An apostille is the certificate, under the 1961 Hague Convention, that lets a foreign country accept a Texas document without further legalization. For El Paso graduates that document is usually a diploma or transcript: a UTEP nursing graduate taking a position in Spain, an EPCC graduate continuing studies in Chihuahua, a teacher headed to an international school in Monterrey, a Fort Bliss spouse finishing a degree before a move overseas, or a family relocating to Ciudad Juárez whose children's records must be revalidated by Mexico's Secretaría de Educación Pública. Employers and universities abroad, and Mexico's cédula profesional process, routinely ask for the apostilled document plus a translation.
The Texas Secretary of State does not check whether a diploma is real; it authenticates the signature and seal of the Texas notary or Texas public official on the document. So a school document needs one of two preparations first. Either a school official, usually the registrar, signs a statement that the copy or transcript is genuine and that signature is notarized, or our notary certifies a copy of your original diploma under Tex. Gov't Code §406.016, which allows certified copies of documents not recordable in public records, for $10 plus $1 per page (Tex. Gov't Code §406.024). The Secretary of State then attaches the apostille for $15 per document. One border caveat: an NMSU diploma from Las Cruces is a New Mexico document and is apostilled by the New Mexico Secretary of State.
The appointment is simple. Text or call (915) 302-0902 with the school, the document and the destination country, and we confirm the itemized fee: notarial fee, $39 travel fee in El Paso, $15 per document to the Secretary of State and our handling fee. We come to your home, office or campus anywhere in El Paso County, or meet you by appointment at 11860 Vista Del Sol #220. Bring your unexpired photo ID and the original diploma or the registrar's sealed transcript; the notarization takes about fifteen minutes. Then we prepare the Secretary of State request, ship it with tracking and return the apostilled document. We cannot advise which version a foreign university or employer will accept, order transcripts for you or arrange translations — ask your recipient and your registrar first.
Documents we notarize
- High school diplomas (EPISD, YISD, SISD, Canutillo, Clint and private schools)
- University degrees and diplomas from UTEP, EPCC, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso and other Texas schools
- NMSU degrees — New Mexico documents, apostilled by the New Mexico Secretary of State (we tell you what we can and cannot handle)
- Official transcripts (registrar-issued, sealed)
- Enrollment verification letters
- Texas teaching certificates (TEA/SBEC)
- Professional licenses (nursing, medical, engineering, cosmetology and other Texas boards)
- TEFL, TESOL and other course or training certificates
- K-12 report cards and school records for SEP revalidation in Mexico
- Continuing education and vocational certificates (Western Technical College and similar)
- Degree verification letters from the registrar
El Paso specifics: UTEP, EPCC, the school districts and the New Mexico line
For a UTEP or EPCC degree, start with the Registrar's Office. Ask for an official transcript and whether the office will sign a statement verifying your diploma or transcript. If a school official signs, that person must sign before a notary — many campuses have a notary on staff for exactly this, and if yours does not, we can meet the official on campus by appointment anywhere in El Paso. If the school declines, the notarized certified copy of your original diploma is the usual alternative. For K-12 records, EPISD, YISD and SISD handle transcript requests through their own records offices.
NMSU sits forty-five minutes up I-10 but on the other side of the state line, which changes everything: a Texas notary cannot notarize in Las Cruces or Sunland Park, and the Texas Secretary of State cannot apostille a New Mexico notarization. NMSU documents are apostilled by the New Mexico Secretary of State. For Mexico, remember two things: the SEP and most universities usually require a translation by a perito traductor authorized in that state, done after the apostille so the apostille itself is translated too, and the cédula profesional process has its own checklist — confirm both with the receiving office before you order anything.
Common mistakes that get school documents rejected
The Secretary of State rejects a notarized copy when the notary certificate is incomplete: no venue line, no date, a seal that is smudged or missing the commission expiration, or wording that does not say the notary compared the copy to the original. Photocopies of a photocopy are another problem — we certify from your original diploma, never from a scan or a phone photo. Laminated diplomas can be copied, but the notary's certificate goes on a separate page attached to the copy, so tell us in advance if yours is laminated or oversized.
Transcripts cause their own errors. An unofficial printout from a student portal carries no registrar's signature or seal, and a foreign university will usually reject it even with an apostille attached; order the official transcript. Finally, order more than one set if you are applying to several countries or institutions: each apostille is $15 and attaches to one document, and a Spanish university and a Mexican employer will each want their own original. Ask your recipient how many they need before we ship anything to Austin.
What to bring
- Unexpired government photo ID (Texas driver license or ID, passport, military ID or Mexican consular ID)
- The original diploma or certificate — not a photocopy or a scan
- The official transcript from the registrar, sealed if your recipient requires it
- The registrar's statement, if a school official has already signed it before a notary
- The destination country and your recipient's checklist (translation, number of copies, deadlines)
- Payment for the itemized quote, including the $15 Secretary of State fee per document
How a mobile appointment works
Text or call to book
Text or call (915) 302-0902 with the school, the document and the country that will receive it. We explain the two preparations the Secretary of State accepts, a registrar's notarized statement or a notarized certified copy, and quote the itemized total including the $15 fee per document.
We come to you
Our bilingual notary meets you at home, at work or on campus anywhere in El Paso County, checks your ID, compares the copy to your original diploma and completes the notarial certificate. About fifteen minutes, then we take the package with us.
Apostilled and returned
We prepare the Secretary of State request and payment, ship the package with tracking, follow it through the Authentications Unit in Austin, and return the apostilled document to you in El Paso. Then it is ready for your translator or recipient.