Consular legalization

Where is consular legalization of documents required?

If you need to process official documents for a country where the apostille is not applicable, consular legalization is necessary. This procedure is somewhat more complex than affixing an apostille. The most popular countries for Belarusians include the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Vietnam, and others. It is critically important not to confuse the concepts of apostille and consular legalization, as they differ fundamentally.

Main steps for Belarusian documents bearing a seal of authenticity:

• Notarized copy of the document (if needed)
• Translation into a foreign language with notarization
• Legalization of the document at the Ministry of Justice
• Legalization of the document at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Submission to the relevant embassy to complete the legalization process

It is important to understand that document legalization is carried out only in the country where the document was issued. For example, Russian documents are legalized in Russia. You can order all procedures «turnkey» from us or select any individual stages listed above.

Document legalization timelines

• On average, all procedures take about a month. Much depends on the waiting time for documents at the ministries and the embassy.
• The translation itself is done fairly quickly, within 2-3 business days if the document package is small.

Advantages of working with a translation bureau for consular legalization

• Extensive experience: our translation bureau has been handling consular legalization for over 12 years.
• Consultation: we know all the nuances and can thoroughly advise you on the documents and the requirements applied to them.
• Time savings: you don’t need to delve into the procedure yourself and can be confident that your documents are entrusted to professionals while you focus on your own tasks.
• Affordable prices: of course, document legalization is not cheap; however, our prices are significantly lower than similar offers from other companies.
• Discounts are available for orders of 3 documents or more.
• Always in touch: our specialists are always available and ready to update you on the status of your order.

How to start?

• Together with you, we review your documents to make sure everything is in order, discuss your order, the target language for translation, etc.
• Determine the timeframe and cost
• The document owner issues a power of attorney to our employee at any Belarusian notary for legalization
• You pay a partial prepayment of 30–50% of your order cost and provide your documents along with the power of attorney
• We carry out all procedures independently and deliver the properly processed finished documents

Legalized foreign documents for Belarus

If you have foreign documents that you want to submit to official Belarusian authorities, and these documents originate from countries where the apostille is not valid, you need to undergo a similar procedure abroad. For example, if your child is born abroad and you want to obtain a Belarusian passport for them, you will need to submit a legalized birth certificate issued in the UAE or another country. In this case, the entire legalization process is carried out in the UAE (Qatar, Vietnam, etc.) with the participation of the Belarusian embassy. It is important to understand that merely having a stamp from the foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs is insufficient; you must complete consular legalization at the Belarusian embassy abroad. Once the embassy places its stamp stating that “this document is legalized on the territory of the Republic of Belarus,” you can safely use this document in Belarus. Before traveling to Belarus, make sure you have correctly completed the procedure abroad! If necessary, we also provide additional translation of legalization marks with notarization at our translation bureau.

For legalization inquiries, you can contact a specialist by phone: +37529 324-26-03 (Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp)