Sometimes, notaries run across some odd requests. I was once asked to certify a copy of a diploma. Unfortunately, I was unable to do so since my state (California) does not allow me to certify copies of such documents. Another such certification I cannot provide is an Apostille.
An Apostille is a certification for a document that has been notarized. It is a certification needed by a foreign country and it certifies the notary not the document. An apostille is provided to certify that the notary is in good standing on the day the notarization was done. An apostille is used for countries that have agreed to the Hague Convention on Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (usually noted just as the Hague Convention).
A notary cannot supply an apostille but can refer the client to the proper authority or agency who can provide the apostille. In California, it's the California Secretary of State and more information can be found at the California SOS website.
We are more and more interacting with people and companies in other countries so we need a way for us to provide notarized documents to others in foreign countries. An apostille is the method we have as long as it's for a country that has signed the Hague Convention. If the country hasn't signed the Hague Convention, there is another way to certify the notary and that's called a Certificate of Notarial Authority. More on that certificate later.