Document Legalization Services

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Legalization service is the process by which international governments authenticate documents. If you plan to use a US Public Document in another country, local authorities will require it to be legalized before it could be accepted. Each country has its own requirements for document legalization, which are based on the document being legalized and its destined use. For documents intended for use in countries that have not signed the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of  Document Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, a different authentication chain is used, which includes eventual legalization by the appropriate consulate

How to legalize U.S documents for use in non- Hague country

If you have a certain document legalization services and is issued in the United States of America, you must follow the three steps outlined below.

The first step is certification/notarization.

The authority you must contact in this step may differ depending on the type of document, as shown below:

If you have State and Local documents in the United States, such as:

  • Birth Certificates
  • Probate Wills
  • Death Certificates
  • Marriage Certificates
  • Divorce Decrees
  • Judgments

You must make sure that they are original or certified documents with the raised and/or stamped seal of the court or vital records department.

The documents must then be certified by the Secretary of State of the state in which they were issued.

If your documents are federally issued, such as:

  • Animal/Plant Certifications (issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA)
  • FBI – Background check (issued by U.S. Department of Justice, or DoJ)
  • Animal Health certifications (issued by USDA)
  • U.S. Federal Court check (issued by DoJ)
  • Immigration Certifications (issued by U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court check (issued by DoJ)
  • Certificate of Foreign Governments (issued by HHS)
  • Trademark (Issued by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)
  • Certificate of Pharmaceutical/Export (issued by HHS)

You need to make sure that

  • These documents must be signed by federal agencies in the United States.
  • These documents should include a legible signature, the official’s printed name and title, and the agency’s seal.

These documents should be printed on the letterhead of the agency.

  • If your document was issued by the District of Columbia Superior Court and Court of Appeals, such as: 

Marriage Certificates (Issued in the District of Columbia), you must ensure that it has the original official signature and the court’s raised seal.

If your documents are of a different type, such as:

  • Affidavits
  • Articles of Incorporation
  • Agreements
  • Bylaws
  • Copy of a U.S. Passport (identification page only)
  • Commercial Invoices
  • Deeds of Assignment
  • Home Study
  • Diplomas
  • Income Verification
  • Transcripts
  • Single Status
  • Powers-of-Attorney
  • Other business documents

You must follow the following steps:

  • You must first have your document stamped or sealed by a notary public; then it must be certified by the clerk of court from the county where the notary is commissioned; and finally, it must be certified by the Secretary of State from the state where the document was executed before finally having the document legalization.

Keep in mind when creating documents of this type:

  • Documents from the District of Columbia should be certified by the District of Columbia Government Notarial Section.
  • If the Secretary of State would certify directly to the notary, the document does not need to be certified by the clerk of court from the county where the notary is commissioned.

Step 2: Obtain an Authentication Certificate from the US Department of State.

You must prepare the following items before submitting your US documents to the Office of Authentications for a Certificate of Authentication for use in non-Hague Countries before you get your document legalization service done:

  • A finished Authentication Service Request Section 4 of the DS-4194 form specifies the country as the country of use for the document.
  • The document(s) that require authentication
  • The fee is the US $20 per document, payable by check or money order.
  • One self-addressed, prepaid envelope for document return

And then, you send your package to:

Office of Authentications

U.S. Department of State

Step 3: Document Legalization service through the embassy/consulate general of the destination country in the United States of America.

This step is completed as follows:

  • First of all, you have to prepare:
    • The application for document legalization (download pdf) or cover letter explains what you’ll do for your documents.
    • Documents requested for embassy legalization & Apostille services that have been notarized/certified and authenticated in Steps 1 & 2;
    • If submitted in person, the original of the requester’s ID or a photo of the requester’s ID if submitted by mail;
    • Fees are payable by Money Orders or Cashier’s Checks if mailed or in cash or check.
    • Return mail to: a self-addressed, pre-stamped return envelope You must use one of the tracking-number-provided mailing services, such as FedEx or USPS Express Mail. Please include your name, address, FedEx account number, and phone number in both the sender’s and recipient’s boxes if you use FedEx.
  • The documents are then submitted to the embassy of the destination country and then your document legalization is finalized.
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