Quick facts
- Category: Medical / Health
- 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
Clinician-signed. 1. Obtain the certificate from your clinician on letterhead, stating the disability and any relevant detail. 2. The clinician personally appears before a California notary with satisfactory ID; the notary completes an acknowledgment (or jurat if the clinician swears to accuracy). 3. Confirm the notary’s seal, signature, commission number, and expiration are present and legible. Who signs. The certifying, licensed clinician. Cost + timeline for THIS step (verified June 2026): notary $15 (Gov. Code §8211(a)/(b)); clinician fees vary. Notarization usually same-day once the clinician is available. What the SOS needs to see: a California notary’s certificate on the clinician’s signature — current commission, legible seal/signature, commission number and expiration shown. The SOS verifies the notary, then attaches the apostille. The clinician’s signature is the one.
Frequently asked questions
Is an SSA disability letter the same thing?
No — a federal SSA determination routes to the U.S. Department of State. This page is a clinician-signed certificate, apostilled via the CA notary.
Who gets notarized?
The clinician who signs the certificate.
Acknowledgment or jurat?
Acknowledgment for a signed certificate; jurat if the clinician swears to accuracy.
My notary is out of state — OK?
No. Only a California notary’s signature can be apostilled by the California SOS.
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).