How to Authenticate Federal Documents For Use Abroad

If a document is being used abroad, it may need to be authenticated. Authentication is a process that certifies the signature, stamp or seal of the document and identifies the official who signed it. Documents that need to be authenticated include contracts, educational diplomas and vital records. The country a document is being used in determines whether it needs an authentication certificate or an apostille. URL https://apostille-usa.com/apostille-federal-documents/

Historically, legalization required a chain of authentications from different officials and could take weeks. This made it difficult to quickly use a document in another country, especially when the document had a seal or stamp that would not be readily available there. The 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents simplified the process by reducing it to a single authentication certificate called an apostille. Many states also have their own authentication procedures, mainly for public documents such as acknowledged titles to property. Examples are found in 7 Wigmore SS2167 and California Evidence Code SS1453.

How To Authenticate Federal Documents

The first step is to determine which department issued the document. There are three types of documents: private (individual or corporate); state/county-issued; and federally-issued. Private and state/county-issued documents need to be authenticated by a designated authority, generally the office of the Secretary of State. Federally-issued documents require an apostille from the U.S. Department of State Authentication Office. Costs, requirements and addresses vary by country. Once the document is authenticated, it can be mailed or personally delivered to the country’s consulate office for a final authentication (known as full legalization). This is the last step in the process and completes the requirement that the document be valid for use in a foreign jurisdiction.