International students and students seeking work in foreign government agencies may be asked by governments or prospective employers to provide certification of their credentials from the United States. Certification means that an affidavit of a document’s authenticity is obtained from either the creator of the document or an official representative of the agency that issued the document.

Notarizations. The Registrar’s Office only provides notarization of official CGU transcripts. Per state regulations, only original documents may be used in the notary verification process.

You must order an official transcript and email student.records@cgu.edu to arrange notarization. CGU will not affix a notary seal directly on the transcript. A sworn statement of authenticity by the registrar will be attached to a copy of the official transcript. There is no fee for a notarization of a transcript, however, students are responsible for fees associated with ordering a new transcript. Requests may take 2-3 weeks to complete.

Apostilles. An apostille is a validation or verification of a previously issued notarization. In California, the apostille is a service of the State of California Department of State. Students and/or requesting parties must submit notarized documents directly to the State of California for affixing of an apostille. The State’s website on notary authentication provides complete instructions and fees for this service.

The procedure instructs consumers to mail documents to the Office of the Secretary of State in Sacramento (phone 916-653-3595). For those who are geographically in southern California, you may also contact the Office of the Registrar/Recorder for the County of Los Angeles (12400 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, CA 90650, phone 800-815-2666) and the Los Angeles Regional Office of the Secretary of State for the State of California (300 South Spring Street, Room 12513, Los Angeles, CA 90013) for assistance.