1.Apostille and its purpose:

An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature of a public official on a document for use in another country. This ensures that your document will be recognized in all participating countries that are party to the Hague Convention 1961. An Apostille certifies:

•The authenticity of the signature of the public official who signed the document,

•The capacity in which that public official acted, and

•When appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears, e.g., a notary public seal.

2.The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document. The California Secretary of State issues a single Apostille for documents to be used outside of the United States, regardless of the country of destination.

3.For birth and death certificates, the California Secretary of State can issue an Apostille for the signatures of:

•County clerks and their deputies,​

•County recorders and their deputies, and

•The State Registrar (California Department of Public Health).

4.If your birth or death certificate was issued by a city- or county-level agency and has the signature of a Health Officer or County Registrar (e.g. Local Registrar, Registrar of Vital Records), prior to presenting to our office for authentication, one of the following will be required:

•Have that birth or death certificate certified by the county clerk’s office in the county in which it was issued, or

•Obtain a certified copy of that birth or death certificate from the county recorder or State of California Department of Public Health.

The signature, name, and title of the public official can be found at the bottom of a birth or death certificate.

5.Any individual can request an Apostille. When requesting an Apostille in person, no person(s) named in the document must be present. Additionally, the requester does not need to be related to any person(s) named in the document.

For example, Louise is Alfred's neighbor, and they are not related in any way. Alfred can remain at home while Louise takes Alfred's document to the Secretary of State's office and requests an Apostille on Alfred's behalf.

6.Apostille for a territory within the United States, e.g., Puerto Rico?

Apostilles can only be issued for documents to be used outside the United States of America. Accordingly, we do not issue Apostilles for Puerto Rico, Guam, United States Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or any other American territories or possessions. Generally, the notarial act is sufficient for use in any American territory or possession.

7.Apostille for a document in a language other than English?

If the notarization of the document is in English, the California Secretary of State can issue an Apostille. The rest of the document can be in any other language.

8.Translation services?

If a certified translation is required, you may wish to consult the American Translators Association.

Apostille Fee:

Regular processing: 7-10 business days: The Apostille fee is $75 for the first document for single public official signature authenticated plus $50 for each additional document/public official signature authenticated. Filing fees is included.

Expedite processing: 2-3 days: The Apostille fee is $250 for the first document for single public official signature authenticated plus $50 for each additional document/public official signature authenticated. Filing fees is included.

Same Day processing: 24 hour or less turnaround: The Apostille fee is $400 for the first document for single public official signature authenticated plus $50 for each additional document/public official signature authenticated. Filing fees is included.

NOTE:

Please visit https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/processing-times for the current processing time of APOSTILLE REQUESTS at the office of California Secretary of State (Sacremento).   ​