Notarials and Legal Assistance
U.S. state issued documents to be used 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 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 Secretary of State of the 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.
4. Finally, the document should be presented to the Embassy of the country in which the document will be used 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 Secretary of State of the state in which the agency is located. Steps 3 and 4 should then follow.
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. Send the document with the notarial certificate to the Secretary of State of the state for application of the state’s seal.
4. Present 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.
5. Finally, the document should be presented to the Embassy of the country in which the document will be used to authenticate the seal of the Department of State.
Please consult the link http://travel.state.gov/law/info/info_606.html for further information on authentication of American academic credentials for use abroad.