Document Apostille Saudi Arabia

Requesting Apostille or Attestation for Saudi Arabia

On December 7, 2022, the Apostille Convention will formally take effect in Saudi Arabia. From that point forward, contracting parties are required to recognize apostilles issued by Saudi Arabia’s designated competent body and forgo the need for the legalization of public papers issued by Saudi authorities. Apostilles issued by the competent authorities of other contracting parties must also be accepted by Saudi authorities for incoming international public papers.

If the document was issued in the USA and is intended for use in Saudi Arabia, you’ll typically need to follow these steps to obtain an apostille for it:

1. Notarization: Make sure the document is properly notarized by a qualified notary public in the USA. This step verifies the authenticity of the document.
2. State Authentication: After notarization, the document may need to be authenticated by the Secretary of State’s office in the state where the document was notarized. Each state has its process for authentication.
3. U.S. Department of State Authentication: Once the document has been authenticated at the state level, it may need further authentication by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. This step confirms the authority of the state-level authentication.
4. Legalization by the Embassy or Consulate of Saudi Arabia: After authentication by the U.S. Department of State, the document must be legalized by the Embassy or Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. This final step confirms the document’s validity for use in Saudi Arabia.

It’s crucial to verify the specific requirements and procedures with the Embassy or Consulate of Saudi Arabia, as they may have additional requirements or variations in the process. Additionally, consider seeking assistance from a professional apostille service provider to ensure compliance and expedite the process.