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 passport’s identity page (and any pages the destination wants). 2. Prepare a “true copy” affidavit stating that the attached photocopy is a true and correct copy of your original passport. 3. Personally appear before a California notary with satisfactory ID (the passport itself, or other acceptable ID). Swear the affidavit 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 passport holder (the affiant). Cost + timeline for THIS step (verified June 2026): notary $15 for the jurat (Gov. Code §8211(b)); usually same-day. Copies are incidental. What the SOS needs to see: a California notary’s jurat on the true-copy affidavit — current commission,.
Frequently asked questions
Can a California notary just stamp my passport copy as “certified”?
No — CA notaries can’t copy-certify a passport. You swear a true-copy affidavit and the notary completes a jurat.
What gets apostilled?
The notary’s jurat on your affidavit (with the copy stapled). The apostille authenticates the notary, not the passport.
Is this a federal matter because a passport is federal?
No — the sworn-copy affidavit is notarized by a California notary, so the California SOS authenticates it.
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).