Frequently Asked Questions:
California Apostille and Authentication Services
General Questions
- What is a California Apostille Stamp and why would I need one?
- How can I obtain an Apostille Stamp to certify a document in California for use abroad?
- How do I legalize documents issued in California for submission to countries that are not members of the Apostille Convention?
- How long does it take to obtain an apostille from California?
- How can I verify the authenticity of California apostilles?
- What documents can be certified in California with an Apostille Stamp?
- Will an apostille stamp from California be accepted abroad?
- Where can I find more information about certifying California documents?
- Where can I see reviews of Isarey's California Attestation and Apostille Services?
- What does a California Apostille look like?
Birth, death and marriage certificates
- How can I obtain an apostille on a vital record certificate issued in California?
- How can I obtain a new certified copy of a California birth, death or marriage certificate suitable for an Apostille?
Criminal record certificates
Academic documents
Notarized documents
Answers
What is a California Apostille Stamp and why would I need one?
A California Apostille is a certificate that is affixed by the California Secretary of State to a public document. It certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized California public official and confirms the capacity of that official (e.g. State Registrar, notary public).
Apostille stamps are often required when submitting a California document, such as a birth certificate, to the authorities of a foreign country or to a foreign embassy in the United States (for example, as part of a visa or citizenship application). Apostilles are recognised by the authorities and embassies of countries that are members of the 
Hague Apostille Convention
For more information on Apostilles, see:
How can I obtain an Apostille Stamp to certify a document in California for use abroad?
Apostille Stamps to authenticate California documents can be obtained from the Secretary of State. Apostille stamps are only valid for documents that are required for submission to countries that are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention
How do I legalize documents issued in California for submission to countries that are not members of the Apostille Convention?
California documents that need to be authenticated for non-apostille countries (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar) must be authenticated by the California Secretary of State with an Authentication Certificate and then attested by the recipient country's embassy in the United States. Most embassies will also require an additional authentication the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC.
How long does it take to obtain an apostille from California?
We submit all California certificates needing a Hague Apostille personally to the Office of the Secretary of State in Sacramento. Apostilles are normally process in 1 business day
Documents requiring submission to a non-apostille country will then require legalization by the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC and attestation at the embassy of the destination country.
How can I verify the authenticity of California apostilles?
California apostille stamps issued from 2017 onwards can be verified online.
See: Verification of Authentication Certificate (Apostille)
What documents can be certified in California with an Apostille Stamp?
Documents signed by California officials and notaries public can be certified in California for official use outside the United States, including vital record certificates (e.g. birth, death, marriage certificates), state police background checks, educational certificates, university diplomas and notarized private documents (e.g. power of attorney).
Documents signed by Federal officials including FBI Background Checks must be submitted directly to the Authentication Division of the U.S. Department of State.
To confirm whether your California document is valid for an Apostille Stamp, please Contact us for a free document check.
Will an apostille stamp from California be accepted abroad?
If documents are required for submission to the authorities or consulate of a signatory country of the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille stamp affixed by the Secretary of State of California will generally be recognized directly as confirming authenticity, although a certified translation may also be required if presenting to a country that does not have English as an official language.
If documents are required for presentation in a country that is not a signatory to the apostille convention (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Taiwan, Vietnam), then an apostille stamp is not valid. Documents will need to be authenticated at State level in California, then by the State Department Authentication Division, and finally by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in the United States. A Certified Translation may also be required.
Where can I find more information about certifying California documents?
For further information about California apostilles and authentications or to obtain a quote for assistance submitting your documents, with free eligibility pre-check, international collection and delivery by courier, please Contact us or send us your documents using our Online Quotation Form.
Where can I see reviews of Isarey's California Attestation and Apostille Services?
You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:
What does a California Apostille look like?
California Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of California documents certified with Apostille stamps:
How can I obtain an apostille on a vital record certificate issued in California?
Apostille stamps for birth, death and marriage certificates issued in California can be obtained from the California Secretary of State in Sacramento or Los Angeles. To be eligible for an apostille, birth and death certificates must be signed by a country clerk (or deputy), a county recorder (or deputy) or the State Registrar. Birth or death certificates signed by a Health Officer or County Registrar (e.g. Local Registrar, Registrar of Vital Records) must be certified by the county clerk’s office in the county in which it was issued.
Certified copies of birth and death certificates can also be obtained from:
For further information, see:
Apostille California Vital Records
How can I obtain a new certified copy of a California birth, death or marriage certificate suitable for an Apostille?
The easiest way to obtain a new certified copy of a California birth, death or marriage certificate is online via VitalChek. Alternatively, applications for new certificates may be mailed in to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH is not able to provide certified copies of marriage certificates for the years 2000-2007 or 2023) or made directly to the County Clerk's Office in the County where the event took place.
How can I obtain an apostille on a background check from California?
Apostilles on California Background Checks can be obtained from the California Department of Justice.
See: County Fingerprint Background Checks
Note, however, that many countries will require an FBI background check as evidence of a lack of criminal record for immigration or visa purposes, see:
FBI Background Checks
How can I authenticate California university degree certificates for use abroad?
Original California university and high school diplomas can be authenticated by notarizing the signature of the school or university official in California. The notary's signature can then authenticated with an Apostille from the California Secretary of State in Sacramento.
For further information, see:
Apostille STATE University Diplomas
California university degree certificates, course transcripts and high school diplomas can also be authenticated as notarized copies. A true copy is certified by a notary (this can often be done from a scan without having to submit the original) and then authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Washington DC Secretary of State. Authenticated documents can also be attested by the embassies of Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.
For further information, see:
University Degrees and School Records
Can California Apostilles be obtained on documents not written in English?
As long as the notary's certification of the documents is written in English, then the rest of the document can be in any other language and an apostille obtained. However, where original documents need to be translated, because they are required for submission to a country which does not have English as an official language, it is often more appropriate to obtain a certified translation after the original document is certified by apostille.
Note that translations certified n the United States are not necessarily valid for use abroad and that certifying a translation does not certify the validity of the original document. Please Contact us for advice on how to proceed.
How can I get a quote to certify my documents?
To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:
If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.
Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files and provide us with the passwords separately:
PDF,
PERSONAL DATA: If your documents contain personal data belonging to people outside your household, please ensure that you are authorised to share this data before uploading your documents. If your documents contain sensitive personal data, such as biometric data, medical data or data on criminal convictions, please ensure that you indicate this when prompted, upon submitting your documents. For further information on our processing of personal data contained in uploaded documents, please see:
Privacy Policy (Customer Inquiries)
For further information on confidentiality in our handling of document content please see:
Confidentiality (Client Content)