Belarus Consulate

Legalization of the US documents for the Republic of Belarus

Please be advised that the United States and the Republic of Belarus are signatories to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, abolishing the requirement of consular legalization for foreign public documents.

Quite often, American citizens and business persons require that certain documents be "legalized" so that they can be accepted in the Republic of Belarus . The procedures to be followed depend on the nature of the documents and are similar to the requirements of all other governments throughout the world.

The documents which are issued by the US authorities, or which are business documents or documents which have been previously notarized in accordance with the procedures of the various states must be "authenticated" in accordance with the Rules and Regulations for Authentication of Documents promulgated by the United States Department of State.

In accordance with the Convention, in order for U.S. documents to be valid in the Republic of Belarus , they must bear an Apostille - certificate confirming the capacity of the government official signing the document, authenticity of the signature and, where appropriate, of the seal or stamp on the document. Documents with Apostille do not require any further legalization.

Nonetheless, according to the established common practice, official organizations in the Republic of Belarus may not accept foreign documents if they are not accompanied by a certified translations; many organizations require certified translations to be legalized by consular offices of the Republic of Belarus in the countries where the documents originated. Furthermore, due to the different forms of execution of Apostille in the Republic of Belarus (seal) and in the United States (certificate), receiving organizations in the Republic of Belarus may ask for additional proof of proper legalization.

The following documents are considered official documents in accordance with the Hague Convention (documents for public use), and an Apostille may be placed in them:

• Documents issued by organizations or officials associated; with courts or state tribunals, including documents issued by a public prosecutor, court secretary, or bailiff;
• Documents of administrative (executive) authorities;
• Documents certified by a notary public;
• Official validating endorsements, placed on documents signed by individuals acting in a personal capacity, such as official certificates of the registration of a document or of its existence on the date indicated, as well as official and notarial verifications of signatures.

In view of the above, it is advised that the documents intended for use in the Republic of Belarus must be certified as to the accuracy of translation and proper legalization at the consular offices of the Republic of Belarus in USA . Each document must be:

• Acknowledged before a Notary Public;
• Certified by an Apostille issued by the Department of State in the respective state;
• Accompanied by a certified translation (the Apostille page and the entire content of the document must be translated); the translation should be sewn together with the original document in a way acceptable in the Republic of Belarus ).

Additional assistance with Legalization and Translation the documents for the Republic of Belarus can be provided through Logos services. 1(212)233-7061