Apostille Requests

California Notaries Public CANNOT process Apostille Requests. This is merely a resource for you use to request one from the office of the California Secretary of State's Office

For the most up to date information, please see the linked California Secretary of State's Website

How to request an Apostille by mail

• Mail requests are processed by the Sacramento office only.

• Four (4) items are required for processing an Apostille:

  • A document signed by a California public official or an original notarized and/or certified document. A photocopy is not acceptable.

  • A cover sheet stating the country in which the document will be used. You may use our Apostille Mail Request Cover Sheet (above) or write your own.

  • A check or money order payable to Secretary of State in the amount of $20.00 per Apostille requested.

  • A self-addressed envelope for the processed document to be returned. If you wish to use a mail tracking service, please provide pre-paid postage. If you do not provide pre-paid postage, our office will return your document via United States Postal Service regular mail.

• Mail documents via United States Postal Service (using the envelope above) to:
  Notary Public Section
  P.O. Box 942877
  Sacramento, CA 94277–0001

• Documents being mailed via any other service (e.g. Fedex, UPS, DHL) can be sent to our physical address:
  Notary Public Section
  1500 11th Street
  Sacramento, CA 95814

• Documents are processed in the order they are received and are typically processed within 8-10 business days from the date received. However, during high volume periods, documents may take longer to be processed. Please refer to our Current Processing Times webpage to see the most up-to-date information.

• Questions?

  • See the Current Processing Dates section of the California Secretary of State's website

  • See Apostille Frequently Asked Questions

  • Get Contact Information

Note: If a birth or death certificate has the signature of a Health Officer or County Registrar (e.g. Local Registrar, Registrar of Vital Records), prior to presenting to our office for authentication, one of the following will be required:

• have that birth or death certificate certified by the county clerk’s office in the county in which it was issued; or

• obtain a certified copy of that birth or death certificate from the county recorder or State of California Department of Public Health.

For more information, visit our Apostille Frequently Asked Questions webpage.