Countries are divided into two groups. Those which are signatories to the Hague Convention of 5 Oct 1961, and those which are not. Countries which are signatories have agreed that Consular authentication of documents is not required. The practical effect of this is: U.S. documents need only be executed by a Notary Public and authenticated by that states' Secretary of State using an "Apostille" form designed specifically for this purpose.
The Apostille should suffice for any purpose in that foreign country without presentation to the U.S. State Department or foreign Consulate in the U.S. Please note that the consulates of most countries which are signatories to this convention will not authenticate a document even upon request regardless of the reason for the request.
Countries which are not signatories to the Hague Convention typically require that the document be authenticated by the U.S. Dept. of State in Washington D.C. as a prerequisite. WCS can authenticate documents for use in any country that has a diplomatic presence in the United States. We can also perform all necessary prerequisite steps. Please select a country from the list below to read its specific requirements and fill out the necessary form online.
WCS Processing Center.
20 Courthouse Square #219
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 202-822-9060
Fax: 202-223-2606
ABOUT OUR SERVICES
Washington Consular Services specializes in assisting corporate customers in obtaining Consular Legalization of their documents from the Embassy community in Washington, D.C. Any document that must be authenticated for presentation in another country, whether it requires simple Apostille or full Consular Authentication can be processed promptly by our expert staff.
Medical Device manufacturers, Pharmaceutical companies, Law Firms, Intellectual Property advocates, Food Service Companies, Corporate Service Companies as well as Freight Forwarders, Exporters and Consumer Goods manufacturers doing business in other countries all have documents that require legalization in order to be deemed official documents in their destination countries. Washington Consular Services makes this once tedious and time-consuming administrative burden a thing of the past.
Certificates to Foreign Government, ISO Certifications, Free Sale Certificates, Patent Assignments, Distributorship Agreements, Compliance Certificates, CE Certificates, Corporate Formation Documents – all can be quickly and easily legalized through the destination country Embassies, Chambers of Commerce and the U.S. State Department here in Washington, D.C.
Contact us for details regarding your legalization needs! Our experienced, professional and courteous staff will erase this administrative burden promptly.