Detailed instruction: US Consular Legalization and Authentication

What are US Consular Legalization and Authentication? What type of papers can be legalized and authenticated? Or And what is the process of applying for US consular legalization? These are questions that many people are always confused about. In this article, Nhi Gia summed up detailed instructions about this Legalization and Authentication.

US Consular Legalization and Authentication 

US Consular Legalization and Authentication is a mandatory procedure in the process of legalizing papers issued in Vietnam for legal use in the US or legalizing papers issued in the US for legal use in Vietnam.

Paper issued in Vietnam for legal use in the US

• Consular Authentication by the Component Authority of Vietnam, certifying signatures, titles of signers and seals on documents issued by Vietnam;
• Consular legalization by the  Component Authority of the US, certifying signatures, titles of signers and the Consular Authentication seal made above. Then your document will legally use in the US.

Paper issued in  the US for legal use in Vietnam

• Consular Authentication by the Component Authority of the US, certifying signatures, titles of signers and seals on documents issued by the US;
• Consular legalization by the  Component Authority of Vietnam, certifying signatures, titles of signers and the Consular Authentication seal made above. Then your document will legally use in Vietnam.

From all the elements above, we can summarize that

• Consular certification is done at the Consular Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Embassy or Consulate of the country where the document is issued.
• Legalization is the procedure carried out by the Embassy or Consular Generate of the country where the document is used.

Where to legalize and authenticate the US documents

When carrying out US Consular Legalization and Authentication procedures, applicants should note:

Documents issued by Vietnam can only be consular legalized in Vietnam for use in the US; Documents issued by the US in 2 cases:

• Issued to US citizens who can take the consular legalization in the US or Vietnam;
• Issued to non-US citizens, the document will be consular legalized in the US.

US Documents are usually Legalized and Authenticated 

Business Papers	Personal Papers
Investment registration Certificate Enterprise Registration Certificate Company Regulations Business Registration Certificate Appointment Decision Certificate of Origin, Quality Health Certificate Contracts, Agreements Financial Statement Commercial Invoice	Vaccination Certificate Birth Certificate Marriage Certificate Death Certificate Divorce or Single Certificate Degrees, Certificates, Transcripts Judicial Records Health Certification Certificate of Employment Authorization Letter Court Decisions

 

Legalization and Authentication Vietnamese documents for use in the US

Step 1: Notarize translation into English

The applicant should prepare documents to translate and notarize into English. The applicant can conduct the procedures at the Department of Justice or the state notary office.

Notice: When conducting notarization at the notary offices, the signature of the notary and the official seal must be registered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

Step 2: Apply for a certification stamp  from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam

Documents need to be prepared including

1. Consular Authentication/Legalization declaration form - Form LS/HPH-2012/TK;
2. The original + a duplicate of the documents;
3. The original + a duplicate of the notarized translation;
4. Original personal papers: ID card, passport or other valid documents can replace the passport.

In case, you apply and receive the documents through the post office:

• A photocopy of the identification document;
• An envelope has the receiving address (send and request results by post).

Where to apply for the consular certificate:

1. The Consular Generate in Hanoi: 40 Tran Phu Str., Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi.
2. Department of Foreign Affairs in Ho Chi Minh City: 184 Bis Pasteur Str., Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

The fee for the Consular Generate by the Department of Foreign Affairs: 30.000 VND per stamp.

The processing time for the Consular Generate

• A day: for the document is less than 10 pages;
• 5 days - 7 days: for the document is more than 10 pages;
• The processing time will be longer if your document needs to be verified the information.

Step 3: Apply for legalization of US documents

After step 2, you can legalize the document at the US Embassy in Hanoi or the US Consular Generate in Ho Chi Minh City.

The address:

1. The US Embassy in Hanoi: No. 7 Lang Ha, Dong Da.

2. The US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City: No. 4 Le Duan Str., Dst. 1.

The procedure:

Take an online appointment here. For each step:

1. Select VietNam (in the section Consulate/Embassy Country) -> Select Hanoi/ Ho Chi Minh City (in the section Consulate/ Embassy City).

2. Select Make appointment -> Request notarial and other services listed above.

3. After that you can schedule your appointment based on your suitable timetable.

After receiving the confirmation about your appointment, you should print the confirmation about your appointment with the Consulate/ US Embassy. You need to prepare these documents:

1. An original paper that is notarized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

2. An original personal paper (including your photo)

3. The processing time is from 30 min to 1 hour after the US Consulate/ Embassy receives your documents (if the document is eligible). 

Notice: In case you need to book an appointment immediately, you can make an appointment online as usual and then complete the urgent appointment request form and explain why.

If you want to have a consultation, contact Nhi Gia through the hotline [+84] 906 736 788  to know information about the US Consular Legalization and Authentication service. Nhi Gia offers services based on your need:

• Notarized Translation
• Consular Legalization and Consular Certification
• US Consular Legalization and Authentication service

Legalization and Authentication US documents for use in Vietnam

Consular Legalization of US documents in the US 

Procedures of the US Consular Legalization documents used in Vietnam:

Step 1: Notarize/certify the documents

Notarize papers which were issued in the US at the Notary Office. The notarization certificate must clearly state “true certified copy”.

1. The license of the notary public must have the practice license through the county: Get certified by the court clerk at the county and by the Secret of State - State level where the documents are notarized;

2. The license of the notary public must have the practice license through the State: Bring the document to the Secretary of State - State level where the document is notarized.

Step 2: US consular certification

Documents to be prepared include:

1. Consular certification request form - Form DS-4194;

2. The original documents were notarized and authenticated (following step 1);

3. An envelope with a stamp and paid delivery fee (clarify the information and address to receive results).

Where to submit the paper

Office of Authentication, United States Department of State. Specifically:

• Office of Authentications, U.S. Department of State;
• CA/PPT/S/TO/AUT;
• 44132 Mercure Circle, P.O. Box 1206, Sterling, VA 20166-1206.

Step 3: Consular legalization at the Vietnamese Embassy / Consulate in the US

Dossier of application for consular legalization, including

1. Documents legalization and certification request form - Form No. LS/HPH-2012/TK;

2. Documents need to be used in Vietnam (authenticated and certified following steps 1 and 2);

3. An envelope with a stamp and paid delivery fee (clarify the information and address to receive results).

Application address:

1. Consular Department, Embassy of Vietnam in the United States: 1233 20th St NW, Ste 400, Washington, DC 20036;
2. Legalization Section of the Consulate General of Vietnam in the United States: 1700 California Street, Suite 580, San Francisco, CA 94109

Finally, you must notarize and translate the documents into Vietnamese for use in Vietnam. Contact [+84] 1900 6654 - [+84] 906 746 788 for support if you have problems during the implementation.

Consular Legalization of US documents in Vietnam

In this part, Nhi Gia instructs Americans who were issued papers in the US to conduct the Consular Legalization in Vietnam:

Step 1: Take the oath at the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam

1. Make an appointment online as the instruction above (step 3 - Apply for legalization of US documents).

2. Applicants bring documents to submit directly (without authorization) to the US Embassy/Consular Generate to swear. This will help the applicants receive an oath stamp.

Step 2: Consular legalization Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam

1. Submit documents in the Consular Department of Hanoi or the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City to get the stamp for Consular Legalization following the regulation.

2. Conduct the notarized translation to legalize the documents into English. This will help you to use those documents in Vietnam.

If you want to use US papers in Vietnam, Nhi Gia can support you to conduct the procedure quickly. CALL [+84] 1900 6654 -  [+84] 906 736 788 to register for the service.

Prompt US Consular Legalization and Authentication - Quality service of Nhi Gia

Nhi Gia believes that through this article, you can know how to conduct this kind of procedure easily.

The US Consular Legalization and Authentication are the administrative formalities relating to the Law of two nations. This is the reason why this procedure is quite complicated. However, you will spend a lot of money, effort, and time moving many administrative agencies.

If you want to decrease the risk while applying for US Consular Legalization and Authentication, you can contact Nhi Gia for support.

With more than 15 years of experience, Nhi Gia has become one of the best choices for domestic and foreign customers in Vietnam. Contact us through the information below! 

Information about Nhi Gia Trading and Service Co., Ltd:

• Head office: 186 - 188 Nguyen Duy, Ward 09, District 08, Ho Chi Minh City.

• Office in Hanoi: No. 643A Pham Van Dong, Bac Tu Liem.

• US Office: 4200 S OTHELLO St. Suite 124. Seattle, WA 98118.

• Hotline: [+84]1900 6654 or [+84] 906 736 788

• Email: info@nhigia.vn
• Website: https://nhigia.vn