When it comes to document legalization, there’s a lot of red tape. Luckily, after the Hague Convention of 1961, most major countries joined forces to simplify document attestation and make it easy for all. What if the country you’re going to isn’t on the Hague Convention list? Here’s a list of steps to take below
State Certification
In step one of embassy legalization, you must obtain state certification from the Secretary of State office. This is possible in all 50 states and required for both Hague Convention countries and non-Hague countries. Some countries require that the state level authentication come from the issuing state and other countries do not have that requirement. This means that a document from Alabama can possibly have a Washington DC state level certification; it will all depend on which country you intent to use the document in.
US Department of State Certification
In the second step, if required (mostly for non-Hague convention countries), you must send your documents to the US Department of State in Washington, D.C. for the federal level certification..
Embassy or Consulate Legalization
The embassy or consulate will provide legalization of your documents for you. They will verify the state and federal level authentications and then place their embassy stamp on your document.
The process of legalizing and attesting documents can be a little complicated. Embassy legalization i can take time to complete. The best advice is to use a service to help you smooth out the process, making sure the company you choose has been well-reviewed. Apply for embassy legalization doesn’t have to be difficult since there are plenty of services to choose from for help.
With US Authentication Services, embassy legalization has never been easier. Their services save you time and money and handle all the paperwork for you.
