Countries that are not members of the Hague Convention require a more traditional form of legalization called a "Certification" or "Authentication". The purpose of the certification mirrors the purpose of the Apostille but requires one further step of authentication where the Apostille does not. Once documents bound for countries which are not members of The Hague have been certified and signed, the documents must then be forwarded to the Authentication Office in Washington, DC for further verification/legalization. Various states and embassies refer to the Authentication process differently; it can also be described as Legalization or Certification.

If the country where the document will be used is not a party to the Hague Convention, you will need Embassy (Consular) Legalization. Embassy (Consular) Legalization of official documents is a procedure of confirmation of the validity of originals of official documents or certification of authenticity of signatures of the officials, authorized to certify the signatures on documents, and also the validity of prints of stamps, seals by which the document is fastened. The Department of State, Authentications Office is responsible for signing and issuing certificates under the Seal of the U.S. Department of Sate providing authentication services on documents that will be used overseas and then they are certified in the Embassy or Consulate of that country for which they will be legalized.

The US Department of State has an office in Washington DC which Apostille Federal documents as well as those documents for countries not part of the Hague Convention. We have an office nearby, and our staff "hand delivers" documents to this office each and every day. Our service substantially speeds up the turnaround time and eliminates the possibility of documents getting lost.

We go directly from the Department of State to then in turn legalize the documents (hand deliver) at the many Embassies in Washington DC. This also speeds up the turnaround time and eliminates the chance documents can get lost in the mail.

Please fill out the form below so we can provide you with a quote and turnaround time to Legalize your documents.

Globalization and the explosive growth of international business has allowed most businesses to have worldwide reach. The tremendous growth in international trade, travel and commerce necessitates documents to be properly certified for international use. This includes documents originating from the United States and recorded in foreign countries, as well as documents originating from foreign countries and recorded in the United States.

Our service offers consultation and guidance throughout the entire process. We offer a step by step approach to make the entire transaction a simple matter of routine From the initial inspection of the document, to notarization, certification and ultimately legalization we offer a helping hand. We are assisted in our efforts by our partners including translators, foreign attorneys, our various contacts in government both domestically and internationally. We also have experience dealing with most consulates locally as well as embassies in Washington DC.

These include: Hours of operation, required copies, payment methods, identification requirements, translations, jurisdiction of apostille, information to be included in body of document.

Please fill out the form below so we can provide you with a quote and turnaround time to Legalize your documents.

Embassy Legalization

For documents that are to be used in countries that are not party to the Hague Convention, then a chain of authentication is applied that eventually includes legalization by the appropriate embassy or consulate of the country of intended use. We can legalize your documents through select Embassy offices in Washington, D.C., and Consulate offices located in New York. Also, documents issued by the U.S. Federal Government can only be processed through the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. before being presented to the Embassy or Consulate office for legalization.

The U.S. Department of State issues both Authentication Certificates and Apostilles. The determination of which certificate is issued is based on the country in which the document will be used. Authentication Certificates are issued for documents which are destined for use in countries that are not parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. Apostille Certificates are issued for documents destined for use in countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention.