Notary & Apostille Credential Certification

Certifying UMD Documents for Use Overseas

Foreign countries may require documents to be certified in order to be accepted in the foreign jurisdiction. Apostilles and authentications certify the authenticity of the signature on a document, the capacity in which the person signing the document acted, and the identity of any stamp or seal affixed to the document. 

The educational documents usually requested for certification overseas are the diploma, official transcript, and/or enrollment/graduation verification letter. Please check with the the country in which you will be working or studying to find out if they will require an Apostille or authentication.

Apostille

The United States is part of the 1961 Hague Convention. Signatory countries of the Convention have agreed to recognize public documents issued by other signatory countries if those documents are authenticated by the attachment of an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an Apostille.

Authentication

Countries that are not signatories to the Hague Convention may require that the documents undergo an additional step for obtaining an authentication. The authentication validates the document for use in the foreign country.

Obtaining an Apostille or Authentication for UMD Documents

The steps below detail the process for obtaining an Apostille or authentication. Please note that the Office of the University Registrar can facilitate Step 1 only. Subsequent steps require action with other agencies, as indicated, and are provided solely as a guide to help you through this process. Since different countries require different forms of certification, it is ultimately your responsibility to determine what additional action, beyond Step 1, is required for the specific country with which you are dealing.