gathering documents: apostille degree

In preparing myself for my TEFL career, I am in the process of gathering together my documents for my applications (specifically EPIK). The purpose of today's post is to share with you the process of getting your university degree apostilled.

What is an apostille? An apostille is a form of authentication issued to documents for use in countries that participate in the Hague Convention of 1961. So basically it is a fancy piece of paper that states that your degree is legit. 

Now, the longest part of getting my degree apostilled was figuring out the process. I googled my little heart out and came across several blogs that had posts about how to apostille your degree. Funny, because a majority of them were in regards to Korea. I decided to join the fun and make another post that might help someone someday in their process of getting their degree apostilled. 

The process is actually quite simple and rather inexpensive depending on the state that you live in. But, first things first. I had a hard time figuring out if my degree needed to be apostilled in the same state that I received it in (Utah). I currently live in Colorado and didn't much fancy the idea of going to Utah to get this done. I discovered the following:

You DO NOT need to get your degree apostilled in the same state that you received it in.

 YES! That made my life a lot easier. So, if any of you are like me, you can do it in whatever state you currently live in. 

Now, to the process.

1) Make a copy of your degree. Color is preferable, but black and white will do fine. (I also copied mine on bond paper because it is better quality.) 

2) Get your degree notarized. 

Your degree need to get apostilled and notarized in the SAME state. 

For example, I CANNOT notarize my degree in Colorado and get it apostilled in Utah. Both the notary and apostille need to be in the same state.

To notarize your degree, there are several options. I work at a law firm, so I had my pick of the lot. But if you don't have easy access to a notary, you can usually go to a post office, UPS store, or a Clerk and Recorder. Just Google it.  (Google is like my best friend!)

My notary did not ever notarize a degree before so we put the standard verification notary on the back of my degree, which includes:

• My name and signature
• The notary's name and signature
• The date it was notarized
• The notary's seal
• The date the notary's license expires
• The county and state it was notarized in

You can either type it or hand write it on the back or front of the copy, either is fine.  There is no specific rule or instructions whether the notarization needs to be in a specific place and with specific wording. As long as you include what is on the above list, you will be fine. Make sure you bring your original degree so that notary can verify that your copy is true and correct.

3) Get your degree apostilled.

This means finding your Secretary of State (again, Google it). Each one is slightly different, but will have pretty clear instructions on what you need to do. If they don't, give them a ring! 

For Colorado, you fill out an Authentication Request form, write a check ($5 per apostille), and mail that in with the copies of your notarized degrees. DO NOT SEND YOUR ORIGINAL DEGREE! I included a prepaid envelope for them to mail it back in as well. All together, the process (with mailing time) took less than a week. Really. I notarized it Thursday, mailed it Friday, got it back Wednesday. 

The process sounds a lot more difficult and daunting than it really turned out to be. It just comes down to getting it done and making sure you include everything. I ended up doing three copies of my degree, just in case.

Here are some links to blog posts I found helpful as well:

Kimchi Teaching

Koreamer

Marshall Jones

Good luck with your apostilles!!