School Notarization of Transcripts and Diplomas

Typically, the home countries of foreign exchange students often want their students' records certified by the school and then authenticated by the state. What often works is for the records office of the school to certify to the record in the presence of the notary, who then notarizes that statement. The notarized transcript or diploma is sent to the Secretary of State's office for authentication/apostille.

You will find below sample procedures that we have found often works in these instances. Feel free to use them, but please acknowledge that the Secretary of State does not guarantee they will be appropriate for your particular situation, nor are we advising you to adopt these methods. It is always best to consult with an official of the destination country before undertaking these procedures.

Short form forwitnessing or attesting a signature of a school official
Required elements:
Jurisdiction where the document was notarized.
Statement by school official (principal/registrar) as to the authenticity and type of document being notarized.
Signature of the school official. DOCUMENT MUST BE SIGNED IN THE NOTARY'S PRESENCE!
Statement by the notary indicating who signed the document and the date the document was signed.
Signature line for the notary.
Clear and legible imprint of the notary seal/stamp with the notary's name, commission number and expiration date on it.

Example:
I, _________________, the (school registrar/principal)  of _____________ (name of school) hereby certify that this is the true and original (diploma/school transcript) for _____________________ (student's name).

______________________
Signature of School Official
 

State of Oregon
County of __________

This _____ day of ______________, ___________, before me personally appeared _______________ (school registrar/principal) and signed the above statement.
 

____________________________
Notary Public for the State of Oregon

Short form photocopy of document in possession
Required elements:
Jurisdiction where the document was notarized.
Date of notarization.
Statement to the effect and type of document in possession. Notary should make photocopy of the diploma/grade transcript to insure this is a true and correct photocopy.
Signature line for the notary.
Clear and legible imprint of the notary seal/stamp with the notary's name, commission number and expiration date on it.

Example:
State of Oregon
County of __________

On this _____ day of ______________, ___________, I hereby certify that this is a true and correct photocopy of the (diploma/grade transcript) for _______________________ (student's name) in the possession of ______________________ (name of the person or school).
 

____________________________
Notary Public for the State of Oregon

Fees, addresses and procedures for authentication/apostille