Where to Start…

There are two (2) different procedures for legalizing documents for use outside of the United States. A number of countries are part of the Hague Convention, which only requires the documents to be authenticated by the Secretary of State, which is referred to as an “Apostille”. Countries that are not part of the Hague Convention will be required to have the document authenticated to meet the "International Standard".

Documents Type A
(Hague Convention Countries)

Documents that will be used in countries that belong to the Hague Convention will need to be certified by the Secretary of State from the state in which the document originated. Once the Secretary of State’s office attaches an Apostille seal to the original document, it will be considered a legal document for use in the country of intended use. The Hague Convention abolishes the requirement for the document to have the stamp and seal of their embassy abroad for it to still be considered a legal document in their country. Click here for a complete list of all countries that are included in the Hague Convention.

Documents Type B
(International Standard Countries)

Documents that will be used in countries not belonging to the Hague Convention will be required to follow a different process to have them legalized by the Embassy (or consulate) so they will be considered a legal document in their intended country of use.

The first step in the process will require that the original document be authenticated by the Secretary of the State’s office in which the document originated. Some states require the document to be authenticated on the city or county level prior to obtain the necessary documentation from the Secretary of State.

The second step will be to have the document certified by the Department of State in Washington, DC so they can certify that the Secretary of State’s office had the authority to authenticate the document. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic the U.S. Department of State is experiencing delays of up to 2 months for documents that are submitted to obtain the State Department seal.

The third step will be to submit the authenticated, certified document to the Embassy of the country of intended use in order for them to stamp and complete the legalization part of the process.

In Conclusion…

Whether the document will be used to send an international commercial invoice, prepare a contract, or have a birth or marriage certificate prepared for use in any country, VIP Passport Services, Inc. is very experienced with the process and looks forward to helping you get through this time-consuming and complex process.