International Document Legalization

Legalize documents issued in one country for official use in another country

Legalization is a procedure used to authenticate public and official documents issued in one country so that they are accepted as valid by the authorities of another country.

Isarey legalizes documents issued in over 100 countries for use in the United States and abroad, including university and degree diplomas, identity documents, birth and marriage certificates and company documents. We operate worldwide across all major jurisdictions, working locally with specialist agents, law firms and notaries to legalize documents quickly, securely and efficiently.

If your document was issued in one of 120 countries covered by the Apostille Convention and will be used in another signatory country, then a simplified legalization procedure of Apostille Certification can be used:

Legalization is required when a document is issued in a country that does not issue Apostilles or when a document is to be used in a country which does not recognise Apostille certification (for example: UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), Qatar, Kuwait, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia)

To legalize a document, it must be first authenticated by the authorities of the issuing country (usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and then again by the embassy or consulate of the country where the document is to be submitted – for example, a document issued in the United States for use in Dubai will need to be authenticated first by the State Department and then by the UAE embassy in Washington DC, a document issued in Thailand for use in Spain will need to be authenticated by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the Spanish embassy in Bangkok.

In many cases, documents will need prior certification before submission to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as notarisation or attestation by a professional body. We also arrange certified translation to the official language of the recipient country where required.

Our document legalization service includes international collection and delivery of documents by secure courier, pre-check and preparation of documents, and arranging certified copies and any necessary translations.

Send us copies of the documents you need to have legalize; we will check them to make sure that they are eligible for Apostille certification, and get back to you with a quotation inclusive of all fees and expenses:

Legalize documents from over 100 countries

Isarey works locally across the world’s major jurisdictions to legalize documents issued in over 100 countries. We take care of the local bureaucratic complexities of arranging legalization, managing each process so that it is completed quickly and securely, and at minimum cost.

Six steps to legalize documents issued in over 100 countries:

  1. Upload the documents you need attested or send them to us by email.
  2. Our experts will pre-check your documents to ensure that they are eligible for Apostille certification or consular legalization in the country where they are issued, and we’ll assist you locally in preparing them if required.
  3. We’ll send you a quotation with the total cost of the process (final price including all fees, certified translation when required and courier costs) and an estimation of how long the process will take to complete.
  4. We’ll arrange a secure courier to collect your original documents (where electronic versions are not sufficient).
  5. As soon as we receive your documents, we will confirm your order and proceed with the attestation process. Where appropriate, we will arrange certified copies for the attestation process so that we can return your originals directly.
  6. We return the attested documents to you by secure international courier.

In many countries, legalizing official documents can be a lengthy and frustrating process, in particular when dealing with the specific requirements of embassies and consulates. But by using our international legalization services, you can save both time and unnecessary expense. We work with specialists based in over 100 countries - their local expertise and experience dealing personally with different consulates, approved translators and government offices in their jurisdiction ensures that legalization can be arranged quickly and efficiently.

Prioritizing confidentiality, security and speed, we work worldwide to offer the highest level of service, responding attentively and efficiently to every request.

Each jurisdiction has its own requirements when it comes to ensuring that documents are eligible and properly prepared for legalization. We will pre-check your documents free of charge and carry out any prior certifications that might be required (e.g. certification by a notary or other authority, sworn or certified translation). We will also arrange certified copies where possible, so that we can return your original documents to you directly, with insured delivery by secure courier.

Get a Quotation for your Documents

We price each certification process individually, depending on the type and quantity of documents to be attested, the country of issue, the country of use and intended purpose, urgency, whether certified translations are required as part of the process and courier costs.

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 (PDFExternal link (opens in new tab), Microsoft Office 365: Save a password protected document to prevent unauthorized people from opening it. Office DocumentsExternal link (opens in new tab), WinRAR Encryption Frequently asked question (FAQ) RAR foldersExternal link (opens in new tab)) 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:
Privacy Policy (Customer Inquiries)

For further information on confidentiality in our handling of document content please see:
Confidentiality (Client Content)

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