Apostille and notarization

An Apostille is a form of certification recognized abroad. For U of M students, an apostille is obtained from the Minnesota Secretary of State. There are two ways to obtain an Apostille:

• You can request it yourself directly to the Secretary of State.
• OTR can facilitate the process on your behalf (see instructions below). OTR’s Apostille service includes:
  • Obtaining official copies of the required records with signatures
  • Having the signatures notarized
  • Obtaining the Apostille from the Minnesota Secretary of State

Review Minnesota Secretary of State website for complete information on obtaining an Apostille. This is especially important if you plan to get the Apostille yourself.

Process documents at the same time

We recommend that you process all the required documents at the same time and that you confirm all requirements and fees ahead of time. The country or foreign entity may require your transcript, diploma, coursework, and possibly the course descriptions on your transcript. Find out exactly what they need ahead of time in order to avoid any delays or errors in your supplied documents.

Duplicate diploma processing time

When you request a duplicate diploma from the University, there is a two-week processing time. This is regardless of notarization, request for Apostille, or priority shipping method.

Translating your records

Some countries may require all the required records to be translated into a different language. To find out if this is necessary, contact the embassy of the country for which you are obtaining the Apostille. Depending on the country, the translation may need to be done by someone recognized by the host government as an official translator. If any educational documentation required is from a state other than Minnesota, the authentication process for those records should be done in that state.

If you plan to obtain an Apostille yourself but need to get your records notarized, request notarization when you request your records.

1. Submit a Request for Official Transcript (pdf form).
   Note: for notarization, you MUST order the transcript via the PDF form. You cannot request notarization through Parchment.
2. Mark that you want notarization in the Special Instructions on page 2.
3. Follow the instructions on the form to submit.

The Office of the Registrar (OTR) on the Twin Cities campus can facilitate the Apostille process for you. The service includes the following:

• Processing your records
• Notarizing your records
• Requesting and obtaining the Apostille from the Minnesota Secretary of State
• Shipping your certified records to their final destination

Costs and fees

The University of Minnesota collects $5 per document for the Apostille to cover costs required by the Minnesota Secretary of State. The U of M does not charge additional fees for producing duplicate diplomas, transcripts, and certification letters.

FedEx Priority shipping is required for Apostille requests due to the time-sensitive nature of these requests. Once your document is produced, you will receive two tracking numbers for your Apostille request: One for the shipment between the University of Minnesota and the Secretary of State and one between the Secretary of State and the final destination.

• $30 for domestic addresses as the final destination
• $15 for international addresses as the final destination

If you will be obtaining an Apostille yourself instead of through the University of Minnesota, you must pay for notarization and the cost of the Apostille from the Secretary of State.

What to submit

• The following two forms:
  • Apostille Request form
  • State of Minnesota Secretary of State Authentication Request
  • Note: You can request your student records on the Apostille Request form only if you are using OTR’s Apostille service.
     
• Request for verification letter if applicable
  • If you require information not included on the transcript or diploma, you must submit a written document stating specifically what needs to be included on the verification letter.
     
• Payment
  • Grand total indicated in Section B of the University of Minnesota Apostille Request form, made to the University of Minnesota by credit card, check, money order, or cash in a lump sum.
     
• Any other documents required by the foreign entity
  • In some cases, the foreign business or institution may require additional documents that are not supplied by the University or OTR. Know what these are before you submit a request for Apostille and include them when you send your request to OTR.