Quick facts
- Category: Financial / Real Estate
- 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. Prepare the loan agreement with the parties and terms. 2. Each required signer personally appears before a California notary with satisfactory ID and acknowledges their signature. 3. Confirm the notary’s seal, signature, commission number, and expiration are present and legible. Who signs. The parties to the loan. Cost + timeline for THIS step (verified June 2026): notary $15 per signature (Gov. Code §8211(a)); usually same-day. What the SOS needs to see: a California notary’s acknowledgment for each required signer — current commission, legible seal/signature, commission number and expiration shown. The SOS verifies the notary, then attaches the apostille. Acknowledgment (a signed contract is acknowledged). Notarial wording must be current California language and in English (the agreement can be in any language). General condition rules: no.
Frequently asked questions
Do both parties need to be notarized?
Depends on the destination — confirm whether all parties’ acknowledgments are required; each is a separate $15.
Loan agreement or promissory note?
A loan agreement is the full contract; a promissory note (#268) is the borrower’s promise to pay. Some uses want both.
Acknowledgment or jurat?
Acknowledgment — a signed contract is acknowledged.
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).