How to Get an Apostille in California: Steps, Fees, and Timing

By the FindAttorneys Editorial Team  |  Updated October 2026

Before You Start

An apostille is a certificate attached to a public document so that it will be accepted in another country without further proof that it’s genuine. In California, the Secretary of State issues apostilles for documents signed by California officials and notaries, while the U.S. Department of State handles documents signed by federal officials, such as FBI background checks. Sending a document to the wrong office is the single most common reason apostille requests are delayed, so identify the issuing authority before anything else.

What an Apostille Does and Doesn’t Do

An apostille certifies three things: that the signature on the document is genuine, the capacity in which the signer acted (for example, as a county clerk or notary public), and the identity of any seal or stamp. It says nothing about whether the content of the document is true or whether a foreign authority will accept it for a particular purpose. An apostilled diploma proves the registrar’s signature is real. It doesn’t prove the degree meets another country’s licensing standards.

Apostilles work only between countries that belong to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. According to the Hague Conference’s status table, 130 countries and territories are contracting parties, and recent additions include China (in force November 2023) and Canada (in force January 2024). For countries outside the Convention, the process usually involves authentication by the U.S. Department of State and then legalization by the destination country’s embassy or consulate, and requirements vary by country.

Which Office Handles Your Document

Step-by-Step: California Documents

1. Get the right version of the document. Apostilles attach to signatures of officials, so photocopies won’t work. Vital records need a recently issued certified copy, and court records need a certified copy from the clerk. Under the Secretary of State’s apostille guidance, a birth or death certificate signed by a city or county registrar may first need a certification from the county clerk, or a certified copy issued by the county recorder or the California Department of Public Health.
2. Notarize private documents first. The Secretary of State doesn’t notarize documents, so anything without a public official’s signature, such as a power of attorney or travel consent letter, must be notarized by a California notary before it can be apostilled. The notarial certificate must be in English, though the rest of the document can be in another language.
3. Handle diplomas and transcripts carefully. California notaries generally can’t certify copies of diplomas themselves. The usual routes are a statement signed by the school’s registrar before a notary, or a copy certification by document custodian, in which the person holding the original attests to the copy and a notary notarizes that signature. Ask the receiving institution which version it accepts before you start.
4. Submit to the Secretary of State. The fee is $20 per apostille, plus a $6 special handling fee per public official’s signature for in-person requests. Requests can be made in person at the Sacramento office or the Los Angeles regional office, or by mail, and mailed requests are processed in the order received. Overnight shipping speeds transit but not processing.

Step-by-Step: Federal Documents

FBI identity history summaries, certificates from federal agencies, and other documents signed by federal officials go to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications. According to the State Department’s authentication instructions, requests use Form DS-4194, must list the country where each document will be used, and are charged per document. The fee shown on that page in October 2026 is $8 per document. Mailed requests take about twelve business days from receipt, while walk-in drop-offs are typically ready in two to three business days. Fees and timelines change, so check the page before you send anything.

Two Documents, Two Offices, One Lost Month

This example is a composite drawn from situations document services and immigration lawyers describe often, with details changed. A Los Angeles couple applying for residency in Spain needed an apostilled marriage certificate and an apostilled FBI background check for each spouse. They mailed all three documents to the California Secretary of State together.

The marriage certificate came back apostilled. Both FBI checks came back unprocessed because they bear a federal signature and only the U.S. Department of State can apostille them. By the time the couple resubmitted to the State Department, one check was close to the 90-day freshness window that the Spanish consulate applied to criminal-record certificates, so they had to request new fingerprints and start over.

The fixes were simple in hindsight. Sort documents by issuing authority before mailing anything, and ask the foreign authority how recently each document must have been issued. An apostille itself doesn’t expire, but many countries won’t accept an underlying record more than three or six months old.

Translations Are a Separate Requirement

An apostille doesn’t translate anything. If the destination country requires a translation, it may also need to be certified, sworn, or done by a translator approved in that country, and in some cases the translation needs its own notarization and apostille. Find out which order the receiving authority expects: translate then apostille, or apostille then translate. Getting this wrong is a frequent reason documents are rejected abroad. Our guide to making a U.S. judgment effective in Brazil shows how apostille and translation requirements work together in a real foreign court proceeding.

Doing It Yourself vs. Using a Service

Most people can get a California apostille on their own for the state fee and the cost of postage. Private apostille services charge more in exchange for preparation and courier work, which can be worth it when time is short, when several documents from different authorities are involved, or when an embassy legalization step follows. For example, A to Z Documents, an Encino notary and document office that offers an apostille in California Los Angeles service by appointment, lists standard processing of three to five business days and same-day urgent service, with fees that include the state charge. Compare that with the $20 state fee when deciding whether the convenience is worth it.

Before hiring any service, keep three points in mind:

• No one can guarantee foreign acceptance. A service can obtain the apostille, but only the receiving authority decides whether the document meets its requirements.
• Document services aren’t lawyers. Reputable services say so plainly. In California, someone who prepares legal documents for a fee without being a lawyer generally must be registered as a legal document assistant, and immigration consultants are separately regulated and barred from calling themselves “notarios.”
• Get the fee breakdown in writing, including state fees, shipping, and any embassy legalization charges.

When to Talk to a Lawyer

An apostille is administrative, but the reason you need it often isn’t. If documents are for a foreign divorce recognition, an inheritance or property transfer abroad, an international adoption, or an immigration petition, a lawyer licensed in the relevant country can tell you exactly which documents are needed, in what form, and in what order. That advice usually saves more time than any rush fee.

Common Questions

How long does a California apostille take? In-person requests at a Secretary of State office are usually faster than mail, while mailed requests are processed in order of receipt and depend on current volume. Check the Secretary of State’s website for current processing times.

Does an apostille expire? No, but the country receiving it may require the underlying document to have been issued recently, often within three or six months.

Can I apostille a photocopy? Not a plain photocopy. You need a certified copy issued by the record keeper, or a properly notarized copy or statement where the law allows it.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about obtaining apostilles for California and federal documents. It is not legal advice. Fees, processing times, and foreign acceptance requirements change, so confirm current details with the issuing office and the authority receiving your documents. The case example is a composite for illustration. Mention of a private service is not an endorsement, and some links in this article may be sponsored.

Authorities & Sources

• California Secretary of State – Apostille FAQs
• U.S. Department of State – Requesting Authentication Services
• Hague Conference on Private International Law – Apostille Convention Status Table