Notarizing Out-of-State and International Documents in California

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By the notaries at Mar Vista Cheap Mobile Notary, commissioned by the California Secretary of State · Updated October 26, 2026 · Sources: California Notary Public Handbook (Secretary of State, 2026), Civil Code § 1189, Government Code § 8202, Government Code § 8200, Government Code § 8232

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Documents for another U.S. state

A California notary’s authority covers notarizations performed in California, regardless of where the document is going. Under Civil Code § 1189, subdivision (c), on a document to be filed in another state the notary may complete the acknowledgment form that state requires, unless the form asks the notary to:

• Certify that you hold a particular representative capacity (for example, “who is the president of XYZ Corp.”), or
• Make any other determination or certification California law doesn’t allow (such as stating the signer is “personally known” as the only basis of identification).

If the out-of-state form doesn’t work, the notary attaches a California acknowledgment instead, which other states routinely accept. For sworn documents, a jurat taken in California must use the California jurat wording with its boxed notice (Government Code § 8202), so the notary will typically attach one even if the document has another state’s jurat printed on it.

The venue is always California

Every certificate starts with a venue: “State of California, County of ____.” That is where you appeared before the notary, not where you live, where the property is, or where the document is going (Government Code § 8200). If an out-of-state form has “State of Texas” preprinted, the notary will correct the venue or attach a California certificate.

Documents for use in another country

Foreign governments generally won’t accept a California notarization on its own; they want proof that the notary is real. That proof is an apostille (for countries in the Hague Apostille Convention) or an authentication certificate followed by consular legalization (for countries outside it). For a notarized document, the California Secretary of State issues it after verifying the notary’s commission. Federal documents (such as an FBI background check) go to the U.S. Department of State instead.

We handle both steps: notarizing the document and taking it through the apostille process. See Apostille services.

Common problems with foreign-drafted documents

• Wording asking the notary to certify facts (that you own the property, that a translation is accurate, that you’re the company director). A California notary can only certify identity, appearance and acknowledgment or oath. A California certificate is attached instead.
• “Personally known to me” as the only basis. California notaries must have satisfactory evidence of identity, so personal knowledge alone isn’t enough.
• The document is in a language the notary doesn’t read. That’s fine. The notary must be able to communicate with you directly, not to read the document. See foreign-language documents.
• Consulate notarization requirements. Some countries require certain documents (particularly for property or civil status) to be executed at their consulate rather than before a local notary. Ask the receiving authority first.

Notarizations from other states, used in California

It works the other way, too. A certificate of acknowledgment taken in another place is sufficient in California if it was taken under the laws of that place (Civil Code § 1189, subdivision (b)), and since January 1, 2024 California law expressly recognizes notarial acts performed under the laws of other states (Government Code § 8232 and following).

Common questions

Can a California notary notarize a document for use in another state?

Yes. The notary may use the other state’s acknowledgment wording if it doesn’t require certifying capacity, or attach a California certificate.

Will another state accept a California acknowledgment?

In general, yes. States recognize notarial acts performed under the laws of the state where they took place. If the receiving office has specific requirements, ask them.

Do I need an apostille for a document going to Mexico, Spain or Italy?

Usually, yes. Those countries are members of the Hague Apostille Convention, and they generally require an apostille on U.S. notarized documents. The receiving authority has the final say.

Can a California notary sign a certificate in Spanish or another language?

California certificates are completed in English using the statutory wording. A bilingual document can still be notarized; the notary completes the California certificate.