Apostille Services

When presenting your documents to another country, ensuring the validity of attached signatures and seals is crucial. There are two primary methods of authentication:

• Apostille Services : This involves obtaining an apostille for your document, which is recognized by countries that are part of the Hague Convention of 1961.

• Legalization Service: For countries not part of the Hague Convention, documents need to be legalized by the respective Embassy or Consulate.

US Legalization specializes in providing both legalization and apostille services in most countries. By choosing US Legalization, you can trust that your documents will comply with the requirements of your destination country. Our dedicated team expedites the process and swiftly returns your authenticated documents to you.

Apostille Services Process:

For documents issued by federal entities such as the FDA, USDA, USPTO, EPA, FBI, or the US Department of Homeland Security, US Legalization handles the following steps:

• Authentication: The document must be authenticated by the US Department of State in Washington DC.
  Examples: FBI Background Check, Certificate of Exportability, Certificate to Foreign Government-CFG, Patent Certificate, Trademark Certificate.

For state-issued documents, the process involves:

• Notarization: Ensuring your document is notarized by a local notary public unless it is an original copy/certification issued by a competent Federal/State/local office.

• Certification: The document must then be certified by the Secretary of State. In some states, it may require certification by the County Clerk first.
  

Examples: Company Bylaws, Affidavit, Power of Attorney- POA, Assignments, Business Letters, Certificate of Status, Board Resolution

Legalization Service Process:

For Business Documents Legalization Services:

• Notarization: Ensure your document is notarized by a local notary public unless it is an original copy/certification issued by a competent Federal/State/local office.

• Certification: The document must then be certified by the Secretary of State. In some states, it may require certification by the County Clerk first.

• Authentication: Subsequently, the document must be authenticated by the US Department of State in Washington DC.

• US Arab Chamber Of Commerce Stamp (optional, for use in Arab countries): The business document will be stamped by the US Arab Chamber Of Commerce.
• Business Document Attestation: Following authentication, the document must then be legalized by the Embassy.

Examples: Certificate of Merger, Certificate of Good Standing, Articles of Incorporation, Power of Attorney- POA, Affidavit, Company Bylaws

For Federal Documents Legalization Services:

• Authentication: The document must be authenticated by the US Department of State in Washington DC.
• US Arab Chamber Of Commerce Attestation/Certification (optional, for use in Arab countries): The Federal document will be stamped by the US Arab Chamber Of Commerce.
• Attestation: Following authentication, the document must then be legalized by the Embassy.

Examples: Patent Certificate, Trademark Certificate, Phytosanitary Certificate, FBI Background Check, Certificate to Foreign Government-CFG, Certificate of Exportability

For Personal Documents Legalization Services:

1. All personal documents must be certified by the respective Secretary of State. This certification must include an attached page containing the Great Seal of the Secretary of State.
2. Authentication: The document must be authenticated by the US Department of State in Washington DC.
3. Attestation: Following authentication, the document must then be legalized by the Embassy.

Specific steps must be taken, and in the correct order, to have your papers successfully apostilled or legalized.

Examples: Birth Certificate, Marriage License or Certificate, Single Status, Divorce Certificate or Decree, Certificate to Foreign Government-CFG, Certificate of Exportability