SFSU Apostille of Diploma or Transcript
What is a diploma or transcript apostille/authentication?
A San Francisco State University apostille of university records, such as a diploma and/or academic transcripts, is a certification process that validates your academic record for use abroad. SF State students and alumni applying to live, work, or study in foreign countries may be asked to provide certified (a.k.a. authenticated, legalized, or apostilled) copies of their academic records. For example, these records may include diplomas, academic transcripts, or letters of enrollment or completion which are certified by SFSU with a notarized letter of authenticity signed by a University official, such as the Registrar or Assistant Registrar.
In order to give the document legal status overseas, the notarization must be certified by the California Secretary of State’s office. The CA SOS checks to ensure that the document was notarized properly by a California-State-commissioned notary public and that the notary’s signature matches the signature they have on file. If everything is in order, then the CA SOS adheres an apostille certificate and red stamp to the notarial certificate.
How do I get my academic records apostilled or authenticated?
You do not need to be physically present during this process. Just follow the steps below.
1. Find out exactly what you need.
Sometimes a diploma is all that is requested. Other times, the requesting party wants to see both a diploma and academic transcripts. SF State notarizes diplomas and transcripts separately. Therefore, if the requesting party needs both, that will count as two apostilled documents.
2. Get a certified copy notarized by SFSU.
If you already have an official copy of the academic record with a notarized letter, then you can ship it directly to our office. If not, contact the SF State Registrar to request notarization of a certified copy of your diploma or transcript. Please request that SFSU send the notarized document to our office:
SF Notary + Apostille
315 Montgomery Street, 10th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
For any questions about this process, please contact the SF State Registrar’s Office directly at +1 (415) 338-2350 or [email protected].
3. Place an order with SF Notary + Apostille.
Pricing depends on the type of authentication required and shipping costs. For a price quote, it’s best to email [email protected] with the following information:
- A statement about what type of academic record you need apostilled and whether the official copy will come from you or from SFSU
- The destination country
- Your name, address, and phone number
- The name, address, phone number, and email address of the recipient (if you’d like us to ship it to a third party)
We will ship the authenticated document via FedEx Priority Overnight Service (USA destinations) or FedEx International Priority Service (overseas destinations). Once we’ve agreed upon a price, you can pay us by credit card or PayPal, and we will start the apostille/
First, we will contact you as soon as the notarized document arrives at our office. Afterwards, we’ll take the notarized transcript or diploma to Sacramento and get it apostilled by the Secretary of State. Some countries require additional processing, details of which we will provide in the price quote. Finally, once the document is apostilled (or apostilled and authenticated/legalized), we’ll ship it according to your instructions.
For more information or to place your order, please email [email protected] or call +1 (415) 655-9455.
Disclaimer: Information on this website is for informational purposes only. These instructions are based on our knowledge and experience and are meant to be helpful; however, they might contain errors. Please let us know if you encounter mistakes so that we can promptly correct them. SF Notary + Apostille is not a law firm, and its agents are not attorneys. Please contact a licensed attorney or your local bar association for counsel on legal matters.