Need a California Apostille but Live Outside California? How to Get It Done Without Traveling

October 15, 2026 · DC Mobile Notary™ — Washington, DC

Quick answer

Only the California Secretary of State can apostille a California document — a birth, death or marriage certificate, a court order, or a document notarized by a California notary. The fee is $20 per apostille. Mailed requests go to Sacramento only, are processed in the order received and can't be expedited. Same-day service is available only in person, at the counters in Sacramento and Los Angeles.

If you live outside California, you don't need to travel there. DC Mobile Notary™ handles California apostilles for clients anywhere in the U.S. and abroad: any California vital record, any California court document, federal apostilles in Washington, DC, remote notarization with an apostille, and embassy legalization. Our team submits in person in California and delivers the finished document to your door. Call 202-247-0837.

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Why a California apostille is hard to get from out of state

• In-person service is only in Sacramento and Los Angeles. If you live in Texas, New York or overseas, that's a flight.
• Mail can't be sped up. Mailed requests are handled in the order received, and the Secretary of State says it can't pull submissions for expedited service. Overnight shipping shortens the transit, not the wait.
• The document has to be exactly right. Photocopies are rejected. Court documents need the court's seal and an original clerk's signature. Some birth and death certificates need an extra county certification first.
• You can't notarize a California document online with a California notary yet. California's online notarization law isn't in effect for California notaries, and its start date could be as late as January 1, 2030.

Get any of these wrong and the document comes back weeks later without an apostille. That's the part we take off your plate.

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California documents we apostille — and what each one needs

Not sure which version you have? Send us a photo or scan. Our free pre-check tells you whether it's ready — and exactly what to order if it isn't.

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How we get your California apostille — from wherever you are

1. Free pre-check. Send us a scan or photo of your document and tell us which country it's going to. We confirm it's the right version before you pay. Start your free 24-hour pre-check.
2. Send us the original. We tell you where to ship it for the fastest route.
3. We submit in person in California. Our Los Angeles team takes your document to the Secretary of State's counter for same-day service, instead of joining the mail queue in Sacramento.
4. We deliver it to your door — anywhere in the U.S. or internationally, with tracking.

See our nationwide apostille services for every other state.

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Federal apostilles from Washington, DC

Lived or worked in California and need an FBI background check, a USCIS certificate, a NARA naturalization record or an IRS letter apostilled? Those are federal documents. The California Secretary of State can't apostille them — only the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC can.

That's where we're based. We hand-deliver federal documents to the U.S. Department of State ourselves. Our expedited federal turnaround is 9 business days; the standard mail-in route runs 5+ weeks. More in our guides to federal apostilles for California residents and the FBI background check apostille in California.

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Remote notarization and apostille — no California notary needed

Many people searching for a "California apostille" don't actually need one. If what you need is a document you sign — an affidavit, a power of attorney, a consent letter, a sworn statement — and the receiving country accepts any U.S. apostille, you can skip California entirely.

Sign on a live video call with our commissioned notary, from anywhere in the U.S. or abroad, subject to identity verification. We turn that remote notarization into a physical apostille and mail the original to you. Your part takes about 10 minutes. Standard apostille turnaround is 5 business days after notarization, with expedited service typically 2–3 business days. See remote online notarization + apostille.

The apostille comes from the state where the notary is commissioned, not from California. If your receiving authority specifically requires a California notarization, our mobile notaries in California can meet you in person.

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Embassy legalization for non-Hague countries

If your California document is going to a country outside the Hague Apostille Convention — the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and others — an apostille alone won't be accepted. The California Secretary of State issues the same apostille for every destination, so for these countries the chain continues:

1. California Secretary of State apostille.
2. U.S. Department of State authentication in Washington, DC.
3. Embassy or consulate legalization for the destination country.

The federal and embassy steps happen in Washington, DC, where we hand-deliver documents ourselves. See our embassy legalization services, or for the UAE, our UAE legalization and attestation services.

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Mistakes that get California apostilles rejected

• Sending a photocopy. California requires the original certified or notarized document.
• Sending an emailed or conformed court copy. It needs the court's seal and an original clerk's signature.
• A birth certificate signed by a local registrar, without a county clerk certification.
• Sending a federal document to Sacramento. FBI, USCIS and IRS documents go to the U.S. Department of State.
• Expecting overnight mail to speed things up. It only shortens shipping, not processing.
• A notarial certificate that isn't in English. The rest of the document can be in another language; the notarization can't.
• Stopping at the apostille for a non-Hague country. It still needs the U.S. Department of State and the embassy.

One more thing to check: some receiving authorities want certified copies issued recently, often within a few months. Ask before you order.

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Why out-of-state clients use DC Mobile Notary

We've been authenticating documents for 10 years — more than 100,000 documents for use in 90+ countries — with an A+ BBB rating and a 4.9-star average across Google, Yelp and Trustpilot. Our offices are in Washington, DC, Arlington, VA and Manhattan, and our nationwide team submits state documents in person in Los Angeles and other major cities.

One team handles the whole thing: the California apostille, any federal apostille, remote notarization and embassy legalization. You don't need to know which office does what. We do.

Phone: 202-247-0837 | Email: support@dcmobilenotary.com
Mail physical documents to: 5315 Langston Blvd, Suite B, Arlington, VA 22207
DC office: 2001 L St NW, Suite 545, Washington, DC

→ Free 24-hour pre-check
→ Apostille services

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Frequently asked questions

Can I get a California apostille if I live in another state?
Yes. Only the California Secretary of State can issue it, but you don't need to go there. We submit your document in person in California and deliver it to you anywhere in the U.S. or abroad.

How much does a California apostille cost?
The California Secretary of State charges $20 per apostille. In-person requests add a $6 special handling fee for each different official's signature.

Can I mail my document to the California Secretary of State?
Yes, but mailed requests go to Sacramento only, are processed in the order received and can't be expedited. Same-day service is available only in person in Sacramento or Los Angeles.

How do I apostille a California birth certificate from out of state?
Get a certified copy from the county recorder or the California Department of Public Health. If it's signed by a local registrar, it needs a county clerk certification first. Then it goes to the California Secretary of State — we can handle that step in person for you.

Can a California court document be apostilled?
Yes, if it's a certified copy from the Superior Court with the court's seal and an original clerk's signature. Emailed PDFs and conformed copies are rejected.

Can California apostille an FBI background check?
No. An FBI background check is a federal document and is apostilled by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC. We hand-deliver it there, with an expedited turnaround of 9 business days.

Can I get a document notarized online and apostilled instead?
Yes, for documents you sign, if your receiving country accepts any U.S. apostille. You sign by video with our commissioned notary and receive a physical apostille by mail. California notaries can't notarize online yet.

What if my document is going to the UAE or another non-Hague country?
After the California apostille, it needs U.S. Department of State authentication and embassy or consulate legalization. We handle every step.

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Official sources

• California Secretary of State — Request an apostille: https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/request-apostille
• California Secretary of State — Apostille FAQs: https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/apostille-faqs
• National Notary Association — California SB 696 (online notarization): https://nationalnotary.org/knowledge-center/news/law-updates/ca-senate-bill-696
• U.S. Department of State — Requesting authentication services: https://travel.state.gov/en/replace-certify/authenticate-documents/request-services.html
• HCCH — Apostille Convention status table: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

This article is general information about document authentication procedures, not legal advice. Government fees and requirements change. Confirm what your receiving authority requires before you submit.