HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · LONGWOOD
Harvard Medical School Diploma and Transcript Apostilles
Apostilles for Harvard Medical School diplomas, transcripts and verification letters, for physicians and researchers working, training and licensing abroad. HMS doesn't have an onsite notary for apostilles, so we meet with the Registrar and notarize your documents ourselves.
ACADEMIC APOSTILLE
1–2 business days
A personalized quote for every request
- We notarize with the HMS Registrar
- Certified diploma copies with the HMS seal
- License verifications for medical councils
- Worldwide shipping with tracking
Harvard Medical School's process, explained
Certified copy of your diploma
The Registrar verifies a copy of your original diploma and affixes the HMS seal. Replacement diplomas are only issued if the original is lost or destroyed, so the certified copy is usually the route.
No onsite notary
We meet with the Registrar and notarize your documents ourselves.
Letters for licensing abroad
MD verification letters, Dean's Letters and state licensure letters, requested from the Registrar by signed form.
Transcripts
Official transcripts are ordered through Parchment; alumni services are requested by signed form.
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 Medical School documents are requested, notarized and authenticated correctly the first time.
How Harvard Medical School documents work
Harvard Medical School's Office of the Registrar is in Vanderbilt Hall on Avenue Louis Pasteur in the Longwood Medical Area. For alumni, it issues transcripts, Dean's Letters, MD verification letters, state licensure letters and diploma translations, and it can certify a copy of your diploma by verifying it against the original and affixing the HMS seal.
What HMS doesn't have is a notary for apostille work. That's the step that stops most graduates. We meet with the Registrar and notarize the certified copy and the documents you need, so they're ready for the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Then we handle the apostille, any translation and delivery.
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 HMS, that means knowing the certified diploma copy is the right starting point, not a replacement diploma, and arranging the notarization the school doesn't provide.
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 Medical School graduates we help most
Physicians licensing abroad
Diplomas, transcripts and verification letters for medical councils overseas, often alongside an apostilled Massachusetts license verification. See Professional Licenses.
Residency, fellowship and research abroad
Records for hospital appointments and research positions overseas.
Global health work
Credentials for NGOs, ministries of health and international organizations.
Master's graduates
HMS master's degree records for careers and further study abroad.
How your Harvard Medical 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 Medical 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 Medical 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 Medical 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.
At Harvard Medical School: the Registrar certifies a copy of your diploma with the HMS seal, and we notarize the Registrar's signature. That makes it school-certified, which is different from a notarized copy you present yourself.
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 Medical School graduates avoid
- Asking for a replacement diploma. HMS only issues one if the original is lost or destroyed. A Registrar-certified copy with the HMS seal is usually what you need.
- Expecting HMS to notarize. It doesn't for apostilles. We do it with the Registrar.
- Forgetting the license. Many medical councils want your Massachusetts license verification apostilled too.
- Translating too early. HMS offers diploma translations, but some countries want the apostille translated as well.
Other Harvard schools, other processes
Same university, different offices. Here's how the schools we handle most often compare.
Harvard Law School
Has a notary, and requires a letter of authorization before we can pick up your documents. See Harvard Law 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 Medical School: Registrar services for alumni
- Harvard Medical School: Registrar services for students
- 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 Medical School
Frequently asked questions
Does Harvard Medical School notarize documents for apostilles?
Not for apostille purposes. The Registrar can certify a copy of your diploma with the HMS seal, and we meet with the Registrar to notarize your documents so they can be apostilled.
Can I get a new diploma for the apostille?
Only if your original was lost or destroyed. Most HMS graduates use a Registrar-certified copy, which carries the HMS seal, instead.
Do I also need my medical license apostilled?
Often, yes. Many medical councils abroad want a Massachusetts license verification from the Board of Registration in Medicine, apostilled. We obtain and expedite those too.
Can I get my Harvard Medical 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 Medical School documents apostilled?
Tell us where they're going, and we'll confirm every step.