For students or job seekers traveling abroad, an apostille may be required for your college diploma or transcripts. If you need an apostille or authentication for your existing degree to advance your studies in another country, or if you need to verify your credentials to start a new job outside of the USA, then we can help you.
What is an Apostille?
Your first question may be to ask “What exactly is an Apostille? What does it do, and why is it needed?
An Apostille is a seal or document that authenticates the signature on the documents. the National Notary Association states that Apostilles and authentication certificates validate the seal and signature of a Notary on a document so that it can be accepted in a foreign country.
College Diploma or Transcript Apostille Process
If you are advancing your career or studies in another country, you will first need to provide certified documentation of your existing credentials. University Diplomas and Transcripts are the most popularly requested by other countries during this process, but awards and participation in groups or clubs may also may apostilled. The apostille is considered a legal document that will certify the signatures and notarization of your diploma or a transcript, and can only be issued by the Secretary of State.
You will need to contact your college or university to obtain copies of your diploma or grade transcripts. You can accomplish this by contacting the institution’s Registrar department. Many clients wish to use a photocopy of their transcripts or diploma, generally this is not an acceptable option for the receiving country. Verify this with the agency requesting the documents from you.
- Step One: Contact your school’s Registrar for your diploma or transcripts. Make sure this is notarized. Diplomas and Transcripts must be notarized by the school prior to apostille.
- Step Two: Arrange for Houston Notary Solutions to receive your documents so that an apostille seal can be obtained.
- Step Three: Send documents to the country requesting them or, deliver in person
Clients are encouraged to verify with the requesting country if their documents will also need to be translated to another language. If the document is presented in English and the receiving country requires it to be in another language, there may be delays in your ability to move forward with a new job or school enrollment.
Obtaining the Apostille and Submitting it
Determine how soon you will need the apostille for your academic documents, and contact Houston Notary Solutions to return the documents to you in a timely process.
Our apostille notary will arrange to receive your documents either by picking up directly, or, by the client submitting through UPS or FedEx (if they are out of state). We typically turn documents around in 3-5 days, but pricing depends on the client’s needs, so contact us directly for a quote. Houston Notary Solutions 713-357-1924