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 evaluation letter from your licensed clinician on letterhead (you authorize its release). 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 evaluating, licensed mental-health 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
Who gets notarized?
The evaluating clinician who signs the letter.
Is my information kept private?
These records are protected; you authorize the release, and the apostille authenticates only the notary — it doesn’t publish or assess the content.
Acknowledgment or jurat?
Acknowledgment for a signed letter; jurat if the clinician swears to accuracy.
Federal / VA clinician?
Federal-official signers route to the U.S. Department of State.
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).