Notary Legal Services
University Student Legal Services has notaries on staff that can notarize documents at no cost to students, faculty or staff. Examples of documents commonly notarized by our office include invitation letters, power of attorney documents, Board of Examiner forms, and car titles.
Requesting an Appointment
An appointment is required to have documents notarized. Notarization appointments are only available 2-3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
To request an appointment, email studentlegal@ncsu.edu (Confidential) with your name, phone number, and availability. Before your appointment, learn more about notarization below.
Notarization Tips
- The notary must see your signature happen. Do not sign the document before you come to the office.
- Do not bring in a document that someone else has already signed and ask that it be notarized. The notary must see the person sign the document.
- Bring your government issued photo identification, such as a U.S. driver’s license or passport. Student/faculty IDs or non-U.S. driver licenses are not accepted.
- If we are unavailable, notary services are available at many banks and UPS stores. You may also be able to utilize an e-notary. Use the North Carolina Secretary of State’s online search tool to find an e-notary.
Obtaining an Apostille
An apostille is used when there is a document issued in one country that has to be certified for legal purposes in another country. An apostille is an international certification comparable to a notarization in domestic law. Information about the process can be found below or on the NC Department of Secretary of State’s apostille certificates webpage.
Notarizing Documents
- Obtain a certified or notarized English translation of the document if the document is in a language other than English.
- Appear before a North Carolina Notary Public to sign the document.
- Obtain a certified copy which is notarized by the issuing entity.
- Requesting an apostille using a “copy” of a document will require a notarized affidavit saying that the document is a “true copy” of the original. A “true copy” affidavit sample can be found on the NC Department of the Secretary of State forms webpage.
- Documents from the following entities do not need to be notarized:
- Register of Deeds
- Clerk of Superior Courts
- NC Department of Agriculture
- NC Department of Health and Human Services
- NC Vital Records
- NC Department of Motor Vehicles (Raleigh, NC office ONLY)
- NC Attorney General’s Office
- NC Legislative Services
Submitting Documents
- Send the following documents to the NC Department of the Secretary of State
- Cover Letter (For cover letters, see NC Department of the Secretary of State forms webpage)
- Money order or check for the processing fee ($10.00 per document)
- The original document(s) with all certifications attached
- A return pre-paid envelope or carrier label (see Delivery Policy on Authentications Home Page)
- Any documents received without a pre-paid return envelope will be delivered by regular mail to a United States address. Note: A pre-paid courier label is obtained online and paid for at the time you print the bar-coded label, not a handwritten or typed label with account information.
Documents may be directed on to a third party as a convenience. Please include that information on the cover letter and address the pre-paid envelope to the third party.
Notarizing Diplomas
Registration and Records handles the notarizing of diplomas. Registration and Records will authenticate the diploma and then mail it to the North Carolina Secretary of State for the apostille. You will need to send the following:
- A copy of the diploma
- A check made payable to the North Carolina Secretary of State in the amount of $10.00 for the apostille
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope to mail the documents from the Secretary of State.
For additional information about notarizing diplomas, contact Registration and Records.