you are filing a degree and a vital record together, the file moves at the pace of the slowest office, so start both the same day.
Who signs the Pennsylvania record
- School record
- Registrar, then a Pennsylvania notary
- Birth certificate
- Not notarized
- Death certificate
- State registrar
- Marriage certificate
- Register of wills or clerk of the orphans court
We coordinate the chain, so you do not mail a diploma overseas twice
You tell us the school, the documents and the destination. We review them for free, confirm Pennsylvania’s fee and timing, and send one flat-rate quote before you pay. The $15 per document is the Department of State’s own fee. The registrar’s notary charge is the school’s.
Where the school allows it, we obtain the registrar’s notarized copy. We handle Harrisburg, check the finished set and ship it abroad. You follow the case online in ApostilleDesk. Hablamos Español, and you can call (978) 424-4629 any weekday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. We are a private document service, not a government agency, and we are not affiliated with the Pennsylvania Department of State or any school.
Our published prices cover Massachusetts state apostilles: Economy $149.95, Express $199.95 and Rush $385.95, with the state fee and return postage included. Those do not apply to a Pennsylvania degree. For Massachusetts schools the Commonwealth charges $6 and we can use our Boston counter access. If you have several documents, ask us about a volume discount. See the pricing page and how it works.
Get your flat-rate quote
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania apostille a university diploma directly?
No. The Department of State says diplomas and transcripts must be notarized by a Pennsylvania notary public first. The registrar signs, the notary notarizes that signature, and Harrisburg apostilles the notary for $15 per document. A plain registrar signature, with no notary, is not enough.
Will a notary in my own country work for a Pennsylvania diploma?
Not for the Pennsylvania apostille. The Department of State asks for a Pennsylvania notary, so a notary abroad or one commissioned in another state does not fit. Use the school’s notary. If a different route is possible for your document, we confirm it during the free review.
How long does a Pennsylvania degree apostille take from abroad?
The state says about two to three weeks for mail, not counting transit. Add the registrar, from a few days to six weeks for a replacement diploma, plus courier time each way. We estimate five to twelve weeks for a diploma and less for a transcript.
Is there an electronic apostille for a Pennsylvania degree?
The Department of State page describes a paper apostille with an electronic seal printed in black ink, plus an online number check. It does not describe a digital-only apostille. Ask the office before you tell a foreign authority one exists.
What does Pennsylvania charge, and how do I pay from overseas?
The fee is $15 per document. By mail, pay with a personal check, money order or cashier’s check payable to “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” A foreign bank check must be in U.S. dollars and have a routing number. Cash is not accepted by mail. Registrars have their own fees and methods.
Why can’t Harrisburg return documents by FedEx or DHL?
The Department of State says it stopped accepting FedEx or DHL for returns in October 2009. It accepts a self-addressed stamped envelope, or a prepaid UPS air bill that lists you as both sender and recipient. Plan the return label before the file leaves your hands.
Does the apostille cover a translation of my diploma?
No. The apostille certifies the notary on the English record. Translation is separate. We can provide an ATA certified translation that gets notarized. We are not a sworn translator, so if your destination wants a sworn translation, you hire one there and we ship the apostilled set to them.
What if my country is not part of the Apostille Convention?
Then the destination wants full legalization, which usually adds federal and embassy steps. Check your country on the HCCH status table before ordering. During our free review we tell you which path applies and what the added steps cost.
Related guides
From a Pennsylvania registrar to an office abroad
Tell us the school, the documents and the country. We confirm the Pennsylvania fee and timing, send one flat-rate quote and run the chain from Boston.
