Authenticate Maryland University degrees and high school diplomas for use abroad.

Isarey provides expedited Apostille and Authentication services to certify university and high school certificates at the Maryland Secretary of State, and attestation at all major embassies, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Vietnam.

Apostilles on Maryland university and high school diplomas can be applied to notarized copies. This can can normally be done from a good-quality scan.
This takes 2 -4 business days

Original diplomas and transcripts can be authenticated in Maryland when certified by a Maryland Notary. The notary's signature must be certified by the circuit court where the notary is commissioned and then authenticated with an Apostille by the Maryland Secretary of State.

Certificates required for countries that have signed the Apostille Convention require no further authentication in the United States. Diplomas required for non-Apostille countries will need to be attested by the recipient embassy.

Apostille Convention countries include:
Spain - Italy - Portugal - Greece - Cyprus - France - Saudi Arabia - Germany - China

Authenticating a notarized copy

Apostilles for Maryland educational certificates can be applied to a notarized copy. We can normally make notarized copies from a good-quality scans of degree certificates, course transcripts and school diplomas, so there is no need to provide the original certificate. Apostilles are then normally obtained from the Secretary of State in Washington DC.

If the diploma is required for submission to a country of the Apostille Convention, this Apostille will be accepted directly by the recipient authority. Maryland certificates required for other countries must be attested by the recipient embassy in the United States and in some cases by the US Department of State.

Most overseas authorities and foreign embassies (including the UAE and Vietnamese embassies) in the United States requesting authenticated academic and professional qualifications will accept a notarized copy, but you should always check with the recipient authority, as in some cases they may require an apostille on the original (for example, Qatar, Spain and Italy may require the original to be authenticated).

Authenticating original university and school records

To obtain a Maryland Apostille on the original diploma, the first step is to get it notarized. This can be done by contacting the school or university to arrange for a local notary to certify the signature of the registrar, principal or other school official on the diploma. Alternatively, request your school documents to be sent to you in a sealed envelope and take the unopened sealed envelope to a notary to certify.

Once the documents are notarized, the notary's signature must be certified by the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the notary is commissioned. The documents can then be authenticated with an apostille stamp from the Maryland Secretary of State. then certified by the Texas Secretary of State with an apostille stamp (Texas issues a universal apostille valid for both apostille and non-Apostille countries).

Isarey can assist with arranging notarizations of high school diplomas and transcripts in Baltimore and across Maryland. We can arrange for a notary to visit the school to certify the signature of the school registrar or official. We will then arrange the necessary certifications by the county circuit court and Maryland apostille or authentication
Please Contact us for assistance.

Note that some schools will be able to issue a new diploma and transcripts for notarization, others may require the student's copy. Some institutions, high schools in particular, may not be familiar with the apostille procedure - in particular, diplomas are often incorrectly notarized to be eligible for authentication. We will ensure that the notary certifies the documents in accordance with the Secretary of State's requirements and liaise with school staff to ensure that they understand exactly what is required.

Embassy Attestation

Maryland university and high school diplomas and course transcripts required for submission to countries which are not members of the Apostille Convention, once authenticated by the Maryland Secretary of State, will need to be legalized by the US State Department (although some embassies have waived this requirement).
State Department Authentication takes 7-10 business days

Certificates can then be attested by the embassy of the recipient country.

Countries that require embassy attestation include:
United Arab Emirates - Qatar - Thailand - Taiwan - Vietnam

Saudi Arabia and China have both joined the Apostille Convention, so that Maryland diplomas can be authenticated for submission to Chinese or Saudi authorities with a Maryland Apostille Stamp only and do not require attestation by the embassy.

UAE and Vietnam Embassy Attestation

The UAE embassy and Vietnam embassy both accept notarized copies of Maryland academic certificates. Notarized copies can be made from scans and authenticated by the Washington DC Secretary of Sate and attested at the embassy. Both embassies have currently waived the requirement for US State Department embassy attestation.

Qatar Embassy Attestation

To attest Maryland degree certificates for submission to Qatar, the original diploma and transcripts must be submitted to the Qatari Embassy in Washington DC. Both diploma and transcripts must be certified in Maryland by a notary and then authenticated at state level and by the US State Department. The Embassy of Qatar also requires an additional set of sealed transcripts.

The Embassy of Qatar will not attest degrees based on distance or online learning.

Taiwan Consular Attestation

Diplomas required for submission to the authorities of Taiwan must be attested at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office after being authenticated by the Maryland Secretary of State. The original diploma is required, as well as sealed transcripts. The Representative Office embassy does not currently require authentication by the US Department of State and will accept State-level authentication directly.

Apostilles for Spain and Italy

Maryland diplomas required for submission to the authorities or embassy of Spain or Italy can be certified with an Apostille stamp. Normally, this can be done by making a notarized copy, but some Spanish and Italian educational authorities will require the original to be authenticated and will not accept a copy.

Isarey offers certified translation services into Italian and Spanish. The translation should be completed after the Apostille stamp is obtained, as the stamp itself will also need to be translated. We offer translation certified in the United States with an additional Apostille, as well as locally certified translations in Spain and Italy:

Spain: Certified translation by a translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Traducción Jurada)
Italy: Sworn translation certified by the court in Rome.

Apostille Maryland Degrees and Diplomas