Foreign exchange students or students travelling out of the country may need their school transcripts and/or diplomas certified or notarized in order to obtain a certification or an apostille from the Secretary of State’s Office. It is important that the notary properly certifies the documents or notarizes the signature of the proper authority of the school who is attesting to the validity of the documents. Failure to perform the notarization properly may cause a rejection of the documents by the Secretary of State’s Office, or a rejection from the other country to which they are being sent, and may affect the student’s ability to continue in the foreign exchange program.

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:

The signature of the school official must be notarized by a West Virginia Notary Public. 

Yes, the State of West Virginia 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.

In case a notarized copy is acceptable, the notary should use the following notarial certificate (West Virginia Notary Handbook)

Special rules/restrictions: A Notary must keep on file a copy of each original record they certify as a true copy for (WVC 39-4-30[b]). A written, signed request must be presented to the Notary which states that a certified copy cannot be obtained from the office of a recorder, or custodian of public documents in West Virginia, that making a copy of the document does not violate state or federal law, and that the Notary keeps a copy on file (West Virginia Notary Handbook).