International flags flowing in the wind

Preventing Document Legalization Rejection at the Embassy

In its simplest form, document legalization is “the process of authenticating or certifying a legal document so a foreign country’s legal system will recognize it as with full legal effect,” at least, so says Wikipedia.  However, the process can be far from simple.

And for those within a company who are lucky enough to be tasked with handling this process internally, the tangential feat of memorizing each country’s specific requirements can be about as simple as memorizing every bone in the human body for a high-school biology exam.

So I have decided to “throw a bone” to anyone who has experienced the “Unfortunately, we were unable to process your document because..” letter that accompanies a rejected document from an Embassy.  This article will reveal some, I repeat, some, unique requirements of some frequently called upon Embassies that can assuage one’s fear of rejection.

NGO document

How To Deal With Government Entities To Get Your Documents Legalized:

Regulated industries, including but certainly not limited to, Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Biotechnology, and Consumer Products, have a virtual obstacle course of hoops to jump through in efforts to bring their products to market. Companies that have a global footprint continue the hoop jumping in efforts to get the product onto international “shelves.” It is for those additional steps that companies sending product overseas should outsource.

Document Legalization: a process during which documents are navigated through an assembly line of notarizations, certifications, and authentications so that these documents can be used in foreign countries to transact business. It is a “hurry up and wait” game as the documents are passed around government agencies in hopes of getting their stamps of approval. Notaries, Clerks of Court, Chambers of Commerce, Secretaries of State, U.S. Department of State, and Embassies…Oh my!

It is a necessary evil, a niche administrative task that can be confusing and tedious, and it should be outsourced. Here is why:

International Business Map

Managing Document Legalization Through Mergers & Acquisitions

Businesses growing in global markets must continuously manage the processes associated with meeting countries’ regulatory requirements for the sale and distribution of their products. Over time, a company may establish a significant library of authorizations and authentications for legal operation in each country where it does business. But, what happens when a company merges with or is acquired by another?

Here are a few actions we recommend:

Paraguay is now an apostille country..in practice too!

After a short transitional period, Paraguay is now officially an apostille country!

The announcement was made in August though in addressing the needs of several of our clients, WCS learned that the Embassy of Paraguay was still legalizing documents. Our team was told by our connections that there might be a transitional period switching form Embassy Legalization to Apostille.  However the switch has happened sooner rather than later.

What does that mean if you are attempting to legalize a document destined for Paraguay?  It means that the general Apostille process will apply for both government-issued documents and general documents.  The Embassy of Paraguay still requires legalization for all commercial/shipping documents.

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at – 1-866-ALL-DOCS (255-3627) or drop us a line.  We are always at your service!

Important Payment Change from the Embassy of Qatar

Starting tomorrow, 12/12/2014, the Embassy of Qatar will no longer accept payments via cash, check, credit card or money order.

All legalization payments for all documents both legal and commercial will have to be made to the Embassy’s bank account.  Once the payment is complete, one must remit the deposit slip accompanied with the document to the Embassy’s consulate to be processed.

We certainly understand that this is not any easy transition for those looking to legalize documents with the Embassy of Qatar.  But we are here to help so feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

In the meantime, you can learn more about the Embassy of Qatar’s legalization procedures here. 

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