Every California apostille is issued by the California Secretary of State, Notary Public Section. Walk-ins go to the Sacramento public counter at 1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor, or the Los Angeles office at 300 South Spring Street. Mail to P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, CA 94277-0001. Fee: $20 per apostille plus $6 per additional public-official signature.
Three checks before you file in Sacramento
Most counter rejections come down to one of three pre-filing misses. If any of these is unclear, run the $35 Document Check first — one business day to confirm eligibility, and the $35 is credited to your apostille service when you proceed.
- ✓ The document is California-issued or California-notarized. The California Secretary of State only authenticates California-source documents — federal records route through the federal authentication routing at the U.S. Department of State.
- ✓ The destination is a Hague Apostille Convention party. If not, the document needs embassy or consulate legalization instead.
- ✓ The underlying record is in the correct form — a CDPH or county certified copy for vital records; a current-commission notary acknowledgement for notarized documents.
What the California Secretary of State Apostille Office Does
The California Secretary of State Notary Public Section authenticates the signature and seal of a California public official — a notary public, county clerk, or state registrar — by attaching an apostille. The apostille is the international authentication certificate established by the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961.
The office does not verify the content of the underlying document. It verifies that the signature, seal, or stamp on the document belongs to a person currently authorized to sign it in California. Once the apostille is attached, the document is accepted by any of the 120+ countries that are party to the Convention.
Documents the office can authenticate include: California birth, marriage, and death certificates issued by the California Department of Public Health or a county recorder; documents notarized by a California notary public; California court documents bearing a clerk’s certification; and California-issued business records such as articles of incorporation and certificates of good standing. See eligible California documents for the full list.
Three Routine Filing Routes
1. Sacramento Public Counter (3rd Floor) — Walk-In
California Secretary of State
Notary Public Section
1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Service: walk-in, same-day when the document is eligible and counter capacity allows. No appointments. Take a numbered ticket on arrival.
Payment accepted: Visa, Mastercard, check, money order, cash.
Phone (general SOS Notary Section): (916) 653-6814.
2. Los Angeles Regional Office — Walk-In
California Secretary of State
Notary Public Section
300 South Spring Street, Room 12513
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Service: walk-in, same-day when the document is eligible and counter capacity allows. No appointments.
Payment accepted: Visa, Mastercard, check, money order. Cash is not accepted at the Los Angeles office.
Verify current room: as of 2026 the LA office has temporarily relocated within the building due to an elevator outage. Confirm the current room on sos.ca.gov before traveling. See Los Angeles regional office for the live address.
3. Mail Filing — Sacramento (Carrier-Specific)
USPS only:
California Secretary of State
Notary Public Section
P.O. Box 942877
Sacramento, CA 94277-0001
FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other private carriers:
California Secretary of State
Notary Public Section
1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Private carriers cannot deliver to a P.O. Box. USPS does not deliver to the 11th Street loading dock. Using the wrong address returns the package to the sender unprocessed. Mail filings require the document, a destination-country cover sheet, a check or money order payable to “Secretary of State”, and a self-addressed return envelope. Full requirements on the mail filing route page.
Pop-Up Shop Events
The California Secretary of State also runs a Secretary of State Pop-Up Shop schedule in partnership with county offices — in-person apostille service brought to locations across California throughout the year. Upcoming dates and past locations are posted on the SOS site.
California Apostille Fees
Statutory fees set by California law:
- $20.00 per apostille (per document).
- $6.00 Special Handling fee for each additional public-officer signature authenticated on the same submission.
- No surcharge for walk-in versus mail — the $20 per-apostille fee is identical across routes.
Apostille San Francisco’s service fee is separate from these statutory fees and covers document review, courier to the Sacramento or Los Angeles counter, return delivery, and routing accuracy. See service + state fee breakdown for the full picture.
Hours and Current Processing Times
Public counter hours and current mail processing windows are dynamic. Both are posted by the California Secretary of State on its Secretary of State posted processing time page and can change with seasonal volume. Sacramento and Los Angeles counters typically allow for same-day filing when the visitor is in line during posted hours and the document meets eligibility requirements. Same-day outcomes are not guaranteed by the Secretary of State.
For an in-person/by-mail comparison and historical context on backlog, see current processing timelines.
What the Office Does Not Do
- Federal documents. FBI background checks, USCIS records, IRS documents, and any document signed by a federal official go through the federal authentication routing at the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C.
- Out-of-state documents. A birth certificate from Texas must be apostilled by Texas, not California. The Sacramento office only authenticates California-source documents.
- Embassy or consulate legalization. If the destination country is not a Hague party, the document needs embassy or consulate legalization rather than an apostille.
- Document substance review. The office does not verify whether content is correct, current, or sufficient for the receiving country. Substance review is the document holder’s responsibility.
- Translation certification. The office authenticates the signature of a California public official; it does not certify translations. A translation is completed by a translator, notarized, and then the apostille is attached to the notarized translation.
How Apostille San Francisco Routes Documents to Sacramento
- Document arrives at our San Francisco hub at 416 Bryant Street by mail, drop-off, or Bay Area mobile notary.
- Pre-filing review. We verify the document is California-issued or California-notarized, the destination country is a Hague party, the notary commission is current, and the underlying certification is in order. Roughly one in five documents we receive needs correction before filing — this step is where the $20 state fee is protected from a counter rejection.
- Courier to Sacramento or Los Angeles. We carry the document to the California Secretary of State counter and pay the $20 statutory filing fee (plus $6 per additional signature) on the client’s behalf.
- Apostille attached. The Secretary of State attaches the apostille certificate to the document.
- Return delivery to the client by tracked courier or carrier of choice (FedEx, USPS Priority, international DHL).
The Seven Most Common Counter Rejections (and the Fix)
- Informational copy of a vital record. The office cannot apostille an informational birth or marriage record — only CDPH-issued or county-recorder-issued certified copies are eligible. Fix: order a certified copy before traveling to the counter.
- Notary acknowledgement with an expired commission. The notary’s commission must be current as of the date of notarization. Fix: verify the notary’s commission on the SOS notary lookup before submission.
- Federal document filed in California. FBI background checks, USCIS documents, and IRS records require the U.S. Department of State, not California. Fix: route federal records through federal authentication routing.
- Cash brought to the Los Angeles office. LA does not accept cash. Fix: bring Visa, Mastercard, check, or money order.
- Missing destination-country cover sheet. A cover sheet identifying the destination country is required for both counter and mail filings. Fix: include a cover sheet per apostille requested.
- Wrong $6 calculation. The $6 Special Handling fee applies per additional public-officer signature authenticated on the submission — not per page and not per document. Fix: count signatures, not pages.
- Assuming the apostille works for any country. Apostilles are only valid in Hague Convention countries. China (mainland, post-November 2023 accession), India, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the U.K., and most of Europe are Hague parties. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and several others require embassy or consulate legalization instead.
Walk-In vs. Mail vs. Courier — Which Is Right?
Walk-in (counter) filing at Sacramento or Los Angeles: document brought to the counter during posted hours, $20 fee paid (plus $6 per additional signature), apostille typically issued the same business day when capacity allows. Best for urgent timelines, single documents, and sensitive originals where chain of custody matters.
Mail filing to Sacramento: see the mail filing route for the full package list. Best for non-urgent timelines, multiple documents, requesters who cannot travel.
Courier service via Apostille San Francisco: Sacramento is roughly 90 miles from San Francisco — a round trip takes most of a business day. Our courier routes documents on a regular Sacramento schedule and can run same-day in-person filing on a client’s behalf when timing requires it, without the client making the trip.
California Secretary of State Apostille FAQ
Where in California can I get an apostille in person?
What is the California apostille fee?
Can I get a California apostille at a county clerk or city hall?
What is the mail address for a California apostille?
Can the Sacramento office issue an apostille for an FBI background check?
How long does the California Secretary of State take to process a mail filing?
What payment methods does the Sacramento office accept?
Does the California Secretary of State certify translations?
Will the receiving country accept my California apostille?
Do I need an appointment for the Sacramento or Los Angeles counter?
Related Filing Routes and Tools
We file at the California Secretary of State on your behalf.
One business day to verify eligibility, fee, and destination-country routing before the document leaves your hands. The $35 Document Check is credited 100% to your apostille service when you proceed; non-refundable if the document is declined. Counter timing follows the Secretary of State’s posted hours; same-day outcomes are not guaranteed.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-23.