If you need a document accepted in another country — a birth certificate for a dual-citizenship application, a power of attorney for a property sale overseas, a diploma for a foreign employer — you will probably need an apostille, the state-issued certificate that authenticates the signature on the document. The question every client asks us is the same: how long will it take?
The honest answer is that it depends entirely on how the document is filed. In California there are two routes, and right now they are not close. Filing by mail means joining a queue that is running roughly two weeks behind, before return mail time. Filing in person at the Los Angeles office of the Secretary of State is typically turned around in about 30 minutes. If your deadline is measured in days rather than weeks, that difference decides everything. Here is how each route actually works, what slows people down, and how to plan around your deadline instead of hoping for the best.
The mail-in route: Sacramento only, and currently about two weeks behind
California accepts mail-in apostille requests at one office only: Sacramento. There is no mail-in option in Los Angeles, San Diego, or anywhere else in the state. As of the Secretary of State’s most recent update (October 30, 2026), the Sacramento office is processing apostille requests received on October 19, 2026 — meaning your documents sit in line for roughly two weeks before anyone opens the envelope. Only after processing does the return trip by mail begin, adding several more days each way depending on the service you paid for.
Mail-in makes sense in a narrow set of cases: your deadline is a month or more away, your documents are already correctly notarized or certified, and you are comfortable with your originals being out of your hands for the duration. It is a poor fit for anything time-sensitive — a closing date, a visa appointment, a school enrollment deadline, a flight. It is also unforgiving of mistakes. If anything in the submission is wrong, the request is rejected and returned, and you start the queue over from the back. We regularly hear from people who mailed documents three weeks ago, assumed everything was fine, and learned about a problem only when the rejection came back.
The in-person route: Los Angeles, typically about 30 minutes
The Secretary of State’s Los Angeles office accepts in-person apostille submissions, and in-person filings at both the Sacramento and Los Angeles offices are typically processed within 30 minutes of submission. To guarantee same-day service, arrive by 4:30 PM. In-person filing carries an additional $6.00 special handling fee per the Secretary of State — a small price for converting a two-to-three-week uncertainty into a same-day result.
For clients in Orange County, Los Angeles is the practical office. A document can be notarized in the morning, filed in Los Angeles the same day, and be on its way to the destination country while a mailed request is still waiting in the Sacramento queue. That speed is the entire reason our apostille service is built around in-person filing rather than mail: the bottleneck for California apostilles is not the state’s processing time at the counter — it is the line you choose to stand in.
What actually slows people down
Most apostille delays have nothing to do with the Secretary of State. They happen before the document ever reaches the counter:
- The document was never properly notarized or certified. Apostille authenticates a signature — the notary’s, a county clerk’s, or a state official’s. A document that was signed but never notarized, or notarized incorrectly, cannot be apostilled until that is fixed. Original vital records (birth, marriage, death certificates) must carry the correct certification; a plain photocopy will be rejected.
- The wrong certificate for the destination. Apostille is only for countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention. For non-member countries, the document needs consulate or embassy legalization instead — a different, longer process. Filing for an apostille when you need legalization wastes weeks.
- Notarization errors. An incomplete notarial certificate, a missing seal, a name that does not match the document, or a venue error can each cause a rejection at the counter or in the mail queue.
- Underestimating the full timeline. The apostille is one step. Translation, consulate steps, or international shipping may still follow it, and each has its own clock.
How The OC Notary handles it
Our apostille work starts before anything is filed. We check that your document is properly notarized and ready — if it still needs notarization, we handle that first, at your home, office, hospital, or wherever you are in Orange County. We confirm the destination country actually takes an apostille rather than consulate legalization. Then we file in person in Los Angeles, so the certificate is issued the same day instead of entering the Sacramento mail queue.
Our fee is $300 for the first document and $100 for each additional document filed at the same time, plus the state’s own charges. Notarization, where still needed, is $15 per signature under California law through December 31, 2026. You will know the full figure before we start — no surprises after the fact.
The OC Notary has handled mobile notarization and document authentication across Southern California since 2001, and we are available 24/7. If your apostille has a deadline attached to it, call before you mail anything. Five minutes on the phone can save you two weeks in a queue.
Frequently asked questions
Can I mail my apostille request to the Los Angeles office instead of Sacramento?
No. Sacramento is the only mail-in office in California. Los Angeles accepts in-person submissions, which are typically processed within about 30 minutes. If you want the Los Angeles speed without making the trip yourself, that is exactly what our filing service covers.
Does my document need to be notarized before it can get an apostille?
In most cases, yes — or it must be a certified copy issued by the proper authority, such as a county clerk for vital records. The apostille authenticates the official signature on the document; if there is no notarized or certified signature to authenticate, the Secretary of State cannot issue one. We check this as part of our readiness review before filing.
How much does an apostille cost through The OC Notary?
$300 for the first document and $100 for each additional document filed at the same time, plus state charges (including the $6.00 in-person special handling fee). If your document still needs notarizing first, California’s statutory fee is $15 per signature through December 31, 2026, rising to $20 on January 1, 2027 under AB 1597.
My deadline is this week. Is it too late?
Usually not, if the document is ready or can be made ready quickly. In-person filing in Los Angeles is typically same-day. Call us at 714-253-7618 and tell us the deadline and the destination country — we will tell you plainly whether it can be met.
Ready to start? Call The OC Notary at 714-253-7618 (24/7) or book online at theocnotary.com/appointment/. Before your appointment, review what identification each signer needs at theocnotary.com/id-requirement/.