Texas Diploma & Transcript Apostille Guide

An apostille on an Educational Diploma / Transcript authenticates a signature and seal — it does not certify your grades, your degree, or the school's accreditation. Usually the signature being authenticated belongs to an in-state notary who attests that your copy is a true copy of the original, or to the school registrar where the state keeps that signature on file. The same idea applies whether you are apostilling a diploma (the degree certificate itself) or a transcript (the record of courses and grades). Which one you need is up to the institution or employer abroad that asked for it, so check their instructions before you order anything — they decide whether they want the diploma, the transcript, or both.

First, get the right document from your school or registrar. Order an official diploma copy or a registrar-sealed transcript directly from the institution. What you need comes down to a few things:

• 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.

Where the school provides the transcript in a sealed envelope, keep it sealed; opening it can void it for authentication. A document from an unaccredited institution will not be accepted, so confirm your school's accreditation before you start.

There are two ways to give the state a signature it can authenticate, and which one applies depends on your state and your school. Confirm the route 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. This is the route most people use.
• Registrar-certified copy — Some states authenticate the school registrar's signature directly when it is on file — no notary needed.

Do not assume one or the other. Ask your school whether its registrar's signature is on file with the state, and confirm Texas supports that route, before you spend anything on notarization or the apostille fee.

If you take the notarized route, a Texas notary attests that your copy is a true copy, and the Texas Secretary of State authenticates that notary's signature directly. No separate intermediate state-published county-authentication step was identified before the apostille when you submit a properly notarized record — so once your copy is notarized, it is ready to go to the state. Make sure the notary's commission details are complete and legible, since the state has to match that signature to authenticate it.

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(s) (download: https://www.sos.texas.gov/statdoc/forms/2102new.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 2026-02-24, the apostille authority states: "Mailed Authentication Requests can take up to twenty-five (25) business days to process your request from the day of receipt. Current processing time may exceed this timeframe due to high demand." Queue times drift, so treat this as a snapshot and check the official page before you rely on it. Remember that getting the sealed copy from your school and having it notarized adds its own time before the state ever sees your packet.

Many destinations require a certified translation of your diploma or transcript and its apostille, and some also require a separate credential evaluation that maps your degree to the local system. The receiving country or institution sets these requirements, not Texas, and they vary widely. Confirm exactly what they expect before you submit, so a missing translation or evaluation doesn't send you back to the start.