Apostille or Authentication

In the United States, documents destined for Hague countries can be authenticated with an Apostille issued by the appropriate state authority, such as the Secretary of State's office. The Apostille certifies the authenticity of the document, making it legally valid for use in any other Hague member country without further legalization. Federally issued documents like FBI Background Checks can be authenticated at a federal level.For countries not part of the Hague Convention, a more involved authentication process is required. Documents destined for these countries must go through authentication to certify their authenticity. The process typically involves obtaining certification from the US Department of State, followed by Embassy Legalization by the embassy of the destination country. The Embassy Legalization confirms the validity of the document specifically for use in the respective non-Hague country.

Embassy Legalization

International documents that have originated in one country but are intended for use in another country require embassy legalization to be recognized by the legal system of the foreign country. Embassy legalization is the alternative method for authenticating a document that is utilized for countries that are Non-Hague Convention countries. These countries do not recognize the Apostille as a means to authenticating documents per the 1961 Hague Convention. recognized by the legal system of the foreign country. Embassy legalization is the alternative method for authenticating a document that is utilized for countries that are Non-Hague Convention countries. These countries do not recognize the Apostille as a means to authenticating documents per the 1961 Hague Convention.
If the destination country of your document is NOT a member of the Hague Convention, your document will need Embassy Legalization.

This is a sample document representing the type of documents wcss transports

Non-apostille country (Non-Hague) that has special requirements for document certification called Embassy Legalization. The turnaround time is based on the document type: Government documents (document or certificate issued by the Federal government) would first be authenticated by the US Department of State, and then the Embassy. (9 days turnaround time). General documents (document or certificate NOT issued by the Federal government) would be authenticated by the MD Secretary of State, the US Department of State, and then the Embassy (11 days turnaround time).