What is legalization?

Documents issued in one country ('Source Country') which need to be used in another country ('Destination Country') must be 'authenticated' or 'legalized' before they can be recognized as valid in the foreign country. This is a process in which various seals are placed on the document.

What kinds of documents are usually legalized?

Such documents range from powers of attorney, affidavits, birth, death and marriages records, incorporation papers like company by laws and articles of incorporation , deeds of assignments , distributorship agreements, patent applications and trademarks, papers for adoption purposes, home studies, diplomas, transcripts, letters relating to degrees, non-marital status, references and job certifications and other legal papers .

Is legalization the same for all countries?

The number and type of authentication certificates depend on the nature of the document and whether or not the foreign country is a party to the multilateral treaty on 'legalization' of documents.

What is Apostille?

If the document is intended for use in a country which is a party to a treaty called the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents ('Hague Legalization Convention') obtaining a special 'apostille' certificate is generally all that is required. The procedure is explained in detail in Hague Convention Legalization Procedure.
Since the authorities designated by the U.S. to affix the apostille can only attest to the validity of certain seals, it may be necessary to obtain some intermediate seals on the document, depending on the origin of the document, before the apostille can be affixed. There is no single U.S. competent authority to issue the Convention apostille. There are different authorities for documents originating in state and local jurisdictions, Federal courts and Federal government agencies. There are three levels of U.S. competent authorities, one for Federal agencies, one for U.S. (federal) courts, and one for state documents, including documents executed before notaries.

What is Chain Authentication?

If the country where the document will be used is not a party to the Hague Convention, authorities will have to attest to the validity of a succession of seals beginning with the document and ending with the seal of the foreign embassy or consulate of the destination country in the United States. <LI>Notarized Documents: The procedure for authenticating documents executed before a notary public such as affidavits or acknowledgments varies from state to state in the United States and in different countries. In the United States the state Secretary of State's office can authenticate the seal of the clerk of the county court. After the seal of the state Secretary of State or comparable authority is on the document, it may be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office. The final step is to obtain the seal of the foreign embassy or consulate. <BR>State Documents: State documents such as documents originating with a state court or agency (birth, death, marriage, etc.) must be authenticated by the appropriate office in the state Secretary of State's office. The document may then be authenticated by the foreign embassy or consulate. <BR>Documents Issued by Federal Agencies: Documents issued under the seal of a federal agency can be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office. Then send the documents to the foreign embassy or consulate.<BR>Documents Issued by Federal Courts: Documents issued under the seal of a federal court should be sent to Justice Management Division, Security Program Staff, Physical Security Office, for the preliminary authentication. Then forward the document(s) to the U.S. Department of State, Authentications Office. Finally, send the documents to the foreign embassy or consulate.

What does U.S. Department of State Authentications Office do?

U.S. Department of State Authentications Office: The Department of State is responsible for providing authentication service to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals on all documents that will be used overseas. Types of documents include corporate documents such as company bylaws and articles of incorporation, power of attorney, patent applications and trademarks, diplomas, transcripts, letters relating to degrees, non-marital status, references and job certifications, home studies, deeds of assignments, distributorship agreements, papers for adoption purposes, etc. The Office is responsible for issuing certificates under the Seal of the Department of State. It also ensures that the requested information will serve in the interest of justice and is not contrary to U.S. policy.