- There are numerous reasons why you may need to present your Birth Certificate in a foreign country. Birth Certificate is required when you are getting married aborad, when you are adopting a child, receiving an inheritance, etc.
- If you do not have a certified copy or your certified copy does not meet the state requirements you will first need to get a certified copy from the Vital Records Office. Go to Birth Certificate - Do-It-Yourself Retrieval!
- LEGALIZATION: APOSTILLE: If the document is intended for use in a foreign country it has to be legalized (another word is “authenticated”) for foreign use. This is a process in which various seals are placed on the document. The legalization procedure basically depends on one factor: whether the target country has joined the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (“The Hague Convention”). In this case the only legalization required is an Apostille certificate. (Apostille is a French word which means a certification). A document bearing an Apostille is valid in all of the Hague countries.
- CONSULAR LEGLAIZATION: Many foreign jurisdictions have not joined the Hague Convention. If the document is intended for a non-Hague country the consular legalization will be required. Before the consulate or the embassy can stamp the document, the document has to be authenticated on the state and federal levels.
- LEGALIZATION REQUIREMENTS: Only certified copies of Birth Certificate can be legalized for use in foreign countries. Notarized or computer generated copies are not accepted. A certified copy must also meet the state requirements for legalization.
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BC