Quick facts
- Category: Identity / Copy Certification
- 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. Make a clear photocopy of the diploma. 2. Prepare a “true copy” affidavit stating the attached photocopy is a true and correct copy of your original diploma. 3. Personally appear before a California notary with satisfactory ID; swear and sign in the notary’s presence; the notary completes the jurat and staples the copy to the affidavit. 4. Confirm the notary’s seal, signature, commission number, and expiration are present and legible. Who can swear it. The diploma holder (the affiant). (For the academic route instead, the school registrar attests and the notary notarizes the official.) Cost + timeline for THIS step (verified June 2026): notary $15 for the jurat (Gov. Code §8211(b)); usually same-day. What the SOS needs to see: a California notary’s jurat on the true-copy affidavit — current commission, legible seal/signature, commission number and.
Frequently asked questions
Sworn copy or registrar verification?
For degree recognition, most authorities want the academic route (registrar attests, notary notarizes the official — #125/#127). For a simple notarized copy, this sworn-affidavit route works.
Can a notary just stamp my diploma copy as “certified”?
No — CA notaries can’t copy-certify a diploma. You swear a true-copy affidavit.
What gets apostilled?
The notary’s jurat on your affidavit (copy stapled).
Acknowledgment or jurat?
Jurat — the copy is sworn true.
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).