1

The Hague Apostille in Five Steps

The Hague Apostille is a sort of stamp that your Secretary of State has to attach to
your American final transcripts.

How do you get a Hague Apostille?

Just by following these 5 simple steps:

1. Visit your Secretary of State web page

Read the instructions for getting an Apostille and check this info:

LOUISIANA
Louisiana Secretary of State
Commissions Division
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
http://www.sos.la.gov/notaryandcertifications/certifications/authenticatesignatures
oflouisianaofficials/Pages/default.aspx
PHONE: 225-922-0330

PRICE: $20.00 for each document that needs a Hague Apostille.

2. Find out if there’s a notary at your school.

If there’s no notary at your school, contact “Estudiar en USA” for advice.

3. Fill out the order form.

You have to explain to the Secretary of State exactly what you need.
Use the order form attached to the e-mail.

4. Get your grades ready WHEN SCHOOL ENDS

You need to tell the school how to prepare the grades for the Apostille and you
need to check your grades to be sure everything is perfect.

Use the handy guide on page 2 when you talk to the school.

5. Go to the Post Office

You need to buy a money order to pay the fee for the Apostille. And you need to
send the cover letter, the money order, your grades/documents and a pre-paid,
self-addressed return envelope to the Secretary of State.

Use the handy guide on page 3 when you’re at the post office.

Madrid Barcelona Valencia Bilbao Sevilla Málaga Marbella

Velázquez 94 Gran Vía 630 Cortes Valencianas 39 Máximo Aguirre 12 República Argentina 24 Alameda Principal 6 Juan Ruiz Muñoz
1ª planta 4ª planta Edif. Géminis 1ª planta 1º derecha 2ª planta Edif. Taillefer 5ª planta Edif. Marino 2, 2ª planta
28006 Madrid 08007 Barcelona 46015 Valencia 48011 Bilbao - Vizcaya 41011 Sevilla 29005 Málaga 29602 Marbella – Málaga
Tel.: 910 019 908 Tel.: 933 801 599 Tel.: 960 654 949 Tel.: 946 530 222 Tel.: 955 328 955 Tel.: 951 286 300 Tel.: 951 247 311

www.estudiarenusa.com
 2

School Guide: prepare your grades

These are the steps to follow at school:

1. Get your grades (when school finishes)

You need grades from the whole school year (both semesters or all three
trimesters).

2. Check your grades carefully

It’s your responsibility to be sure everything is perfect:
*name spelled properly
*last names in correct order
*class names appear correctly
*grades are accurate
*grades are all passing
*if grades are percentages instead of letters, check with “Estudiar en USA”
*if grades are P/F (pass/fail), check with “Estudiar en USA”
*if class names are very abbreviated, check with “Estudiar en USA”
*if report card includes your birth date, be sure it’s correct

3. Send a photo of your grades to Estudiar en USA.

4. Ask the school to prepare your grades

Ask the principal or registrar to sign your grades and put the school seal on them.
The school notary must witness the signing. Louisiana requires the notary to
include an affidavit, that goes something like this:
“Signed and sworn before me on this day ___(date)___ in ___(place)___”, followed
by his/her signature, notary/bar number and stamp or seal.

5. Prepare any other validation documents just like this

If the school has prepared a letter to explain something, like your classes, grades,
whether or not foreign students get diplomas etc, it also needs to be prepared for a
Hague Apostille so you can use it in Spain.

6. Send a photo of your grades/letters to Estudiar en USA.

7. Go to the Post Office

Once you have everything ready, you can go to the Post Office and send everything
to the Secretary of State.

Use the handy guide on page 3 when you’re at the post office.

Madrid Barcelona Valencia Bilbao Sevilla Málaga Marbella

Velázquez 94 Gran Vía 630 Cortes Valencianas 39 Máximo Aguirre 12 República Argentina 24 Alameda Principal 6 Juan Ruiz Muñoz
1ª planta 4ª planta Edif. Géminis 1ª planta 1º derecha 2ª planta Edif. Taillefer 5ª planta Edif. Marino 2, 2ª planta
28006 Madrid 08007 Barcelona 46015 Valencia 48011 Bilbao - Vizcaya 41011 Sevilla 29005 Málaga 29602 Marbella – Málaga
Tel.: 910 019 908 Tel.: 933 801 599 Tel.: 960 654 949 Tel.: 946 530 222 Tel.: 955 328 955 Tel.: 951 286 300 Tel.: 951 247 311

www.estudiarenusa.com
 3

US Post Office Guide: send your grades

These are the steps to follow at the post office:

1. Buy a money order

The Secretary of State charges a fee for each Apostille. You can pay this fee by
money order, which you can buy at the Pst Office.

Buy the money order for the exact amount of the fee you must pay. Be sure to fill
in the money order.

2. Buy “Priority Mail” envelopes

You need two envelopes one to send everything to the Secretary of State, and
another pre-paid, self-addressed envelope so that the Secretary of State can send
the Apostilled documents back to your host family’s home.

This is the kind of envelope you need:

Note: pay for tracking service, so you can track everything on the Internet. Keep
the receipt with the tracking number.

3. Prepare everything for the Secretary of State.

The first envelope needs to be addressed to the Secretary of State.
The second pre-paid, return envelope needs your home address in the USA.
This is what you put in the first envelope: the cover letter, the money order,
grades/documents that need Apostilles and the second, pre-paid return envelope
(folded).

4. Send everything to the Secretary of State

Use the tracking number to keep an eye on everything via Internet.

Madrid Barcelona Valencia Bilbao Sevilla Málaga Marbella

Velázquez 94 Gran Vía 630 Cortes Valencianas 39 Máximo Aguirre 12 República Argentina 24 Alameda Principal 6 Juan Ruiz Muñoz
1ª planta 4ª planta Edif. Géminis 1ª planta 1º derecha 2ª planta Edif. Taillefer 5ª planta Edif. Marino 2, 2ª planta
28006 Madrid 08007 Barcelona 46015 Valencia 48011 Bilbao - Vizcaya 41011 Sevilla 29005 Málaga 29602 Marbella – Málaga
Tel.: 910 019 908 Tel.: 933 801 599 Tel.: 960 654 949 Tel.: 946 530 222 Tel.: 955 328 955 Tel.: 951 286 300 Tel.: 951 247 311

www.estudiarenusa.com