There are different ways to authenticate documents between governments, with an apostille being one of the most common. However, the apostille is only accepted by countries that use the rules set forth by the 1961 Hague Convention.
Other countries, sometimes referred to as Non-Hague Convention countries, do not recognize the apostille, so an alternative form of verification is required for document authentication. There are multiple Non-Hague Convention countries, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, to list just a few. Canada was previously a Non-Hague country, but as of January 11, 2024, the country now accepts apostilles as authentication.
The specific type of authentication these countries require is embassy legalization. Any country that is a Hague Convention country will need to have this form of authentication for interactions with Non-Hague Convention countries, as will two or more Non-Hague Convention countries sharing documents.
Country Specific Requirements
Each country has specific requirements for embassy legalization. Working with a service that interacts with these countries and their requirements on a regular basis is crucial to ensuring mission-critical and necessary documentation is authenticated on the required timeline.
Different types of documents requiring embassy legalization have various turnaround times. Government documents and general documents typically take several days to be processed, and multiple embassies and government departments can be involved, which can add to the time required.
Planning to apply for the required authentication of any documents well in advance of the specific date required is highly recommended.
Let the team at US Authentication Services assist you with any embassy legalization requirements. To find out more, see us at usauthentication.com.