Apostille 

An Apostille is a certification, commonly used to refer to the legalization of a document for international use under the terms of the 1961 Hague Convention. Documents - including official academic transcripts and diplomas - which have been notarized by a notary public and then certified with a conformant apostille (Montana Secretary of State's Office) are accepted for legal use in all the nations that have signed the Hague Convention.  

Montana State University’s procedures to request an Apostille on a Diploma and/or Official Academic Transcript are as follows. 

Transcripts:  

Order an official hard copy transcript either through your MyMSU account on the Registration & Records tab or by going directly to the National Student Clearinghouse Website. The charge for an official academic transcript is $10.00 per copy. 

  1. Instructions for ordering an official transcript may be found on the Registrar's website. 
  2. Request your transcript to be mailed to the Montana Secretary of State Notary Compliance, State Capitol, Room 260, P.O. Box 20280, Helena, MT 59620-2801 
  3. In the "Recipient Information" section include "For Apostille" 
  4. Visit the Secretary of State's website to download and complete the Certification Request Form to include in the packet. 
  5. The packet should include the following: 
    1. A Note that your transcript has been ordered per the steps above, and/or your Diploma or a Diploma Request Form 
    2. Check(s) made out to the Montana Secretary of State 
    3. Completed Certification Request Form from the Secretary of State's Website
  6. Mail the packet with the documents above to Secretary of State: Montana Secretary of State Notary Compliance, State Capitol, Room 260, P.O. Box 20280, Helena, MT 59620-2801 

 

Diplomas: Provide the original diploma or order a replacement through the Registrar’s Office forms page. Questions may be directed to 406-994-6650. To order a replacement Diploma: 

  1. Order a replacement through the Registrar’s Office forms page 
  2. Include a check in the amount of $25.00 payable to Montana State University.Allow 2-3 weeks to process the order. 
  3. On your replacement diploma request, state that the replacement will be used in the Apostille process and send to: Montana Secretary Secretary of State Notary Compliance, State Capitol, Room 260, P.O. Box 20280, Helena, MT 59620-2801 
  4. Visit the Secretary of State's website to download and complete the Certification Request Form to include in the packet. 
  5. The packet should include the following: 
    1. A Note that your transcript has been ordered per the steps above, and/or your Diploma or a Diploma Request Form 
    2. Check(s) made out to the Montana Secretary of State 
    3. Completed Certification Request Form from the Secretary of State's Website 
  6. Mail the packet with the documents above to Secretary of State: Montana Secretary of State Notary Compliance, State Capitol, Room 260, P.O. Box 20280, Helena, MT 59620-2801 

Question may be directed to the Montana Secretary of State.

Generally, students should allow 3-4 weeks for completion of the Apostille process.  Processing time may vary by time of year and demand for the Apostille services.  If a replacement diploma is ordered, add an additional 2-3 weeks for processing.