Frequently Asked Questions about legalizing documents for use in the United States
How can foreign documents be certified for official use in the United States?
Documents issued in countries which are signatories to the Apostille Convention can be authenticated for use in the United States by obtaining an apostille stamp from the authorities of the country of issue. This Apostille stamp should be recognised directly by US authorities as confirming the document’s authenticity. Countries which issue apostilles include 
United Kingdom - India - Hong Kong - France - Germany - South Africa - Brazil - South Korea - Japan
Documents issued in countries which are not signatories to the Apostille Convention must be legalized in the country issue and additional by the local US embassy or consulate.
See Certify international documents for use in United States
How can I certify a translation of a foreign document for use in the United States?
A first option is to carry out a translation of the document in the country of origin. If the country of origin is a signatory to the Apostille Convention, a translation certified under local law can then be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp, giving the translation validity in the United States.
If the originating country is not a member of the Apostille Convention and does issue Apostilles, a local translation will need to be certified by the originating country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the US embassy or consulate. The US embassy may require a translation in any case in order to attest the original document. The embassy may have specific requirements for the translation, otherwise in most countries a locally certified, sworn or notarized translation can be authenticated by the originating country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the US embassy, making it valid for use in the United States.
Can foreign documents required for submission to the United States be authenticated with an Apostille?
Yes - if the issuing country is a member of the Apostille Convention, then an Apostille Stamp issued in the issuing country will be accepted by US authorities.
To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:
If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.
Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files (PDF, Office Documents, RAR folders) and provide us with the passwords separately.
PERSONAL DATA: If your documents contain personal data belonging to people outside your household, please ensure that you are authorised to share this data before uploading your documents. If your documents contain sensitive personal data, such as biometric data, medical data or data on criminal convictions, please ensure that you indicate this when prompted, upon submitting your documents. For further information on our processing of personal data contained in uploaded documents, please see:
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Confidentiality (Client Content)