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Authentication Certificate Requirements

Authentication certificates are for documents you use in countries not in the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty.

Before submitting documents to us, you must:

1) Get a notary public to notarize each document unless the document is issued by a federal agency or court:

  • Using a county notary? Go to the clerk of court first and then a state office, such as a secretary of state. 
  • Using a state notary? Go to a state office, such as a secretary of state.
2) Make sure seals and signatures are originals
  • Get a certified copy from a notary public. A certified copy is a copy of a primary document with a certificate on it that it is the true copy.
  • Get records, court documents, and federally-issued documents certified at the state level.

3) Get any documents in a foreign language translated into English. Get the translation notarized. 

4) After you get your document(s) notarized, mail your Form DS-4194 and documents to us.

ALL / ALL /

Requirements for Each Type of Document

Examples:

  • Birth certificates 
  • Marriage certificates 
  • Death certificates
  • Divorce decrees 
  • Probate wills 
  • Judgments

Your state and local documents must:

  • Be an original or certified document
  • Include the raised or stamped seal of the court or department of vital records
  • Be certified by the state which issued the documents. The secretary of state will certify to the official signing the document under the seal of the state.

Do not notarize documents issued by federal courts or federal agencies such as FBI background checks issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, naturalization certificates issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, documents issued by the National Archives, or documents issued by the U.S. military (such as DD-214).

Examples include:

  • Animal and plant certifications, or animal health certifications (issued by U.S. Department of Agriculture)
  • Federal court documents, and FBI background checks (issued by U.S. Department of Justice)        
  • Immigration certifications (issued by U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
  • Certificate of foreign governments (issued by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS)
  • Certificate of pharmaceutical product or export (issued by HHS)
  • Trademark (issued by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)
  • Other documents issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, Social Security Administration, or Office of Personnel Management

Your federal documents must:

  • Be executed by U.S. federal agencies
  • Include a legible signature of the official's name, printed name and title, and seal of the agency
  • Be on agency letterhead

Examples include:

  • Affidavits 
  • Agreements 
  • Articles of Incorporation 
  • Bylaws 
  • Commercial invoices 
  • Copy of a U.S. passport (data page only)
  • Deeds of assignment
  • Diplomas 
  • Home study 
  • Income verification 
  • Powers-of-Attorney 
  • Single status 
  • Transcripts 
  • Other business documents
Last Updated: October 1, 2024