States › California
Apostille in California
Issued by California Secretary of State, Notary Public Section.
Verified against the official source on 2026-11-02Where is your California document going?
Pick the country to see whether it accepts the apostille or needs consular legalization.
How to apply
| Ways to apply | By mailWalk-in |
|---|---|
| Office | California Secretary of State, Notary Public Section |
| Walk-in address | Sacramento: Secretary of State, 1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814; Los Angeles: Secretary of State, 300 South Spring Street, Room 12513, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (no appointment needed) |
| Mailing address | USPS: Notary Public Section, P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, CA 94277-0001; FedEx/UPS/DHL: Notary Public Section, 1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814 |
| Payment accepted | check, money order, Visa, Mastercard, cash |
| Notarization or prior certification | Documents must be notarized before submitting (the Secretary of State does not provide notary services). The notarization must be in English for an Apostille to be issued, even if the rest of the document is in another language. California birth/death certificates: signatures of county clerks, county recorders or the State Registrar can be apostilled; certificates signed by a Health Officer or County Registrar may first need county clerk certification or a certified copy from the county recorder or CDPH. |
| Common documents | notarized documents (English notarization), California birth certificates, California death certificates, documents certified by a county clerk or county recorder, documents signed by the State Registrar (CDPH) |
| Fee details | $20.00 per Apostille. In person (Sacramento/Los Angeles) an additional $6.00 Special Handling fee is required for each different public official's signature to be authenticated; the special handling fee does not apply to mailed requests. |
| Processing time (official wording) | Mail: processed in the order received (no expediting; see the office's Current Processing Times page). In person: same-day service at Sacramento, Los Angeles and Pop-Up Shop events. |
| Phone | (916) 653-6814 |
Source
https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/request-apostille
Editor's note
Payment methods differ by channel: mail = check or money order payable to Secretary of State; Sacramento in person = Visa/Mastercard, check, money order, cash; Los Angeles in person = Visa/Mastercard, check, money order (cash NOT accepted). Los Angeles services were temporarily on the 1st floor, Suite 1215, due to an elevator outage at time of verification. Email [email protected] is listed as the Notary Public Section inbox on the FAQ page but is not designated for apostille requests. Specific mail turnaround is only given on the separate Current Processing Times page (not captured).