Mail requests are processed by Sacramento only. In-person same-day service available in Sacramento & LA.
Compare services below to find your fastest safe route →
Mail processing follows the official CA SOS queue — check the current processing dates here.
Business days — arrive early for the best chance at same-day processing.
Los Angeles offers in-person, same-day service on a first-come, first-served basis (no appointments). Expect wait times; arrive early.
Looking for DIY instructions? California DIY Guide
Standard mail processing in California currently takes 4-6 weeks. An "Expedited" service bypasses this wait by physically hand-carrying your document into the Secretary of State's office in Sacramento or Los Angeles. This is the only legal way to achieve same-day or 24-hour turnaround for urgent international deadlines.
Balance speed, cost, and convenience based on your deadline.
Best for: 3+ weeks / flexible timeline
Best for: 1–7 days / tight deadlines
Best for: under a week / 3–10 days
Note: California does not have a mail-in ‘rush lane’ that skips the queue. Rush = in-person submission (you or a courier).
Understanding your options is the first step.
Main Secretary of State office
Open M-F 8am-4pm • Cash accepted
LA regional office drop-off
No appointments • Cash NOT accepted
Standard mail processing
Most affordable • Use DIY guide
US Dept. of State apostille
Cannot be done at state level
Unlike standard mail processing, expedited couriers handle your document physically at every step to ensure speed.
Critical first step. We verify your document is acceptable for a California Apostille (correct signature, not federal) to ensure it can be processed.
Your document is physically hand-carried to the Secretary of State's office. Service is first-come, first-served (no appointments).
Once processed, your apostille is picked up from the office. We verify the seal is present and correct, then arrange return shipping.
Recommended for urgent deadlines where a 4-6 week wait is not an option.
Moving or traveling within 2 weeks? The mail queue is too risky for such tight apostille deadlines.
For mergers, court dates, or POA filings requiring strict same-day authentication.
Student visas and foreign job offers often have tight windows for diploma apostilles.
Marriage certificates often need last-minute apostille legalization before the ceremony.
Top-rated providers servicing California. Verified for quality and responsive support.
Premier expedited service provider specializing in same-day authentication for birth certificates, marriage licenses, and corporate filings. Direct submission to maximizing speed.
"We've verified CA Apostille Express's licensing and track record. They are our #1 recommendation for speed and reliability in Los Angeles."
If your deadline is flexible (4+ weeks), the DIY mail-in option is significantly cheaper. Our free guide helps you avoid mistakes.
Yes, but only if submitted in person at the Sacramento or Los Angeles Secretary of State offices. Mail-in requests to Sacramento take 4-6 weeks.
Yes. All mail-in California apostille requests must be sent to the Sacramento office. The Los Angeles office only accepts in-person drop-offs and does not process mail.
Courier fees range from $125 to $250 per document, plus the $20 California state fee and $6 special handling fee.
Speed and Certainty: The DIY mail-in process to Sacramento currently takes 4-6 weeks and carries a high risk of rejection. Expedited services physically walk your document into the Secretary of State's office in Sacramento or Los Angeles for same-day or next-day processing.
Yes. You do not need to be physically present in California. You can mail your documents to one of the expedited providers listed above. They will physically present your document to the Secretary of State in Sacramento or Los Angeles on your behalf and ship it back to you.
Most California vital records (birth, marriage, death) and CA notarized documents (Power of Attorney) can be expedited. Note: Vital records must be certified copies signed by the County Clerk.
Los Angeles: No appointments for the public; drop-offs are limited. Sacramento: Yes, but be prepared for long wait times. Using a registered service provider is recommended as they submit documents daily in both Sacramento and Los Angeles.
This is the main benefit of using a pro service. They review your document before submission. If you mail it yourself (DIY) to Sacramento and it gets rejected, you lose the 4-6 week waiting period.
No. Same-day is an in-person service concept, but it depends on eligibility. If anything is missing, you’ll lose the same-day advantage.
Document eligibility. Most attempts fail because of incorrect notarization or an unacceptable copy.
Yes—couriers hand-carry and submit in person on your behalf at both offices.
Overnight ship your documents to a courier in California for in-person submission.
That’s usually not a California state apostille route. Federal documents often require a federal authentication/apostille process.
Non-Hague destinations often require an authentication chain. The fastest path is the correct path.
It’s a CA SOS fee tied to authenticating different public official signatures.
Use rigid protection (cardboard), keep originals flat, avoid stapling through seals, include a cover sheet, and use trackable overnight shipping both directions.
"Speed is important, but accuracy is critical. A same-day apostille is useless if it gets rejected for a missing county clerk authentication. We verify every single document before submission."
Last checked: January 26, 2026
