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 Social Security card. 2. Prepare a “true copy” affidavit stating the attached photocopy is a true and correct copy of your original card. 3. Personally appear before a California notary with satisfactory ID (a separate photo ID — the SSN card alone isn’t 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 cardholder (the affiant). 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 expiration shown. The SOS verifies the.
Frequently asked questions
Can a notary just stamp my SSN-card copy as “certified”?
No — CA notaries can’t copy-certify an SSN card. You swear a true-copy affidavit and the notary completes a jurat.
Is this federal because the card is federal?
The copy affidavit is notarized by a California notary, so the California SOS authenticates it. The apostille covers the notary, not the SSA or the card.
What ID do I bring?
A separate photo ID — the SSN card isn’t proof of identity on its own.
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).