May 14, 2026, 9:21:26 AM

June - Im a VA notary. I have someone who needs both their diploma and transcript notarized. I suggested that the administrator or registrar write a letter stating that their official diploma and transcript are attached, and id notarized their letter. Is that ok or would they have to write one letter for each? Also, you stated that they have to sign the actual diploma or transcript. Is that true? I have never done it that way and am asking if the rules have changed in that regard. Thanks so much.

May 14, 2026, 8:43:59 AM

Suzanne Feinberg - Thank you for the question. It is one that a lot of notaries, students, and families are asking right now.

First, my standard disclaimer: I am not an attorney, and I cannot give legal advice. The client should confirm the exact requirement with the receiving authority, their immigration/legal advisor, the Spanish consulate, or the agency requesting the documents. As notaries, we can explain notarial options, but we cannot decide what Spain, a consulate, a university, or an immigration office will accept.

That said, here is the issue we are seeing with diplomas, transcripts, apostilles, and Spain visa documents.

For a long time, many educational documents were handled by making a photocopy and attaching a copy certification notarial certificate. In some cases, that worked. However, Spain has recently been rejecting some documents prepared that way. The concern is that the notarization is not directly tied to the school official’s signature on the educational record. In the blog post, I described the more direct chain of authentication now being requested: school official signature, direct notarization of that school official’s signature, and then apostille.

Regarding your question about whether one letter can cover both the diploma and transcript: maybe, but I would be cautious. If the administrator or registrar writes one letter saying both the official diploma and official transcript are attached, the notary is notarizing the school official’s signature on that letter. The apostille then authenticates the notary’s signature and commission, not the attached diploma or transcript itself. Depending on the receiving authority, that may or may not be enough.

For international use, and especially for Spain, I generally prefer the cleaner approach: each educational document should have its own direct school certification/signature and notarization, or the school should prepare the documents in whatever format they know is acceptable for apostille processing. In many cases, the registrar’s office already knows how to prepare diplomas and transcripts for international apostille use.

My own workflow is:

Have the client obtain the diploma and transcript directly from the school or official records provider, preferably with a traditional ink signature from the registrar or authorized school official.
If the school uses a service such as Parchment, I suggest the client order the official document and then work with the school to obtain a wet ink signature and traditional notarization if required. Many schools understand this process because students regularly need diplomas and transcripts for visas, foreign employment, study abroad, degree recognition, and immigration purposes.
If the school allows an outside notary to come in, the notary may be able to meet with the registrar or authorized school official and notarize that person’s signature. The notary is not notarizing the diploma as a “thing”; the notary is notarizing the signature of the school official.
Once properly notarized, the document can usually move to the appropriate Secretary of State for apostille or authentication, depending on the destination country and the state where the notarization occurred.

So to your last question: I would not say the “rules” for notarization itself have necessarily changed. What appears to be changing is what Spain is willing to accept for educational documents. The safest approach is no longer a loose copy certification or a general cover letter if the receiving authority expects a direct school-issued, school-signed, notarized educational record.

This is why I always recommend that the client confirm the exact requirement before the notary proceeds. It can save everyone time, money, and the frustration of a rejected apostille package or visa filing.