Embassy legalization for countries not in the Hague Apostille Convention
Not every country accepts an apostille. If your destination isn't a Hague member, your document needs full consular legalization — a multi-step chain through state, federal, and embassy channels. We handle both routes: Hague apostille for member countries, and full embassy authentication for everyone else.
Non-Hague legalization is a genuinely longer process — anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months depending on the country and current embassy backlog. We'll give you a realistic timeline for your specific destination before you start.
The general legalization chain
The exact order depends on the document type and issuing state, but non-Hague legalization almost always moves through these four stages:
- 01
Notarization (if required)
If your document isn't already an official public record, it's notarized first by a currently commissioned notary in the issuing state.
- 02
Secretary of State authentication
The document is authenticated by the Secretary of State in the state that issued it (or notarized it), which confirms the underlying official or notary is real.
- 03
U.S. Department of State authentication
For non-Hague destinations, the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. adds a federal authentication on top of the state one.
- 04
Destination country embassy or consulate
The document is then legalized by the destination country's embassy or consulate in the United States. Each embassy has its own forms, fees, payment method, and turnaround.
Common non-Hague destinations we handle
This is a partial list — if your country isn't shown, email us and we'll confirm the route and current requirements.
Why we quote non-Hague by email instead of listing prices
Embassy fees, accepted payment methods, and turnaround times change without notice — sometimes weekly. Rather than publish numbers that go stale and cost you a rejection, we confirm the current requirements with the embassy for your specific document and destination before quoting, and give you an itemized total upfront. There's no charge for the review.
Email us — free document reviewMonitored daily. We track Secretary of State, USCIS, embassy, and Hague Conference rule changes every day — plus updates to our California document packages and DIY apostille guidance — so your filing meets the latest requirements.
Apostille Global Services is a private apostille service. We are not a government agency.
Rules monitored daily
We track Secretary of State, USCIS, embassy, and Hague Conference updates every day.
All 50 states + DC
Hague apostille and non-Hague embassy authentication, routed to the correct authority.
Verified for 2026
Every page fact-checked against current Secretary of State, USCIS, and Hague Conference rules, re-checked quarterly.
Compliant with the rules that actually get documents accepted
Hague Apostille Convention (1961)
Apostilles issued for member countries; embassy legalization routed for non-member destinations.
State Secretary of State rules
Each filing follows the issuing state's current fee schedule, form requirements, and accepted document formats.
Vital records sourced from the state
CA birth, marriage, and death certificates come from CDPH — never the county recorder — so they're accepted for apostille on the first submission.
Notary-compliant document prep
Notarizable forms are sent blank, per state law — you fill in the facts and sign in front of a notary, then we handle the apostille.