Quick facts
- Category: Professional License
- 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
Issuing office. Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, Department of Consumer Affairs. HQ: 1625 North Market Blvd, Ste 202, Sacramento, CA 95834. Mail: P.O. Box 944226, Sacramento, CA 94244-2260. Phone (800) 952-5210 / licensing (916) 574-7570. Email barbercosmo@dca.ca.gov. License verification: the DCA BreEZe search (free). Notarized route (what you actually do): 1. Assemble the underlying copy. Use a clear copy of your physical cosmetology license, or a free BreEZe license-verification printout (DCA “Verify a License”), or an official record copy obtained via a Request for Public Record to the Board. 2. Sign a copy-certification by affidavit in front of a California notary — a short sworn statement that “the attached is a true and correct copy of my California cosmetology license, #____.” The notary takes your acknowledgment (or administers a jurat) and authenticates your signature. (A.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly do I submit?
A notarized copy-certification affidavit with a copy of your California cosmetology license attached. The SOS apostilles the California notary’s signature.
Can I just apostille my BreEZe verification printout?
Not by itself — it carries no California signature the SOS can authenticate. Notarize a sworn copy affidavit over it first.
Isn’t there an official board “certification”?
The BBC’s $10 Certification (Form BBC 09) is a reciprocity letter mailed to another U.S. state board, not released to you, so it isn’t apostille-usable. Use the notarized route.
Can a notary just “certify” the copy of my license?
No — a California notary may copy-certify only a power of attorney. For a license, you sign a sworn statement and the notary notarizes your signature.
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).