Procedure for Legalization of Documents Issued in the United States for use in Non-Hague Convention Countries

A document that originated from the United States and is to be used in a country that is NOT a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, October 5, 1961 (see here for a list of signatory countries) should follow the steps below:

Documents Executed before a U.S. Notary Public

1. A document that has been signed by a U.S. notary public should be presented to the clerk of the county court where the notary is licensed for a "notarial certificate" to be attached.
2. The document with the notarial certificate attached should then be presented to the state secretary of state in which the county clerk is located to request certification of the seal and signature of the county clerk.
3. The next procedure is for the document to be presented to the Authentication’s Office, U.S. Department of State, 2400 M. Street NW, Room 101, Washington, DC 20520, Tel: 001-202-647-5002, for authentication of the state’s seal. The Department charges $10.00 for this service, which may be paid by U.S. check or money order made payable to the Department of State.
4. Finally, the document should be presented to the Embassy of the country in which the document will be used (e.g. The British Embassy in Washington, D.C.) to authenticate the seal of the Department of State.

For Documents Signed before a D.C. Notary

The document should be forwarded to the Office of the Secretary, DC, Notary Commissions and Authentication’s Section, 717 14th Street, NW, Suite 230, Washington, DC 20005, telephone 001-202-727-3117 to obtain the notarial certificate. Steps 3 and 4 should then follow.

Documents Issued by State Agencies - birth, death and marriage certificates

Generally, a document issued under the seal of a state agency or state court can be certified by the state secretary of state in which the agency is located. Steps 3 and 4 should then follow. For a list of U.S. Secretaries of State, including contact information and fees, please follow this link.

Colleges, Universities and other Post-Secondary Institutions

1. Obtain from the registrar of the university an official true copy of the credentials bearing the seal of the university. The registrar should then execute an affidavit of the validity of the document before a notary public in the registrar’s office or elsewhere at the university.
2. Take the document to the clerk of court of the county wherein the notary was licensed or commissioned to obtain a notarial certificate suitable for use abroad.
3. Transmit the document with the notarial certificate to the state secretary of state for application of the state’s seal.
4. Send the document to the Authentication’s Office of the Department of State, 2400 M. Street NW, Room 101, Washington, DC 20520, Tel: 001-202-647-5002, for authentication of the state’s seal.
5. Finally, have the document authenticated at the foreign Embassy for the country where the document is to be used.

For further information, please visit http://travel.state.gov/law/info/info_606.html or contact the UK Educational Advisory Service for assistance.

back to top ^