Why a California Apostille Request Gets Rejected: 5 Reasons
5 reasons a document comes back without an apostille, and how to check yours in advance.
Reason 1: The document isn't from California
The Secretary of State certifies the signatures of California officials. It will not apostille a birth certificate from New York, a diploma from Illinois, or a power of attorney notarized in Florida, and this isn't a judgment call.
A document like that goes to the state that issued it or where the notary is commissioned. We can handle the apostille in that state for you.
Reason 2: The wrong official signed it
For birth and death certificates, the apostille goes on the signature of a county clerk, a county recorder, or the State Registrar. If your certificate was issued by a city or county agency and signed by a local registrar, you may need an extra step first: have it certified by the clerk's office in the county where it was issued, or get a certified copy from the county recorder or the California Department of Public Health.
This is easy to check: look at whose signature and title appear at the bottom of the document.
Reason 3: The document isn't notarized
A power of attorney, a statement, a consent form, or a copy isn't signed by a state official on its own. These documents get an apostille through a notary: first the signature is notarized, then the apostille goes on the notary's signature.
The Secretary of State doesn't perform notarizations, so there is no way around this order.
Reason 4: The document is for use in a U.S. territory
Apostilles are issued only for use outside the United States. Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other U.S. territories don't get an apostille: a notarial act is enough there.
Reason 5: The notarial certificate isn't in English
The document itself can be in any language. The notarial certificate is a different matter: the Secretary of State says plainly that it can issue an apostille if the notarization is in English, and the rest of the document can be in any language.
What to do before you file
Send us a scan of the document. We'll look at whose signature is on it and which state it should go to, and tell you whether an extra step is needed.
The rules are published by the California Secretary of State: sos.ca.gov
