Embassies
Countries that never joined the Hague Apostille Convention don’t accept apostilles. For those destinations your document needs embassy legalization: a chain of certifications ending with a stamp from that country’s embassy in Washington DC. It’s slower than an apostille, every embassy has its own rules and fees, and it’s precisely the kind of process you want someone else standing in line for. That’s us. Our DC office hand-delivers to the embassies.
Is the destination country a member of the Hague Apostille Convention? Member: apostille, done. Not a member: embassy legalization. As of July 2026, common non-Hague destinations include Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Egypt. Vietnam and Thailand have both approved joining the Convention, but neither is in force yet. Vietnam’s accession takes effect in September 2026, and Thailand’s is expected later in the year, so until those dates documents for both destinations still need embassy legalization. If you’re not sure about your country, call us, it’s a 30-second answer that saves weeks.
A note on China: mainland China joined the Apostille Convention effective November 7, 2023. Documents for mainland China now generally take an apostille rather than consular legalization. Hong Kong and Macau were already apostille regions. If a Chinese counterparty is asking you for “legalization,” show them the date and ask again; many form letters predate the change.
1. State or federal certification first. State-issued documents get certified by their state; federal documents go through the U.S. Department of State, exactly like an apostille case.
2. U.S. Department of State authentication. For most embassies, state-certified documents also need federal authentication on top.
3. Embassy legalization. The destination country’s embassy applies the final stamp. Each embassy sets its own fees, hours, document rules, and quirks. Some want translations. Some want invoices for commercial documents. Some reject documents for stray marks.
We run all three steps as one job with one price and one tracking thread.
Total time depends entirely on the embassy at the end of the chain, anywhere from a few business days at the fastest embassies to eight weeks or more at the slowest, and we’ll give you a specific estimate once we know the destination. Embassy fees stack on top of our service fee, and we quote everything upfront before you commit. Details on the rates page.
What is embassy legalization?
The certification chain non-Hague countries require instead of an apostille, ending with the destination country’s embassy stamping the document in Washington DC.
Does my document for Dubai need an apostille or legalization?
Legalization. The UAE is not a Hague Apostille Convention member, so its embassy in Washington DC has to be part of the chain. Call us and we’ll confirm the same day.
Can you legalize commercial documents?
Yes: invoices, certificates of origin, agency agreements, corporate powers of attorney. Some embassies charge commercial documents a percentage of invoice value, so tell us the shipment value when you ask for a quote.
Do you handle the embassy fees?
Yes. We pay them at the counter and they appear as a line item on your quote, no markup hidden in them.
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