North Carolina Diploma & Transcript Apostille Guide

An apostille on an educational document authenticates a signature and seal — not your grades, your degree's validity, or your school's accreditation. Usually it is an in-state notary's signature (the notary attests that your copy is a true copy), or the school registrar's signature where the state keeps that signature on file. A diploma is the certificate awarding your degree; a transcript is the registrar's record of courses and grades. The institution or employer abroad decides which one it wants — and sometimes both — so confirm their requirement before you order, since the apostille itself simply certifies that the signature on the document is genuine.

Start by requesting an official copy from your school or registrar — either an official diploma copy or a registrar-sealed transcript. Here is what you need:

• Sealed official copy: an official diploma or a registrar-sealed transcript — kept in the school's sealed envelope where required.
• A signature to authenticate: an apostille authenticates a signature/seal — usually the in-state notary who attests the copy, or the school registrar's signature where the state keeps it on file.
• Accredited institution: issued by an accredited school, college, or university.

If the school provides a sealed transcript, keep it sealed where required — breaking the seal can void it. A document from an unaccredited institution will not be accepted.

There are two routes to get a signature the state can authenticate; confirm which one your state and school support before you pay.

• Notarized true copy: Most common: an in-state notary attests a true copy of the diploma/transcript (or the school official signs before a notary); the state then apostilles the notary's signature.
• Registrar-certified copy: Some states authenticate the school registrar's signature directly when it is on file — no notary needed.

With the first route you bring the diploma or transcript to an in-state notary who attests it as a true copy, and North Carolina then apostilles that notary's signature. With the second, the registrar's signature is authenticated directly, so no notary is involved. Check with both your school and the state before paying any fee, because not every institution supports the registrar route.

For the notarized route, North Carolina's authentications guide states signatures from county Register of Deeds and Clerk of Superior Court are accepted signer categories for corresponding documents. So the notary who attests your true copy must hold a valid North Carolina commission. If your notary's commission is not already on file with the state, you may need a county certification of the notary's signature before the Secretary of State can apostille it — confirm this when you have the document notarized.

Submit your notarized (or registrar-certified) copy to the state apostille authority:

1. 1.
   The document

   the original sealed/certified report or copy — not a plain photocopy

2. 2.
   Request form

   Required form (download: https://www.sosnc.gov/documents/forms/authentication/authentication-request-cover-sheet.pdf), stating the destination country

3. 3.
   Payment

   for the apostille fee (see Fees below)

4. 4.
   Return envelope

   self-addressed; add a prepaid tracked label for return

As of 2026-02-25, the Secretary of State does not publish a fixed processing estimate or a live queue date for authentications, so turnaround times vary — check the official authentications page for current timing before you mail. Remember that getting the sealed official copy from your school and having it notarized each add their own time on top of the apostille step, so build that in when you plan.

Many destinations require a certified translation of your diploma or transcript along with its apostille, and some also require a credential evaluation that maps your degree to local equivalents. The receiving country, institution, or employer sets these requirements — not North Carolina — so confirm exactly what they expect, and whether the translation must accompany the apostille, before you submit.