How do you prepare a North Dakota high school, college, university transcript for an apostille?
The transcript must be certified/signed by a school official (principal, registrar, counselor, etc.) The signature of the school official must be original.
Sample certification:
According to the North Dakota Secretary of State, the following must be submitted:
Copy of the transcript, including:
- Student's full name
- Numerical class year in school (example: 9, 10, 11, 12)
- Academic year (example: 2010 – 2011)
- School's name and address
Official letter signed by the principal or individual who has the same authority, which contains:
- Official school seal
- Student's full name
- Statement that the student has met all the requirements of the school
An original acknowledgement page attached to each of the above documents.
Acceptable notarial certificates:
Notarial certificates can be typed, printed, or handwritten in ink. The notary may prepare the certificate on a separate page and attach it to the document containing the notarized signature. If the certificate is on a separate page, it may be beneficial to add additional wording for extra security, such as:
"This notary certificate is prepared on a separate page and is attached to the document entitled _______________________, containing _________ (__) pages by means of __________ (staple, glue, tape).
Acknowledgment in an individual capacity:
Acknowledgment in a representative capacity:
Jurat (verification on oath or affirmation):
Witnessing or attesting a signature:
Can a notary certify a copy of a transcript?
Yes, the State of North Dakota allows copy certification by notaries public. However, please check with the receiving foreign school / agency if they will accept a notarized copy. Many foreign schools require an original transcript signed by the school principal or registrar.
Also, the North Dakota Secretary of State has specific requirements regarding school documents (see above). We would not recommend copy certification of a transcript by a notary public.
In case there is no other way to get a notarized original of the transcript, the notary should use the following notarial certificate: ( sample from CHAPTER 44-06.1 REVISED UNIFORM LAW ON NOTARIAL ACT):
Copy certification:
