What is Embassy or Consular Legalization?
Embassy legalization is an alternative method for document legalization, which substitutes an Apostille and is applicable to countries that are not members of the Hague Convention of 1961. This type of document legalization consists of the recognition of the signature or authentication of the actual document. The legalization of the document, however, does not guarantee the acceptance of its content nor its approval.
In most cases, a Consular or Embassy Legalization will require the document to be notarized by a Notary Public or signed by an competent officer (ie: a city clerk, a chief of the FBI biometric services division, a rector of the university, dean of the faculty, a school principal, etc.). Next would come an authentication from a Country Clerk (in some US states), certification provided by a Secretary of State, a foreign affairs office, the U. S. State Department, DFAT, FCO etc. and finally a foreign embassy or consulate.
Why legalize public documents?
Any public or personal document originating from a foreign country and intended to be used in another foreign State has to be properly legalized in order to be accepted by overseas authorities. The legalization applies to such documents as vital records, FBI background check certificates, diplomas, transcripts, court judgments, petitions for a name change, decrees regarding a name change, summonses, notarized powers of attorney, affidavits, corporate by-laws, certificates of incorporation, contracts, auction proposals, certificates of origins, commercial invoices, etc. Proper legalization of documents is obligatory because foreign authorities need to be ensured that the documents presented to them are genuine and were issued by an authorized official in order to act in a particular capacity competent authority in the USA or any other country. This is why a completion of multi–step process of verification of documents authenticity is necessitated by most of non-Apostille countries.
Non – Apostille countries
The non-Apostille countries listed below are the States which have never joined the Apostille Convention mentioned above. Any document that originates outside of these countries requires legalization by the Embassy or Consulate to be recognized and to ensure the validity of the document.
If you hold a document which you are going to present in one of the countries listed above, find out how validate it by emailing us at: apolingsolutions@gmail.com or calling us at: 718-676-4537.
Specifics and procedures of document legalization
The process of document legalization is a complex undertaking, which requires an in-depth knowledge of the law of different countries, comprehension of specific rules regarding document legalization established by particular countries, and an acquaintance with conventional international standards regulating the document exchange between the States.
Also, it is to be considered that different types of documents are to be processed by different means. To prepare a document correctly, one should perfectly understand all of the stages of legalization, and be well-versed in which are the correct departments to submit the documents with, as well as the proper order of the documents that are ready for submission.
In addition, consulates and embassies have specific requirements regarding submitted documents. Documents that are not in accordance with them are to be denied legalization (for example, documents that have not been issued within this Consulate’s jurisdiction, are not the original documents, or documents that are not signed and stamped accordingly) will be returned to the applicant in the return envelop provided by the petitioner.
Why search for professional help?
For people who are dealing with document legalization for the first time, the process can be confusing, tiresome and pricey. For this reason, it is wise to hire specialists who can offer you a support and take your documents through every single step of legalization process.
At Apoling Solutions, we certify documents from the Secretaries of the State of all USA states. Next, we authenticate the documents from the US Department of State in Washington D.C. and translate them into whatever foreign languages are necessary to complete the application process. Next, we legalize the documents from the required consulate or embassy in Washington D.C. or in New York.
Legal Disclaimer
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