Buying a condo in Mexico, enrolling a child in school in Spain, settling a parent’s estate in Italy or opening a bank account in Canada can all hit the same wall: the foreign office will not accept your U.S. document until it carries an apostille. At our Notary Newport Beach office, we often handle the first step of that process, which is a proper notarization. Here is how the process works in California.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a certificate attached to a document that confirms the signature and seal on it are genuine. It allows a document issued in one country to be accepted in another without further proof.
The system comes from the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, an international treaty now joined by more than 120 countries. Canada joined in January 2024, so documents headed there no longer need the longer embassy process they once did. An apostille does not certify that the content of the document is true or legally valid. It only confirms that the official who signed or sealed it, such as a notary or county clerk, actually holds that position.
Who issues apostilles for California documents?
The California Secretary of State issues apostilles for documents signed by California officials. That includes California notaries public, county clerks and recorders, and state court clerks.
Federal documents follow a different route. An FBI background check, a certificate of naturalization or another document signed by a federal official gets its apostille from the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications, not from Sacramento.
How much does a California apostille cost?
The California Secretary of State charges $20 per apostille. For in-person requests, it also charges a $6 special handling fee for each different public official’s signature being authenticated, so a single notarized document submitted at the counter usually costs $26. Mail requests pay the $20 fee only.
In-person requests are handled at two offices, 1500 11th Street in Sacramento and 300 South Spring Street in Los Angeles. Mail requests go to Sacramento. Either way, you include a cover sheet naming the country where the document will be used, since that determines whether an apostille or a different certificate is issued.
Where does notarization fit in?
Private documents usually need to be notarized before they can be apostilled. A power of attorney, a parental travel consent letter, a company resolution or a sworn statement has no official signature on it until a notary adds one. The Secretary of State then authenticates the notary’s signature and commission.
That makes the notarization the foundation of the whole request. If the notarial certificate is incomplete, uses another state’s wording or carries an expired commission, the Secretary of State can reject the request.
What can a Notary Newport Beach office notarize for overseas use?
We notarize signatures on documents headed abroad, using California certificate wording that the Secretary of State recognizes. California notaries generally cannot certify copies of documents like passports, diplomas or birth certificates. For those, you usually need a certified copy from the issuing agency, or a signed statement from you about the copy that is then notarized, depending on what the foreign office accepts.
What about birth, marriage and death certificates?
Vital records need a certified copy before they can be apostilled. In California, those copies come from the county recorder or the California Department of Public Health. Some foreign offices also require that the certified copy be issued recently, often within the last six months to a year, so check before ordering.
What if the country is not part of the Hague Convention?
Countries outside the convention use a longer process called legalization. The California Secretary of State issues a certificate of authentication instead of an apostille, and the document is then taken to that country’s embassy or consulate for its own stamp. This can add weeks, so start early.
What should you check before anything is signed?
Ask the foreign bank, school, court or agency exactly what they need in writing. Useful questions include whether they want an original or a certified copy, whether the document must be translated, and whether the translation needs its own certification.
Start your apostille with a proper notarization
An apostille lets a U.S. document be recognized abroad, California issues them through the Secretary of State for $20 each, and most private documents need a clean notarization first. Bring your document, your valid photo ID and the receiving office’s instructions to our Notary Newport Beach location at 2618 San Miguel Drive, and we will get the first step right.
