Why you may need apostille on Diploma

If you are planning to live, study, or work in another country, you will likely need an official copy of your diplomas and school transcripts. The level of the diplomas and transcripts required depend on the job or school you will be going to, but may include high school, college and university, as well as professional certifications. This is especially important if you plan to attend a graduate school or work in a position that requires higher education or certification.

Most official documents, including diplomas and transcripts, will only be accepted by foreign governments if “official” copies have been authenticated. The acceptable authentication process varies depending on the country or countries you will be visiting. Member countries of the Hague Convention of 1961 (currently 80 countries, 79 states, and one Regional Economic Integration Organization) require a stamp of authenticity known as a “document apostille”. Other countries require a Certificate of Authenticity from the U.S. Office of Authentications or U.S. Department of State, but may also require further stamps and seals including Consular legalization.

Purchasing a Certified Copy of Diploma

The first step to obtaining a diploma or transcript apostille is purchasing a certified copy of your documents. Official transcripts issued by the university or school must be certified as an official record or a true copy of the original document by a school official. The school official’s signature must be notarized. In many states, the notary public’s signature must then be certified by the County Clerk in the county where the notary public is qualified to certify.

Obtaining an Apostille Stamp on Diploma

Once you receive your certified copy, you can obtain an apostille from the designated Competent Authority in the state where the document was issued. No state can apostille a document issued by another state, and the U.S. Department of State will almost never issue an apostille for any state issued documents; however, they will provide a Certificate of Authenticity if your document is not going to a Hague Convention country. This means that if you have additional documents from other schools, each will need to be certified by that particular school and county, then apostilled in the state in which the school has its main offices.

Once you receive your diploma and transcript apostilles, you will want to have them translated because most countries will not consider documents “legal” unless they are translated into the language of the country in which they will be presented. Be aware that accepted translations must meet strictest certification and notarization requirements. In addition to translating the apostille, it is highly recommended that you obtain a certified professional translation of your documents as well.

Diploma retrieving services

If you are already living overseas and need to receive apostilled transcripts or diplomas, the process can be time-consuming and troubling. Time differences, mailing costs, and other obstacles can often make the process seem impossible. If you find yourself in this situation, you may want to consider using a document retrieval service.

To ensure your documents are processed properly and in time (many certified documents are only considered valid for an apostille for 6 months), you should seriously consider using a professional apostille company. Tight timelines, inconsistent application procedures, and varied requirements based on your destination country or countries add to the frustration of the apostille and translation process, but professional apostille companies navigate these waters thousands of times each month, and these are services you can’t afford to have performed improperly.

Why hire us for apostilling educational documents

Apoling Solutions is a full-service apostille, translation, and document retrieval service. This means that from one location, Apoling Solutions retrieves documents, orders certified copies, apostilles and authenticates documents, translates, certifies translations, and will get your documents back to you. Once you let Apoling Solutions know your plans, they will work with you to obtain your diploma and transcript apostilles from any of the 50 U.S. states and/or the U.S. State Department depending on your needs. If you live overseas, Apoling Solutions will retrieve your documents and apostilles for you.

With Apoling Solutions, you need to contact just one agency regardless of where you live or how many documents you need. Even better, you have peace of mind knowing that your documents will be legal, accepted, and not require any additional services because they are guaranteed to align with all international and domestic requirements.