How it works. Pick the state and the type of document. You get the steps in order (the right copy or notarization, any county step, the office's form, where to send it and the fee, and the stated processing time), each marked from the office's own page or as not confirmed.
Build an apostille request checklist
California: court record
No county step first
- Office
- California Secretary of State, Notary Public Section
- Fee
- $20 per apostille, plus a $6 special handling fee for each different official's signature on in-person requests.
- Not confirmedGet a certified copy from the court clerkThe page we read doesn't say how court records are handled. Ask the clerk of the court for a certified copy, and ask the office whether the clerk's signature needs another certification.
- Good to knowCounty or court clerk stepThe office's page names a county step only for other document types: County-issued birth and death certificates are certified by the county clerk first.
- Do thisFill in the office's requestUse the office's own form: Apostille Mail Request Cover Sheet. Name the country where the document will be used. Open the form
- Do thisSend or bring it to the officeBy mail to Sacramento, or in person at the Sacramento or Los Angeles office (Los Angeles doesn't take cash). Fee: $20 per apostille, plus a $6 special handling fee for each different official's signature on in-person requests. Address: Notary Public Section, P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, CA 94277-0001 (USPS); FedEx, UPS or DHL: 1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814
- Good to knowAllow for processingProcessed in the order received; the office posts current processing dates rather than a fixed time.
Official sources: Request an Apostille, California Secretary of State · Apostille Frequently Asked Questions, California Secretary of State · More on this state
After the apostille: if the destination isn't in the Hague Convention, the document still needs embassy legalization.
Getting the document ready
Most rejections come from the starting paper: a photocopy instead of a certified copy, a record from another state, or a notarization with a missing seal or commission date. Our guide to why apostille requests get rejected walks through them, and apostille vs notarization explains what each one proves. For every state on one page, see how to get an apostille in each state.
MCC Solutions handles New Jersey apostilles, and our guide explains how to get an apostille in New Jersey. For other states, this page lists the office's own process.
General information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026 against the official pages linked in each checklist. Fees, forms and processing times change; the issuing office's own page is the final word. An apostille confirms the signature and seal on a document, not what the document says, and the office abroad decides what it accepts.
Questions about the checklist
Which state do I pick?
The state where the document was issued or notarized, not where you live. A birth certificate from one state and a power of attorney notarized in another go to two different offices. FBI checks and other federal records go to the U.S. Department of State whichever state you pick.
What does 'County step' mean?
In some states a county or court clerk must first certify the notary's commission or the clerk's signature before the state office will attach the apostille. The checklist says yes, no, or not confirmed for the state and document you picked.
What do the labels mean?
Do this is a step the office's own page sets out. Good to know is timing or background. Not confirmed means no official page we opened said, so nothing is guessed: ask the office before you send the document.
Is a diploma a school record or a notarized document?
Pick school record. Many offices apostille a school record only as a notarized copy or a notarized statement from the registrar, so the checklist also shows the state's notarized-document rule when the office's page has no separate school rule.
Does the checklist save what I choose?
No. The page reads your choices from the address bar and builds the list on the server. Nothing is stored, and it works without JavaScript.