Quick facts
- Category: Affidavit / Sworn Statement
- Apostilled by the California Secretary of State (Sacramento or Los Angeles)
- Fee: $20 per document (mail) or $26 (walk-in) at the California Secretary of State
- Free document review before you pay any government fee
- Tracked outbound and return shipping included
What to know
Self-prepared — no issuing office. 1. Draft the affidavit. State the residence/domicile facts (and, for the estate version, the decedent’s name, date of death, and state of domicile at death). Attach supporting items only if the destination/transfer agent requires them. 2. Personally appear before a California notary with satisfactory ID. The notary administers an oath and completes a jurat; you sign in the notary’s presence. 3. Confirm the notary’s seal, signature, commission number, and expiration are present and legible. Who can swear it. The resident (general version) or the executor/administrator/heir (estate/securities version). Cost + timeline for THIS step (verified June 2026): notary $15 for the jurat (Gov. Code §8211(b)); usually same-day. Drafting is free. What the SOS needs to see: a California notary’s jurat — current commission, legible seal/signature, commission number.
Frequently asked questions
Residence or domicile — what’s the difference?
Residence is where you live; domicile is your permanent legal home. Use the term the destination/transfer agent asks for; the notarized route is the same.
What’s the securities version?
Transfer agents often require an “Affidavit of Domicile” to confirm a deceased owner’s state of residence before transferring their securities — apostille it if it’s needed abroad.
What exactly do I submit?
Your sworn affidavit, notarized with a jurat. The SOS apostilles the notary’s signature.
Acknowledgment or jurat?
Jurat — it’s sworn.
Common destinations
Countries this document is most often sent to (pulled from this page's own guidance). Every destination has its own rulebook — apostille (Hague) or full legalization (non-Hague).