Certified Documents and Apostille
The Office of the University Registrar will certify the authenticity of academic documents, and when needed, assist by forwarding documents as required for Apostille certification.
Apostilles authenticate the seals and signatures of officials on documents issued by a public authority so that they can be recognized in foreign countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty. See U.S. Department of State Apostille Requirements.
Request Certified Document
- Complete the Certified Document Request form.
- Submit a money order or check made payable to William & Mary, as outlined in the Fees section. Please note that our office cannot process your request until payment is received.
- Form and money order or check may be submitted in person or mailed to one of the following addresses:
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Overnight Carrier William & Mary |
William & Mary
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Documents sent outside the U.S. will be sent via International Airmail through the U.S. Postal Service and no tracking is available. You may provide a pre-paid mailer or label if you wish to ship via FedEx or UPS.
Request Apostille
- Complete the Certified Document Request form.
- Complete the online Commonwealth of Virginia Authentication Request form or provide a cover letter including your name, address, phone number, email and the country for which you need the document authenticated.
- Submit a money order or check made payable to William & Mary, plus a separate check made payable to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, as outlined in the Fees section. Please note that our office cannot process your request until payment is received.
- Submit two pre-paid mailers (overnight service recommended for tracking purposes):
- One mailer addressed to you for return of authenticated documents.
- One mailer addressed to: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Attn: Authentication Department, 1111 East Broad St - 1st Floor, Richmond, VA 23219.
- All forms, money order or checks, and pre-paid mailers may be submitted in person or mailed to one of the following addresses:
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Overnight Carrier William & Mary |
William & Mary
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Important Notes about Requesting Certified Documents or Apostille
- For a certified copy of your diploma, provide an 8 ½ x 5 ½ photocopy on standard letter size paper. Ensure that the copied image is on lower half of a portrait oriented photocopy of your diploma.
- Please retain the tracking number for all packages sent to our office. The Office of the University Registrar cannot guarantee or track packages once they are in the possession of the shipper/courier.
Fees
Fees for certified documents include production of the document, all handling, and U.S. postage to return the document to the student. The fee does not include postage to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office, nor that office's fees, which should be made payable to the Secretary of the Commonwealth and enclosed as a separate check.
Please note that our office cannot process your request until payment is received.
| Certified Documents | Apostille |
Fees may be paid with money order or check made payable to William & Mary.
*EXCEPTION: If your request includes an Original Diploma, there is a charge of $90 to certify that document and $10 for each additional document. |
Fees for the Certified Documents (made payable to William & Mary) plus a separate check made payable to the Secretary of the Commonwealth:
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Processing Times
Allow 10-15 business days to process a certified copy of your diploma, enrollment verification, or transcript. Allow 4 weeks to process an original diploma. If you wish to expedite the process, you can pay $25 Rush processing fee. Please note that “rush” processing means it will be processed within five business days.
Questions
If you have any questions about the type of document certification you may need, please contact the agency making the request to ensure the proper verification is provided.
Contact the Office of the University Registrar at (757) 221-2800 or [[w|registrar]] with questions about completing and submitting required forms and information to our office.
