Document Legalization is the process of authenticating documents for use in a country that is NOT a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. This is a more complex process than the simple Apostille issued by any of the 50 States.
Apostilles are issued for countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention whereas a Certification is issued for countries who are NOT members. If the destination country is NOT a member, then a certification will be applied at the Secretary of State level, the U.S. Department of State level followed by legalization by the Embassy or Consul.
The chart to your right helps clarify the steps involved. Please keep in mind that not all documents require notarization and not every country will ask you to complete all the steps. The destination country will provide you a checklist on what you need to do.
Once your documents have been certified at the Secretary of State’s Office of your state, the next step is to have your documents certified at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. Our affiliate office is located in this district allowing us to process your documents quickly (1-3 business days).
The U.S. Department of State will authenticate the signature of the Secretary of State and a certificate will be attached. Once complete, your documents are now ready to be legalized at the Embassy or Consulate office.
Every industry has their own special lingo. Some of the following words are used interchangeably by others so we’ll help clarify the real meaning.
1. Apostille – A document issued by the Secretary of State which is destined to a country who is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention.
2. Certification – A document issued by the Secretary of State which is destined to a country who is NOT a member of the Hague Apostille convention.
3. Authentication – This is what the Secretary of State and the US Department of State does. They authenticate the signature of the person who signed the document.
4. Legalization – Refers to what the Consul or Embassy does.
5. Attestation – Refers to being sworn in that everything is true and correct written on the document. Basically taking an oath.
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