How to Apostille a Diploma or Degree

Educational information, not legal advice. State fees, offices and school procedures vary and can change. Confirm current details with the issuing state's official apostille page and your school before you mail anything.

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Diploma apostille fee finder by state

Select the state where the diploma will be notarized or certified; the tool shows that state's apostille fee and links to its full guide.

Can you apostille a diploma?

Yes, you can apostille a diploma, but not on its own as a plain sheet of paper, because a diploma is a private document rather than a government record, and the apostille office can only authenticate an official signature. So the diploma has to carry one first, which happens in one of two ways: a notary notarizes a copy of the diploma, attesting to it, or the university's registrar issues a sealed, certified copy or a signed letter that the state recognizes. Once that official signature is on the document, the state where the notarization or school certification took place can apostille it. The most common mistake is mailing an unnotarized photocopy, which comes straight back, so decide on your notarization or registrar route before anything else.

Who apostilles a diploma?

A diploma is apostilled by the Secretary of State, or the equivalent office, of the state where it was notarized or where the school's certification was issued, which is not always the state where you currently live. If a California notary notarizes your diploma, California apostilles it; if your university in New York provides a registrar-certified copy, the apostille comes from New York. This is why the state you choose depends on where the signature on the document originates, not your home address. A private document such as a diploma follows the notary or issuing official, exactly the way a power of attorney follows its notary, rather than following the person.

Can transcripts be apostilled too?

Yes, official transcripts follow the same path as diplomas and are often requested together for foreign employers, universities and licensing boards. You obtain a sealed, registrar-certified transcript or have a copy notarized, and then apostille it in that state, and the single most important rule is that a sealed university envelope must stay sealed, because an opened packet is generally rejected and has to be reordered. Many schools will send the sealed transcript directly to you or to the apostille office. If you need several documents authenticated together, a diploma, a transcript and perhaps a degree verification letter, prepare them as one package for the same state to save fees and mailing time, since most states charge per document but process a batch in one trip.

How much does a diploma apostille cost?

The state apostille fee for a diploma ranges from about $1 in Michigan to $25 in states such as Oklahoma and South Dakota, with most states between $5 and $15, and that is only the state charge. Notarization has its own cost, and a registrar-certified copy or a rush transcript from the school is a separate fee that varies by institution. Any private service adds its charge on top of all that. Use the fee finder above to see the apostille fee for the relevant state and open that state's full guide, where the office address and processing time are laid out. Confirm the current amount on the state's official page before you send payment.

By the Trámites Notariales US editorial team. Sources: state Secretary of State offices and university registrars; per-state apostille guides on this site. Confirm current fees and school procedures before relying on this.