San Francisco Unified School District Apostille of Diploma or Transcript

Need an SF Unified School District apostille? SF Notary + Apostille explains how the process works.

What is an SF Unified School District apostille/authentication?

A San Francisco Unified School District apostille of student records, such as a  diploma and/or academic transcripts, is a certification process that validates a child's academic records for use abroad. SF Unified School District students and graduates applying to immigrate, work, or study in foreign countries may be asked to provide certified (a.k.a. authenticated, legalized, or apostilled) copies of their academic records.

These records can include diplomas, academic transcripts, AP scores, or letters of enrollment or completion which are certified by SFUSD with a notarized letter of authenticity signed by a District official, such as the Registrar or Assistant Registrar.

The California Secretary of State (CA SOS) apostille process begins with the submission of the notarized diploma or transcript. A CA SOS staff member first reviews the academic record to confirm that it is eligible for an apostille and verifies the signature of the notary public who signed and stamped the record. If the document meets all requirements, the Secretary of State issues a numbered apostille certificate, which is attached to the diploma or transcript. The apostille is then permanently bound to the document with the official red circular seal, stamped so that it appears partially on both the apostille certificate and the academic record. Our expedited apostille service completes this process in as little as one to two business days.

Countries that are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention (such as Thailand, the UAE, or Vietnam) require additional embassy or consulate authentication and often U.S. State Department legalization. We will detail the additional authentication services required and the timeline for obtaining them in our price quote. (See Step 3 below).

How do I get my academic records apostilled or legalized?

You do not need to be physically present during this process. Just follow the steps below.

Step 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. SFUSD notarizes cover letters for diplomas and transcripts separately. Therefore, if you need both, that will count as two apostilled documents.

Step 2: Give permission to the District to work with us

If you already have an official copy of the academic record, you can ship it directly to our office. If not, then you'll need to order one from the District. First, contact SFUSD to place your order for an official copy of your diploma, transcript, or both. Please also give permission for us to meet with the registrar to notarize a cover letter(letter of authenticity) for each document. The Secretary of State will not legalize school records that are not certified and notarized. Suggested language:

I, [your full name], need to get an official copy of my [transcript / diploma / transcript and diploma] from [name of school] apostilled for use in [destination country]. I hereby grant SF Notary + Apostille permission to notarize the registrar's signature on a letter of authenticity and take possession of this document.

If you are a parent ordering copies for your child, we suggest language along the lines of:

I, [your full name], need an apostilled copy of my child [child's full name]'s [transcript / diploma / transcript and diploma] from [name of school] for use in [destination country]. I hereby grant SF Notary permission to notarize the registrar’s signature on a letter of authenticity and take possession of this document.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact the SFUSD Transcripts, Records & Work Permits Office at +1 (415) 750-4500 or transcripts@sfusd.edu.

Step 3: Place an SFUSD apostille order with SF Notary + Apostille

Pricing depends on the type of authentication required and shipping costs. For a price quote, please email info@sfnotary.com 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 SFUSD

• 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 respond without delay with a price quote, estimated timing, and payment instructions. Once we receive payment, we will start the apostille/legalization process.

Step 4: We do the rest

The SFUSD Registrar will let us know when they are ready to schedule an appointment to notarize the registrar's signature. After notarization, we will obtain an apostille from the California Secretary of State in Sacramento and ship it within one to two business days. If you need the certificate legalized for a non-Hague apostille country, we will obtain the consulate, embassy and/or US State Department authentications for you for an additional fee, then ship it as soon as it is fully apostilled and legalized. We use FedEx Priority Overnight Service for USA destinations and FedEx International Priority Service for overseas destinations. For any document shipped overseas, we will also send you a scan of the apostilled document for your records.

Contact us about an SFUSD apostille

For more information or to place your order, please email info@sfnotary.com or call +1 (415) 655-9455.

Which schools are eligible for SF Unified School District apostille/authentication?

Most of the requests we receive for diploma/transcript apostilles from SFUSD are for high schools, but any school within the district that issues these documents is eligible for notarization and apostille. SFUSD schools include:

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.