Apostille
What is an apostille?
Which countries/territories are currently signatories of the convention?
What is the purpose of an apostille?
What is a Certificate of Authority?
How do I request an apostille?
Who can I contact if I have questions?
Apostille is a French word meaning footnote, and it’s an additional form of authentication given to a notarized document to certify that the document is a true copy of the original. So while it does certify that the form is an exact copy of the original, it does not certify that the content is accurate. Below is a partial list of documents that can be given an apostille.
- Diplomas
- Transcripts
Only those countries who participate in the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents can participate in the service. The Office of the Secretary of State provides apostille and authentication service to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals for documents that will be used overseas. The Office of the Registrar sends the documents to the Indiana Secretary of State who, in turn, sends the apostille documents to the country of intended use.
Which countries/territories are currently signatories of the convention?
A list of countries that accept apostilles is provided by the U.S. State Department.
What is the purpose of an apostille?
Its main purpose is to simplify the certification of documents (including notarized) to be used in countries that are part of the Hague Convention of 1961 and to streamline the process of transferring documents from one country to another. With the apostille, the document is entitled to recognition in the country of intended use and no other certification or authorization is required.
What is a Certificate of Authority?
A certificate of authority is a document that verifies the validity of the notary. The Monroe County Clerk’s Office in the Justice Building provides this service. The current fee is $1.00 cash per document. Cash payment should be provided by the student requesting the certificate.
How do I request an apostille?
Student responsibilities:
Print and complete the Apostille Request form.
The Indiana State House will want to know either the country to which you are travelling, or the country requiring the authentication.
Contact a government agency in the country of intended use to determine what type of certification you’ll need: an apostille or certificate of authority, or both.
Determine if the diploma needs to be an original or if a copy will suffice.
If an original diploma is required and you no longer have the original, a duplicate diploma can be ordered prior to requesting an apostille.
Call the Registrar’s Office at (812) 855-0121 to verify there are no holds on your record that would prohibit this service.
Certified documents require:
A pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope. This envelope will be used by the office of the Indiana Secretary of State to mail the document to the address provided by you. Contact the USPS (United States Postal Service) to determine the cost. If you prefer to use FedEx Priority delivery please see the instructions below.
If requesting a certificate of authority enclose $1.00 cash for each document.
FedEx Delivery Option
At the student’s request, the document(s) can be delivered by FedEx Priority for shipments within the United States or FedEx International Priority for shipments outside the United States. FedEx is the only rush delivery service available.
Important Federal Express Priority Service Information:
- Our standard rate for FedEx Priority shipments to a U.S. address is $25.00.
- Our standard rate for FedEx International Priority for shipments to a non-U.S. address is $45.00
- Payment by credit card is required when opting for FedEx delivery. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. Any request for FedEx service that does not include a valid credit card number and expiration date will result in the document(s) being mailed regular mail via U.S. Postal Service.
- FedEx will not deliver to a Post Office box, so please specify a street address.
- FedEx requires a phone number for the recipient of the shipment be included on the air bill. Requests for FedEx service that do not include the required recipient phone number will result in the document(s) being mailed regular mail via U.S. Postal Service.
- FedEx may be unable to provide delivery service to some remote locations. If you have any address delivery concerns, contact FedEx to confirm delivery is available to the recipient address prior to submitting your request.
- For more information about Federal Express Priority delivery, go to www.fedex.com or call 1.800.463.3339 for questions regarding U.S. domestic shipments, 1.800.247.4747 for international shipments. Call your local FedEx office if calling from outside the United States.
Office of the Registrar’s responsibilities:
Verify the student’s record to ensure there are no holds that would prohibit processing.
Notarize the diploma and/or transcript.
If certificate of authority is required, mail notarized diploma and/or transcript to County Clerk’s Office with $1.00 cash for each document provided by the student. The County Clerk’s Office returns the certified documents to the Office of the Registrar.
Mail the notarized diploma and/or transcript with a cover letter to the Indiana Secretary of State requesting the apostille. Include the pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope provided by the student.
Who can I contact if I have questions?
Office of the Registrar
Franklin Hall 100
601 East Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-1223
(812) 855-0121
Indiana Secretary of State
Authentication Department
302 W Washington Street, Room E-018
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-2677
Monroe County Clerk’s Office
301 N College Ave
Bloomington, IN 47404
Ph: (812) 349-2600
Fax: (812) 349-2610
