Quick facts
- Category: Business / Corporate
- 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
Issuing office: None — privately drafted. A California notary public performs the notarization; notaries are available at banks, shipping/UPS stores, law offices, and via mobile notaries. The CA SOS Notary Public Section commissions them: (916) 653-3595. Notarized route (steps): Finalize the executed agreement (all signature blocks complete). Each signatory whose signature needs authentication signs (or acknowledges their signature) in the physical presence of a California notary, presenting acceptable ID. The notary completes a current California acknowledgment for each signature, attaches the certificate(s), and affixes the seal. Confirm legibility and that the commission number/expiration appear. Who can sign it: The shareholders who are parties, and an authorized officer if the corporation is also a party. Required forms: None statewide — the parties’ own agreement plus California.
Frequently asked questions
Do all shareholders need to be notarized?
Only those whose signatures the foreign authority needs authenticated — but each one notarized must personally appear before the California notary.
Our investors are in different states — can they share one California apostille?
No. California only authenticates California notaries. A signer notarized elsewhere must apostille through that state.
Does the corporation itself sign?
If the company is a party, an authorized officer signs and is notarized like any other signatory.
Acknowledgment or jurat?
Usually an acknowledgment of the signatures; confirm with the destination if a sworn jurat is required.
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).