FREE GUIDE FOR STUDENTS & ALUMNI
Using Your Massachusetts Diploma or Transcript Abroad
Graduate school overseas, a work visa, teaching abroad or getting your degree recognized in another country often starts with one requirement: an apostille on your diploma or transcript. This guide explains the process step by step, so you can get it right the first time.
Written for students, alumni, registrars and international student advisors · Free to share and link
AT A GLANCE
The process in four steps
- Confirm what your country needs
- Order the right record from your school
- The school certifies it before a notary
- The Secretary of the Commonwealth issues the apostille
Plan for several weeks from start to finish.
What an apostille is
An apostille is a certificate that confirms a signature on a public document is genuine, so the document is accepted in another country. For an academic record, the apostille confirms the notary's signature on the school's certified record. In Massachusetts, apostilles are issued only by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and the state fee is $6 per document (see the state's apostille information sheet).
An apostille is accepted in the more than 120 countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention. Countries outside the Convention require a different process, called authentication and legalization, which is covered below.
Step 1: Confirm exactly what your recipient needs
Before you order anything, get the requirements in writing from the university, employer, ministry or visa office that asked for your records. Ask these questions:
- Which records do you need: diploma, transcript, degree verification letter or all three?
- Do you need an apostille, or authentication and embassy legalization?
- Will you accept a notarized copy, or must the school itself certify the record?
- Must the records be recently issued?
- Do the records, and the apostille itself, need a certified or sworn translation?
- Should the documents be sent to you or directly to the recipient?
Not sure whether your country accepts apostilles? Our free Document Route Planner shows the route for each country.
Step 2: Order the right record
Official transcript
Order a paper official transcript for apostille use. A PDF or electronic transcript cannot be apostilled on its own, because the apostille certifies a handwritten signature.
Replacement diploma
Many schools let you order a replacement diploma for apostille use, so your original stays safe at home. Some schools certify a copy of the diploma instead.
Degree or enrollment verification letter
A signed letter from the registrar confirming your degree or enrollment. Some recipients accept or prefer this, and it is often the fastest option.
Name changes
If your name has changed since graduation, ask your recipient whether you also need proof of the change, such as a marriage certificate.
Step 3: The school certifies the record before a notary
For an apostille, a school official, usually the registrar, signs a statement certifying the record, and a notary public notarizes that signature. Many Massachusetts schools have a notary on staff. Some will also send the notarized record to the Secretary of the Commonwealth for you, while others return it to you to submit.
Ask your registrar's office three things: whether they notarize records, whether they forward them to the state, and how long their part takes. Some schools require a letter of authorization before they release records to anyone else.
A certified copy is different. In Massachusetts, you can present your original diploma to a notary, who certifies a copy. Many recipients, including Spain's Ministry of Education, do not accept this. Use it only if your recipient confirms in writing that a certified copy is acceptable.
Step 4: The Secretary of the Commonwealth issues the apostille
If you are submitting the record yourself, send the notarized record with the state's Apostille/Certification Request Form, the name of the destination country, a check for $6 per document payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and a prepaid return envelope. The state also offers in-person counter service in Boston.
The wrong-state mistake. The apostille must come from the same state where the record was notarized. If your school is in another state, or your record was notarized in another state, it must go to that state's apostille office. A record sent to the wrong state is returned, which costs you time. See a real example.
Plan your timeline
Your school
Ordering the record and getting it certified and notarized. Many registrar offices quote one to three weeks.
The state
Submitting to the state adds processing and delivery time. Some schools tell students to expect two to three weeks once the state receives the record.
Translation
If your recipient needs a translation, it is usually done after the apostille so the apostille can be translated too. Before or after the apostille?
Shipping abroad
Allow time for international delivery, and use a tracked service for original documents.
Start at least a month before your deadline whenever you can, and longer if your country also requires legalization.
Notes for popular destinations
Spain
Degree recognition (homologación) requires records certified by the school itself, plus a sworn translation into Spanish. Spain academic records guide.
Italy
Italy accepts apostilles. Universities and employers may also ask for additional statements about your degree, so confirm their checklist. Italy guide.
China
China now accepts apostilles, which replaced the former embassy legalization process. China guide.
South Korea and teaching abroad
Teaching programs typically ask for an apostilled diploma and an apostilled FBI background check. Teach-abroad document guide.
United Arab Emirates
The UAE is not part of the Hague Convention, so records go through authentication and attestation instead. UAE guide.
Other countries
Use the Document Route Planner to see whether your country needs an apostille or legalization.
Requirements change, so always confirm with your recipient before you begin.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sending a PDF or electronic transcript, which cannot be apostilled
- Using a certified copy when the recipient requires a school-certified record
- Sending a record to the wrong state's apostille office
- Forgetting to name the destination country on the state's request form
- Leaving out the fee or the return envelope
- Starting too close to a visa or enrollment deadline
- Translating before the apostille when the recipient needs the apostille translated too
For registrars, advisors and student services offices
You are welcome to link to this guide or share it with students and alumni. A one-page printable checklist is available for handouts and advising appointments. Offices that send students and staff abroad may also find our International Programs Document Guide for Schools useful. If you notice anything that should be updated for your school's process, please let us know at info@boston-mobile-notary.com.
Link to this guide: https://www.boston-mobile-notary.com/student-guide-diploma-apostille-abroad.html
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the apostille myself?
Yes. Many Massachusetts schools have a notary on staff and will certify and notarize your record, and some will also send it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth for you. The state's fee is $6 per document. Ask your registrar how their process works and how long it takes.
Can a PDF or electronic transcript be apostilled?
Not on its own. An apostille certifies a signature, so you need a paper record that a school official signs before a notary. Some schools arrange this through their transcript ordering system; ask your registrar.
Do I need the original diploma?
Usually you will order a replacement diploma or an official transcript for the apostille, so you can keep your original. Check what your recipient requires and what your school offers.
Which state issues the apostille?
The apostille comes from the state where the record was notarized. A record notarized in Massachusetts gets a Massachusetts apostille from the Secretary of the Commonwealth. A record notarized in another state must go to that state.
Does an apostille expire?
The apostille itself does not expire, but some countries and institutions ask for recently issued records. Confirm with your recipient before you start.
What if my country is not part of the Hague Apostille Convention?
Countries such as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait require authentication and embassy or consular legalization instead of an apostille. The Secretary of the Commonwealth issues a certificate for those documents, which then goes through the federal and embassy steps.
Official sources: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Apostilles and Certificates of Appointment and Apostille/Certification Request Form. Related guides: How to Apostille a Transcript or Diploma · Translating International Academic Records · Diploma Translation and Credential Evaluation · Glossary.
Short on time, or already abroad?
Boston Mobile Notary & Apostille Service can coordinate with your school and handle every step for you.