HARVARD LAW SCHOOL · CAMBRIDGE
Harvard Law School Diploma and Transcript Apostilles
Apostilles for Harvard Law School diplomas, transcripts and letters, for LL.M. graduates returning home, J.D. graduates practicing abroad and bar admissions overseas. HLS has a notary, but it requires a letter of authorization before anyone else can pick up your documents. We handle both.
ACADEMIC APOSTILLE
1–2 business days
A personalized quote for every request
- Letter of authorization handled
- Pickup from HLS
- Certified translation for bar admission
- Worldwide shipping with tracking
Harvard Law School's process, explained
Its own registrar
HLS handles its own records, separate from Harvard College and the other schools.
Document Request Form
For J.D., LL.M. and S.J.D. graduates and alumni: transcripts, good standing letters, certificates of attendance and more.
Notary on site
HLS can notarize your documents for the apostille.
Letter of authorization required
HLS needs your signed authorization before we can pick documents up for you. It's typically valid for 30 days.
FROM INSIDE HARVARD
Founded by a former Harvard leader
Our founder spent nearly two decades on Harvard’s administrative leadership team as Director of Administration and Operations and Assistant Director of Finance, overseeing academic units and international centers. That work meant supporting international students, visiting scholars and faculty working abroad, and managing the documentation, compliance and deadlines their programs depended on. She knows how each of Harvard’s decentralized offices handles its records, so your Harvard Law School documents are requested, notarized and authenticated correctly the first time.
How Harvard Law School documents work
Harvard Law School issues its own documents through its registrar, separate from the rest of Harvard. Requests go through HLS's Document Request Form, which covers J.D., LL.M. and S.J.D. graduates and alumni, and includes letters like good standing letters and certificates of attendance as well as transcripts.
HLS has a notary on site, but it won't release your documents to us without a signed letter of authorization from you. Once we have it, we pick up the notarized documents, take them to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth for the apostille and ship them to you anywhere in the world. See our sample letter of authorization.
Why Harvard is different
Harvard isn't one registrar. It's a decentralized university where each school keeps its own records, runs its own registrar's office and sets its own rules for transcripts, diplomas and notarization. What works at one Harvard school can be the wrong request at another, and that's where most delays come from.
Our founder spent nearly two decades on Harvard's administrative leadership team, overseeing academic units and international centers. We know how its schools' offices work, which office holds which record, and how to ask for the right document the first time. At HLS, that means getting your letter of authorization right the first time so the documents are released without a second trip.
Out of state or abroad? You don't need to be here. When your recipient requires the school to certify your record, it's the school official who signs before the notary, not you, and we process the record with the school directly. So you don't need to come to Boston or appear before a notary. We coordinate everything with the registrar, using your signed letter of authorization when the school requires one, and ship the finished documents to you anywhere in the world. See our sample letter of authorization.
What we handle
Diplomas, official transcripts, enrollment and degree verification letters, and certified translations for countries that require them.
Turnaround and pricing
1–2 business days for the Massachusetts apostille once your document is ready. Every request is a little different, so we provide a personalized quote for each one. Get Your Quote
How we make it faster
Harvard Law School graduates we help most
LL.M. graduates returning home
The degree and transcript for bar admission, a law firm or a government post in your home country. This is the request we see most from HLS.
J.D. graduates practicing abroad
Records for foreign bar admission, qualified lawyer transfer schemes and international firms.
S.J.D. graduates and legal academics
Degrees for faculty appointments overseas.
Government and international organizations
Credentials for ministries, courts and international bodies.
How your Harvard Law School record gets notarized
Massachusetts will apostille an academic record notarized with any of its four notarial acts: acknowledgment, jurat (affidavit), signature witnessing or copy certification. Which one you need is usually set by whoever receives your documents, so we confirm their requirements before we start.
School official acknowledgment
A Harvard Law School official signs your diploma, transcript or verification letter before the notary, and the notarial certificate names the official, their title and the school. Ministries of education and universities abroad often require this.
School official affidavit
The Harvard Law School Registrar signs a separate sworn statement confirming your graduation and that the attached records match the school's files, and the notary notarizes it. Spain's Ministry of Education, for example, accepts only this or an acknowledgment. See our Spain guide.
Certified copy, only if your recipient accepts it
As the owner of your diploma, you present the original and we notarize a certified copy, then get the apostille in 1–2 business days. Many recipients won't accept a copy certification, so please confirm with yours first.
Prepared right the first time
We coordinate with the Harvard Law School Registrar, prepare the notarial certificate with the details your recipient requires, and file with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. For the school-certified routes, you don't need to come to Boston.
Which documents will you need?
The receiving office decides. If its instructions aren't clear, send them to us and we'll tell you which documents to order.
Diploma only
Many employers and some visa offices ask only for the degree.
Transcript only
Licensing bodies and graduate programs often want the full academic record.
Diploma and transcript
Common in Europe and for professional registration. Each document gets its own apostille.
Verification letter
Some recipients accept a Registrar's letter confirming your degree, which can be apostilled once it's signed and notarized.
Mistakes Harvard Law School graduates avoid
- Sending someone without a letter of authorization. HLS won't release your documents without it.
- Letting the authorization expire. Plan the pickup within its validity window.
- Ordering from the wrong office. HLS records come from HLS, not Harvard College.
- Skipping translation for bar admission. Many bars abroad want a certified or sworn translation of the degree and the apostille.
Other Harvard schools, other processes
Same university, different offices. Here's how the schools we handle most often compare.
Harvard Medical School
No onsite notary. We meet with the Registrar to notarize a certified copy of your diploma. See Harvard Medical School.
Harvard Extension School
Notarizes transcripts and verification letters, but not diplomas. See Harvard Extension School.
Harvard College and FAS
The FAS Registrar notarizes and helps with apostilles, but it can take weeks. We're the expedited option. See Harvard College & FAS.
What to have ready
- Your degree, graduation year and your name as it appears on the record
- Which documents you need: diploma, transcript, verification letter or all three
- The destination country and the office, school or employer that will receive them
- Their written instructions, if they gave you any
- Whether you need a certified translation
- Your deadline and where the finished documents should go
Official sources
- Harvard Law School: Document Request Form
- Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth: apostille and certification information
- Hague Conference: list of Apostille Convention countries
Each registrar sets its own forms, timelines and fees, and can change them at any time. We link to official pages so you can check the current process yourself.
Near Harvard Law School
Frequently asked questions
Does Harvard Law School have a notary?
Yes. HLS can notarize your documents. If we're picking them up for you, HLS needs a signed letter of authorization from you first.
I've already moved back home after my LL.M. Can you still help?
Yes. Send us a signed letter of authorization. We coordinate with HLS, get the apostille in Boston and ship the documents to you, with translation if your bar requires it.
Can I get my Harvard Law School diploma apostilled?
Yes. A diploma has to be notarized before the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth will apostille it. Massachusetts accepts any of its four notarial acts, but many recipients require the school to certify the record, so we confirm what yours needs first. We confirm the version your destination accepts and handle the apostille and return shipping.
Should I mail my original diploma?
Usually not. Many graduates order a replacement diploma or an official copy for the apostille so the original stays safe. Ask us before ordering.
Do I need a certified translation too?
Some countries require one. We can include a certified translation in the same order.
I live outside Massachusetts. Can you still help?
Yes. Massachusetts school records are apostilled in Massachusetts, and we handle it by mail and ship the finished documents anywhere in the world.
Can my digital or electronic diploma be apostilled?
Usually not as it is. A certified electronic diploma is a secure file that the recipient verifies online, and some recipients accept it directly, so ask them first. For an apostille, Massachusetts needs a notarized paper document: usually a notarized copy of your diploma, a notarized transcript or a notarized degree verification letter. Tell us what your recipient asked for and we’ll confirm the right route.
Need your Harvard Law School documents apostilled?
Tell us where they're going, and we'll confirm every step.