If you are a graduate from the Department of Education at John Jay, some foreign countries may require that your diploma and transcript be authenticated before they will recognize them as valid documents. Depending on the jurisdiction, this may be done by obtaining an apostille or an authentication certificate.

The apostille for Department of Education is an internationally recognized form of certification that is used to simplify the legalization process for public documents from one country to another. The United States is a signatory to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, so documents certified with an apostille are automatically recognized in countries that have signed the treaty.

How to Apostille Documents from the U.S. Department of Education

In order to obtain an apostille for your document, it must be notarized. This must be completed by a notary who is registered to work in the state where you live. It is best to consult with a notary at your local courthouse for guidance and assistance. Once notarized, the document must be submitted for apostille to your state’s secretary of state for certification. This step is different for each state and can take an additional amount of time to complete.

Depending on the jurisdiction, it may also be necessary to obtain a separate authenticating seal. This may be done through your county clerk office or at a local government office such as the Department of Education in New York City. Once obtained, this can be affixed to the notarized document to complete the apostille process.