In this article, I will explain to you how to obtain Vietnam embassy legalization on documents destined for use in Vietnam.
Vietnam was known of fabulous beaches, rivers and bustling cities, it’s one of the countries that attracts a quite good number of visitors on a yearly basis. Nowadays, we are seeing numerous U.S. corporations investing in Vietnam, and also U.S. Citizens who want to find a working opportunity in this coastal country.
Apart from your own reasons that you want to obtain Vietnam legalization, I will explain to you how to do that, what is the expected processing times, fees required along the way, and if there a trusted third-party agency that could do all the procedures for you.
Let’s first be clear that Vietnam is a non-participant country in the Hague Convention, for this reason, if you want to use any U.S. issued document it has to be legalized from a Vietnamese consulate or the embassy in Washington, DC.
The embassy of Vietnam provides embassy legalization on all types of documents; however, documents must meet their requirements, otherwise the Vietnamese Consular-general will NOT authenticate your document.
Documents that might be found as illegitimate by the Vietnamese embassy/consulate will not be authenticated.
What are the required steps to obtain Vietnam embassy legalization?
1. Fill out Vietnam embassy legalization request form
The above request form asks about a few personal details and you will be required to state clearly when in Vietnam specifically you will be using your document, in addition to explaining the purpose behind legalizing your document.
2. A Photocopy of your ID.
Now, how to prepare your document for authentication and legalization by the Embassy of Vietnam.
Submitted documents MUST be Original.
3. Documents issued from your corporate directly has to be notarized before a commissioned Notary Public in the state such as; Agency agreement.
4. Documents issued by a state/federal office and certified by government official must not be notarized. Example of such documents; vital records.
After ensuring whether or not your document needs notarization.
5. You must authenticate your document from the Secretary of State where the notarization was issued. From the Secretary of State where the document was issued and certified.
Note: The documents, which have not been authenticated by a relevant State-Level Secretary of State or by the Office of Authentication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be considered as ineligible and returned, even if they have been issued/certified/or notarized by a county clerk, court clerk, notary public or other U.S. authorities.
6. Include a self-addressed postage-paid return envelope. You should use one of the following mailing services which provide tracking numbers: Federal Express (FedEx), or USPS Express Mail. If you use FedEx, please make sure your name, address, FedEx account and phone number in both sender’s and recipient’s boxes.
There are two forms of payment to the Vietnamese embassy in Washington, DC; whether through Money Orders or Cashier’s Checks payable to the embassy of Vietnam.
Regular processing time varies between five to seven business days, and it might be longer than that due to the current COVID-19 situation.
Embassy of Vietnam provides expedited legalization services to complete the processing of your document in 2–3 business days.
You should be delivering your documents to the following address: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036.
Don’t forget that these steps are just for obtaining the Vietnam embassy legalization; however, you will need obtain authentication from Secretary of State and U.S. Department of State as well.
You don’t have to withstand the burden of all these procedures, you can handle all your documents to an experienced third-party agency that can complete the authentication for you in no time and without doing much effort.
One of the leading Third-party companies is US legalization, they can provide you with expedited Vietnam legalization services in addition to obtaining Secretary of state and U.S. Department of State on your behalf.
