Expedited Apostille

What is an Apostille and what is it Purpose?

An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature of a public official on a document for use in another country. An Apostille certifies:

• The authenticity of the signature of the public official who signed the document,
• The capacity in which that public official acted, and
• When appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears, e.g. a notary public seal.

The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document

My apostille request is urgent, but I am not able to appear in person at the SOS in Sacramento. What are my options?

Apostilles can be requested by mail (turnaround is typically 20 – 30 business days) or in person at your nearest SOS location. However, if you need it urgently or are not close to an SOS office, SantaCruzNotary.com can assist you with expedited apostille services.

It will take 2-4 business days for you to receive your completed apostilled document/s. The executed document/s will be sent to your preferred mailing address via UPS next day.

The cost for this service is $220 for a single document. Each additional document is $75.*

* The Apostille service does not include the cost of required notarizations. Refer to Services for details

We also offer assistance with non-express Apostille requests. If you prefer for us to handle it, the cost is $65 per document and $20 for each additional document. Keep in mind that this will be subject to regular turnaround times (15-20 business days – we use USPS priority to ship the documents back to you).*

* The Apostille service does not include the cost of required notarizations. Refer to Services for details

How to request an apostille?

Useful information If you Preferred to do it yourself

There are two main ways to request a document Apostille by the California Secretary of State (SOS):

Mail in:

• Complete and include this form with the three items below. Please type or print legibly.
  • A document signed by a California public official or an original notarized and/or certified document. A
    photocopy is not acceptable.
  • A check or money order payable to Secretary of State in the amount of $20.00 per Apostille requested.
    Additional fees apply if the request is submitted in person.
  • 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, SOS will return your
    document via United States Postal Service regular mail.
    Mail submission to: Notary Public
    1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor
    Sacramento, CA 95814

in person:

Any individual can request an Apostille on behalf of themselves or on behalf of anyone else. Additionally, the requester does not need to be related to any person(s) named in the document.

For example, Louise is Alfred’s neighbor, and they are not related in any way. Alfred can remain at home while Louise takes Alfred’s document to the Secretary of State’s office and submits the request on Alfred’s behalf.

Secretary of State (Sacramento)
1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Sacramento 2nd floor public counter is open for in-person, same day service. Please obtain a take-a-number ticket from the dispenser in front of Room 255 and wait for your number to be called. Please be mindful of the following:

• A fee of $20.00 per Apostille is required. Payment can be made by credit card (Visa or Mastercard), check, money order, or cash. Checks or money orders must be made payable to Secretary of State..
• A $6.00 Special Handling fee is required for each different public official’s signature to be authenticated.
• A cover sheet stating the country in which the document will be used is required. You may fill out and print our Apostille Request Cover Sheet (Sacramento) to include with your request or fill out the form by hand upon arrival at our office.

Where can I find out more information about apostilles?

“The ABCs of Apostilles” (PDF) brochure provides basic information about the Apostille Convention and the Convention’s operation that has been prepared by the Permanent Bureau (Secretariat) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law and is provided with the Permanent Bureau’s permission.

Check my credentials at:

Notary Public Listing

National Notary Association (NNA)

Immigration Consultant (I am not an attorney)

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and I can not provide legal advice. Please contact the document’s originator with any questions pertaining to the contents of the document

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND CAN NOT BE TREATED AS LEGAL ADVICE – CONSULT AN ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL QUESTIONS OR MATTERS – WE ARE NOT ATTORNEYS AND CANNOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE