Posted by Mike Photon on 7/11/06 5:51pm
Msg #132457

Weird requirement

A regular customer of mine came to me yesterday for a notarization. She has her daughter's transcript from the college that she wants notarized!
Here is the long story long:

Her daughter is in El Salvador admitted to a university there.
The university(in ES) asked the daughter to submit her transcript from US, with Apostille.
She requested transcript from the college(in US) and the college sent transcript in a sealed envelope and the university rejects it because there is no Apostille.
Now, the daughter sent it to her mom here in US to get an apostille.
Mom, with what she could understand from web search sends the transcript to SOS for Apostille.
SOS of course returns the transcripts to the mom, telling her that any document has to be notarized first before providing an apostille.
Now the mom comes to me for getting notarization!
She doesn't know what kind of notarization she needs. All she needs is an Apostille to go with the transcript.

I tried telling her to talk to the university in ES and let them know that a sealed transcript from university is as good as the original and probably better than the notarized copy. Well.. they dont understand anything. All they know is that they need an apostille. period.

Also the mom tried to ask the college in US as how to handle the situation. And they offer no advise. They can probably send a certified copy with embossed seal, but even that will get rejected because no apostille.

I don't know if there is anything that can be done here, but if there is I really want to help - because she is a really good customer of mine.

What are your takes on this?

Reply by Gerry_VT on 7/11/06 6:15pm
Msg #132460

What is the name of the US college? The college should have been able to handle this, but the odds of getting a knowledgeable person to answer a college's phone are not good. The college registrar or authorized assistant should create a transcript, take it to a college staff member who is a notary, and either swear that the trancript is a true copy, or sign and acknowlege the transcript. The notary attaches either a jurat or acknowledgement certificate and signs and seals it. Then, anyone (such as the student's mother) sends it to the appropriate govennment official in the state where the college is to get an apostille. This may be a one-step process with the secretary of state, or it might be necessary to first send it to the county clerk where the notary is commissioned, and then send it to the secretary of state, it depends on which state it is.

Reply by Mike Photon on 7/11/06 6:26pm
Msg #132465

Thanks for the reply Gerry.
The college is Caņada College in California: http://canadacollege.net/
You are right about getting a knowledgeable person to answer college phone. Mostly kids doing part time attend the phone there.

*The college registrar or authorized assistant should create a transcript, take it to a college staff member who is a notary, and either swear that the trancript is a true copy, or sign and acknowlege the transcript*
I was wondering if the registrar would really do that if requested!
Do any of have first hand experience in getting a notarized transcript from a college? That would be just what she needs!

Reply by Jason on 7/11/06 8:13pm
Msg #132502

What I would do

Have student make appt w/ college to get transcript in person. Meet her there.

Have college admin worker write and sign statement Transcript true, etc.

Give oath, add jurat.

Send notarized doc and transcript to Apostille issuer.

Reply by BarbaraL_CA on 7/11/06 8:34pm
Msg #132515

Why don't you show your customer the forms: an Acknowledgement, a Jurat, and a Certified Copy by Document Custodian. Explain each of the notary forms to her and ask her to tell you which one she wants to use. If she is not getting an answer from the school(s) then let her decide what form to use and make a note in your journal that "xxx from was used as requested by signer". Notarize it, and then get the Apostille.

Sounds logical to me and you are not giving her advice.

Reply by BrendaTx on 7/11/06 9:03pm
Msg #132520

Re: Weird requirement - check your email, Mike n/m