How to Request a California Secretary of State Apostille

To get a California Secretary of State apostille, send or bring an original California-issued or California-notarized document, a cover sheet listing the destination country, and $20 per document to the Sacramento office by mail or to the Sacramento or Los Angeles office in person. The apostille verifies the signature of the California public official or notary on your document so it can be used in another country that belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961.

Which Documents the Secretary of State Can Apostille

Two kinds of documents qualify: public records signed by a California official, and private documents that a California notary public has notarized.¹

Public records cover things like birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, and court documents such as divorce decrees or probate orders. The signature, name, and title of the issuing official need to appear at the bottom of the record. Private documents include powers of attorney, trust agreements, corporate filings, diplomas, and transcripts, and they only qualify once a California notary has added a proper acknowledgment or jurat.

For vital records issued at the city or county level that carry a Health Officer or local registrar’s signature, you may need to have the county clerk’s office certify the document first, or request a new certified copy from the county recorder or the California Department of Public Health, so the signature matches what the Secretary of State has on file.²

What Gets a Request Rejected

The Secretary of State verifies the signature on your document against its own records, so small defects send requests back. Resubmitting by mail means waiting through the queue again, so check for these before you file.

Photocopies. You need the original or an officially certified copy with the actual signature of the issuing official.¹
A signer whose signature is not on file with the Secretary of State. This comes up most often with health officers and local registrars.
A faded, smudged, or partial notary seal. If the seal is not clearly legible, have the document re-notarized.
Incomplete notarization, including missing dates, missing venue information, or an unsigned certificate.
A cover sheet listing the wrong destination country. The apostille is formatted for the country you name.
Documents notarized in another state or issued by a federal agency. California cannot apostille those.

When a request is rejected, the office returns your documents with a note explaining the problem.

Requesting an Apostille In Person

Walk-in requests are the fastest route and are usually processed within about 30 minutes.³ Both offices take requests on a first-come, first-served basis with no appointment.

The fee in person is $20 per apostille plus a $6 special handling fee for each different public official’s signature being authenticated.¹ Two documents signed by the same official cost $40 plus one $6 handling fee. Two documents signed by different officials cost $40 plus two $6 handling fees.

The Sacramento office handles apostilles at the 3rd floor public counter, 1500 11th Street. Payment is accepted by Visa or Mastercard, check, money order, or cash. Arrive by 4:30 p.m. for same-day service.³

The Los Angeles office is at 300 South Spring Street, Room 12513, Los Angeles, CA 90013, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.⁴ Los Angeles does not take cash and does not accept mail-in requests; pay by Visa or Mastercard, check, or money order.¹ Both offices will print a cover sheet for you, though bringing one filled in speeds things along.

Requesting an Apostille by Mail

Mail requests go only to the Sacramento office. Your package needs four items:¹

The original document, signed by a California public official or carrying a complete California notarization.
A cover sheet with the destination country, your return address, and your contact information. You can use the Secretary of State’s Apostille Mail Request Cover Sheet or write your own.²
$20 per apostille by check or money order payable to “Secretary of State,” written in blue or black ink and showing your complete address.⁵
A self-addressed envelope. For tracking, include pre-paid postage with a trackable shipping label; otherwise your documents come back by regular USPS mail.

The address depends on the carrier. USPS mail goes to Notary Public Section, P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, CA 94277-0001. FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries go to Notary Public Section, 1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814.¹

How Long It Takes

In person: about 30 minutes after you reach the counter.³

By mail: variable, and often slow. The Secretary of State publishes a rolling update on its website showing which date’s mail requests are currently being worked on. As of early 2026, the office was processing requests received several weeks prior.³ Check that page before deciding how to file. For a deadline, in person is safer.

Federal and Out-of-State Documents

California can only apostille documents that originate in California. Federal documents, including FBI background checks, Social Security letters, and certificates of naturalization, go to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications, which also charges $20 per document.⁶ Documents from other states go to that state’s secretary of state or equivalent office. A Texas birth certificate, for example, cannot receive a California apostille.

If the Destination Country Is Not in the Hague Convention

More than 120 countries belong to the Hague Apostille Convention, and for all of them a California apostille is the final step.⁷ For a country that is not a member, the apostille is only the beginning. You generally need the state-level certification first, then authentication by the U.S. Department of State, then legalization by the destination country’s embassy or consulate, in that order. The California Secretary of State issues the same certificate either way.² Embassy requirements, fees, and timelines vary, so contact the consulate early.

Translations

Some destination countries require the document in their official language. The standard approach is to have a qualified translator sign a sworn declaration of accuracy, have that declaration notarized in California, and then request a California apostille on the notarized translation. The apostille on the translation is a separate request from the apostille on the original, so each one costs $20. Not every country requires a translation, and some accept English documents as they are, so check with the receiving institution before paying for one.

1
California Secretary of State. Request an Apostille
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California Secretary of State. Apostille Frequently Asked Questions
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California Secretary of State. Current Processing Dates
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California Secretary of State. Los Angeles Office
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California Secretary of State. Mail Apostille Cover Sheet
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U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services
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Hague Conference on Private International Law. Apostille Section