Authentications

• NC Attorney General's Office

• NC Legislative Services

School Documents

If your document is a diploma or other school document issued by a NC high school, college, or university, then you need to get it notarized. A school seal applied to the document by the school registrar is not acceptable.

Age of Document

If your document signature is older than April 1, 2000, then the NC SOS cannot certify it. The Secretary of State certifies documents that date only as far back as April 1, 2000; none before that date.

Copies of Documents

If you are using a copy of a document, then you will need to get a notarized true copy affidavit saying that the document is a "true copy" of the original. See the Cover Letters & Templates page for a downloadable True Copy affidavit form.

Notarized versus Certified

A notarized document is one that the notary has verified the identity and signature of the signer before them. The notary witnesses their signature of the document.

A certified document (or certified copy) usually refers to vital records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates. The original vital record stays on file with the jurisdictional agency (county). Only the agency that issued the vital record, can certify the copy of it. For example, your birth certificate is not an original document. It’s a certified copy of the vital record on file with the county.

Submissions for Apostille

First, get your document notarized and make sure the document is in English. If the document is not in English, get a certified and notarized translation for the document.

Copies

If the document is a copy of the original, you can use a True Copy Affidavit saying that the document is a “true copy” of the original. Affidavits can be downloaded on the Forms page.

Document Age

Your document’s official signature must not date back further than April 1, 2000.

Submission Package

Send the following to the NC Secretary of State: