Quick facts
- Category: Affidavit / Sworn Statement
- 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 or destination’s form — no issuing office. 1. Use the receiving authority’s statutory-declaration form/wording if provided, or draft a declaration with the solemn statement of truth and the facts declared. 2. Personally appear before a California notary with satisfactory ID. The notary administers an affirmation and completes a jurat; you sign in the notary’s presence. 3. Confirm the notary’s seal, signature, commission number, and expiration are present and legible. Who can swear it. The declarant, about facts within their knowledge. Cost + timeline for THIS step (verified June 2026): notary $15 for the jurat (Gov. Code §8211(b)); usually same-day. Drafting is free. What the SOS needs to see: a California notary’s jurat — current commission, legible seal/signature, commission number and expiration shown. The SOS verifies the notary, then attaches the apostille. Jurat.
Frequently asked questions
A UK/Canada/Australia form says “declared before a Commissioner for Oaths” — what do I do in California?
A California notary completes a jurat instead (with an affirmation). The apostille authenticates that notary.
Do I swear a religious oath?
No — California notaries can administer an affirmation; a statutory declaration is solemnly affirmed.
What exactly do I submit?
Your affirmed statutory declaration with the California notary’s jurat. The SOS apostilles the notary’s signature.
Can I use the destination’s own form?
Yes — complete it, then have the California notary do the jurat.
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).