Apostille, Notarized Diploma and Notarized Transcript

Notarized Official Transcripts and/or Notarized Diplomas are often required by other countries to verify the authenticity of a US degree. Some institutions or employers require only a notarized copy of the transcript or of the diploma, but the most common request is for an Apostille, which is issued by the State of Oregon – not Lewis & Clark College. (See bottom of this page for more info.) We encourage you to carefully review what is required by your overseas institution or employer.

The Registrar’s Office can provide you with notarized copies of the transcript and/or diploma so that you may complete your process with either your overseas agency, or the State of Oregon. (If you attended the Graduate School or Law School, you should contact them directly. We can only notarize transcripts/diplomas for those who attended the College of Arts and Sciences.)

Our office will need to have access to your original diploma to make a notarized copy.

If you received your Bachelor of Arts degree from Lewis & Clark in 2011 or later:

• We very likely have a copy of your original diploma on file and can make a notarized copy for you. Follow the directions for ordering a Notarized Copy of an Existing Diploma.   

If you graduated before 2011 and have your original diploma:

• follow the directions for ordering a Notarized Copy of an Existing Diploma.  You will need to bring the diploma, or mail the diploma to the Registrar’s office. Our office will contact you when the Parchment order is received to make arrangements to have you send your diploma to us. 

If you graduated before 2011 and have lost your original diploma:

• you will need to order a replacement. Please see information on our Replacement Diploma page.

How will I receive the notarized copy of my diploma?

• The notarized documents and original diploma (if applicable) will be sent to the student at either the street or mailing address listed on the form.
  1. For domestic addresses, the items will be sent in one package via the US Postal Service, and we will provide the student with a tracking number.
  2. Mailing to an international address may require you to provide a pre-paid shipping label through eShipGlobal. Our office will provide specific instructions to you after reviewing your order.
• IMPORTANT: Our office cannot send the documents to the State of Oregon to complete the Apostille process. The State requires payment with that process and we cannot forward funds. The student must complete this process directly with the State, and/or any applicable overseas agency or organization.

NOTARIZED TRANSCRIPT

Steps to Request a Notarized Transcript

• ORDER FORM: NOTARIZED TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM
  $15.00 Includes two notarized transcripts

Information about the Apostille

The Apostille treaty is an international treaty drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law and signed on October 5, 1961. The Hague is a city in the Netherlands and is the location of the International Court of Justice. This treaty defines the ways through which a document issued in one of the countries that signed the treaty or convention can be certified for legal purposes in all the other countries that signed the treaty. Within many countries it is the notarization of a document that makes it legal evidence of authenticity. For the signatories of the Hague Convention it is the certification by the approved state or national office of a country that authenticates the notarized documents.

An Apostille is a legal document that certifies that a copy of a diploma and/or an official transcript from an American college or university is authentic and notarized. The State of Oregon issues the Apostille - not the College.  However, the College can provide the necessary notarized copies of the diploma and/or official transcript. The most common request is for an Apostille for the diploma. That is especially true for East Asian nations. European countries more often request an Apostille for both the diploma and transcript.

Completion of the Apostille Process

The diploma (original and notarized copy) and the transcript (official notarized transcript) are returned to the student who must then work with the Oregon Secretary of State’s office to complete the actual Apostille. A staff member in the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office creates the Apostille. 

Please refer to the information on the Secretary of State’s website.