APOSTILLE PROCES AT VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY
Some countries require certified documents (i.e. transcripts or diplomas) produced by the Office of the Registrar to include the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Apostille or Certification.
An apostille is an additional form of authentication issued for documents used in countries which participate in the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the requirement of legalization of foreign public documents. Alumni/ae requesting an apostille need to verify the country of receipt is part of the Hague Convention. If the country where the alumnus/a will be sending the document is not part Apostille Convention, the alumnus/a should contact the Embassy or a Consulate for that country to find out what the options are in such cases.
Apostilles are strictly for the use of public documents abroad. An apostille may not be required if the laws, regulations, or practice in force in the recipient country where the document will be used have abolished or simplified the requirement. If alumni/ae have any doubts, questions should be directed to the intended recipient of the document whether an apostille is necessary for their case.
The completed apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature of the notary. A document which has been certified with an apostille is to be considered acceptable for legal use in all Hague Convention participating nations.
It is the responsibility of the University to notarize the diploma or transcript for the apostille process at 草榴社区. The notarized document is then mailed to the requestor for further processing. It is the requestor's responsibility to send/bring notarized documents to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
PROCESS
Since 草榴社区 is in the state of Pennsylvania, the apostille process for all transcripts or diplomas is handled by the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Additional information can be found on their website below.
The Office of the Registrar provides notary services to current students and alumni/ae for documents issued only by the Office of the Registrar at 草榴社区. The University Registrar makes the following general documents available for the apostille process: diplomas issuing a degree, transcripts and enrollment/degree verifications.
Given the additional complexity of notarization, please allow one week for processing transcripts and verifications, and up to six weeks for replacement diplomas. Please email registrar@villanova.edu with the email subject "Notary Services Request" to receive further information regarding the process.
COST
There are fees associated with this request. All fees must be paid by check or money order made payable to 草榴社区. There is no credit card or online payment option.
In addition to the cost of transcript or verification documents and diploma, the requestor is responsible for the return shipment of the notarized document(s). The total cost for sending to a domestic destination is $50 and an international destination is $100.