Legalization (of a document)
Encyclopedia
In international law
, legalization is the process of certifying a document so a foreign country's legal system will recognize it. The process is used routinely in international commerce and civil law. It is generally performed by validation of the signature on a document by an authority which is higher in hierarchical terms. For example, a school diploma may need to be legalized by evaluation by the Ministry of Education, followed by legalization of the signature of the Ministry of Education by the Ministry of Foreign affairs. Once authenticated by the foreign ministry the documents then need to be reviewed and approved by the consular staff of the country in which the transaction is to occur.Often also certified translation is required for full legalization.
has supplanted the default procedure by a system of apostille. It is available if both the country of the document and the country for which the document are party to the treaty. The apostille is a stamp on which standard validating information is supplied. It is available (dependent on the document) from a notary public or court.
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, legalization is the process of certifying a document so a foreign country's legal system will recognize it. The process is used routinely in international commerce and civil law. It is generally performed by validation of the signature on a document by an authority which is higher in hierarchical terms. For example, a school diploma may need to be legalized by evaluation by the Ministry of Education, followed by legalization of the signature of the Ministry of Education by the Ministry of Foreign affairs. Once authenticated by the foreign ministry the documents then need to be reviewed and approved by the consular staff of the country in which the transaction is to occur.Often also certified translation is required for full legalization.
Apostille treaty
The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public DocumentsHague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents
The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, the Apostille convention, or the Apostille treaty is an international treaty drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law...
has supplanted the default procedure by a system of apostille. It is available if both the country of the document and the country for which the document are party to the treaty. The apostille is a stamp on which standard validating information is supplied. It is available (dependent on the document) from a notary public or court.