SD County Assessor Hosts Apostille Service for International Documents

San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk (ARCC) Jordan Z. Marks, in partnership with the California Secretary of State, will host a one day, Apostille Pop-Up Shop event from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 12 at the ARCC offices, Room #273, at the San Diego County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego. Free underground parking at the entrance on Ash Street.

Apostille is the process that certifies the authenticity of documents for international use, including birth, death and marriage certificates, educational documents for university students’ international travel, military documents and other documents required for business on the border. The authentication involves a signature by a public official. Officials with the California Secretary of State will attend to certify documents.

Normally, in-person apostille services are available only at California Secretary of State offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles. Marks said the San Diego Apostille Pop-Up Shop on March 12 will help local residents avoid traveling to Sacramento or Los Angeles for in-person apostille services.

For more information about the apostille event, visit www.sdarcc.gov/apostillepopup.

“My office is excited to partner with California Secretary of State Shirley Weber to deliver this much-needed service here in San Diego,” said Marks. “As your elected advocate, I proactively sought out this great opportunity from the Secretary of State for San Diegans because it will save many who live and do business on the border, serve in our military, or are traveling internationally from an institution of higher education from having to travel hundreds of miles or spend hundreds of dollars to obtain this apostille authentication services. San Diego County is an international region and our office is proud to host this event that will cut the red tape and save San Diegans time and money.”

Documents must be originals, no photocopies. Fees charged by the Secretary of State include $20 for processing each apostille document, plus $6 special handling fee for each public official’s authentication signature. Non-cash payments can be made with Visa or MasterCard, personal check or money order. Notary services also will be available from the Clerk of the San Diego County Board of Supervisor for $15 per signature. Notary services must be paid with only personal checks or cash.

Apostille services with the California Secretary of State can be processed by mail, but there’s a chance of not filling out documents correctly without in-person review by a government worker. Plus, there’s a four-to-six-week wait time.

This is the second year the ARCC Downtown San Diego office has hosted apostille services provided by the California Secretary of State. Last year, more than 1,300 customers saved thousands of dollars in travel thanks to the ARCC office. In 2024, a total of 2,854 apostilles were issued during San Diego apostille events.

According to Marks, among the individuals helped last year included a military member getting a driver’s license certified for a deployment in Italy, several marriage certifications and international students getting diplomas verified before returning to home countries.