Notarising a Document From Outside the U.S.
For Americans abroad
Notarising a Document While You Are Outside the U.S.
This is the reverse of everything else in this guide. Not a U.S. document going abroad, but an American abroad who has to sign something for use back home: a power of attorney for a house sale, an affidavit for a court, a form a bank or a pension will not move without. Three routes exist, they authenticate through completely different chains, and picking the wrong one wastes both the fee and the appointment.
- Routes available
- Three
- Consular fee
- $50 per seal
- Countries covered
- 51
The three routes
1. A U.S. embassy or consulate
A consular officer notarises your signature. This is a federal act, so inside the United States it is treated exactly like a domestic notarisation and needs nothing added to it. $50 per seal, by appointment.
2. A local notary where you are
A notary of the host country acts under its own law. Cheap and easy to reach, but a U.S. recipient will want an apostille from that country on top, or consular legalisation if the country is outside the Convention.
3. A U.S. remote online notary
A commissioned U.S. notary witnesses the signing by video while you sit abroad. The output is an ordinary U.S. state notarisation. Often the fastest and cheapest, but not universally accepted.
Which one to choose
- Document stays in the United States, and you want no further steps: the embassy. A consular seal is complete on its own.
- You need it today and the embassy is booked out: a U.S. remote online notary, provided the recipient accepts remote notarisation.
- The recipient insists on a wet-ink original with a raised seal: the embassy, or a local notary plus apostille.
- You are nowhere near a post: a local notary plus apostille, or remote online.
- The document will go on to a third country, not the U.S.: route it through the chain that country requires, which is a different question entirely.
The trap. A consular notarisation needs no apostille for domestic U.S. use, and people pay for one anyway. A local notarisation always needs one, and people skip it. Both mistakes are discovered by the recipient, weeks later.
How the embassy appointment actually works
- Book online. Notarial appointments are by appointment only through the post’s own website. Slots typically open about two weeks ahead and are added irregularly, so check often.
- Bring the document unsigned. You sign in front of the officer. A document you have already signed cannot be notarised, only acknowledged, and not every post will do that.
- Bring photo identification. A passport is safest. The officer is certifying who signed, so identification is the whole point of the exercise.
- Bring your own witnesses if the document needs them. Most posts will not supply witnesses and will not act as one.
- Pay $50 for each seal. Not each appointment and not each page. Two documents needing separate seals is $100.
- Expect the officer to decline some things. They notarise a signature, not the contents. They will not draft the document, advise on whether it does what you want, or notarise anything they cannot read or that looks fraudulent.
A consular officer performs a notarial act under federal authority, which is why the result is accepted across all fifty states without further certification.
Apostilling it afterwards
This is where most confusion sits, because the answer depends entirely on where the document ends up, not on where it was signed.
| Notarised by | Used in the U.S. | Used in a third country |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. consular officer | Nothing further. It is already a federal act. | Apostille or authentication from the U.S. Department of State, because a consular act is a federal document. |
| Local foreign notary | Apostille from that country’s competent authority, or U.S. consular legalisation if it is outside the Convention. | That country’s apostille or its own legalisation chain. |
| U.S. remote online notary | Nothing further. | Apostille from the state that commissioned the notary. |
The federal step, when you need it. $20 per document on form DS-4194, posted to U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications, 44132 Mercure Circle, PO Box 1206, Sterling, VA 20166-1206. Roughly About 5 weeks, excluding mail transit by post. Published drop-off turnaround has ranged from a few days to a few weeks depending on when you ask, so check the current figure rather than planning on any number quoted here.
U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications
If a state apostille is what you need, the state matrix has the fees and addresses
By country
Each page gives the three routes as they actually stand in that country.
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kenya
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Panama
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- Vietnam
We handle the U.S. end
Once your document is signed, the federal or state authentication that follows is exactly what we do every day.
Questions people actually ask
Can a foreign notary notarise a document for use in the United States?
Yes, in almost all cases. A notarial act performed abroad under local law is recognised in the United States once it carries an apostille from that country, or consular legalisation if the country is outside the Convention. The exception is a handful of U.S. formalities, such as some real estate and court filings, where the recipient insists on a U.S. notary.
Is a U.S. consular notarisation better than a local one?
For use inside the United States, usually yes, because it needs nothing further. A consular officer is a federal official, so the act is already recognised domestically and no apostille is required. A local notarisation needs an apostille on top, which adds cost and time.
How much does the embassy charge?
$50 for each notarial service, meaning each consular seal, not each appointment. Two signatures needing separate seals is $100.
Can I just use a U.S. online notary from abroad?
Usually yes, and it is often the fastest and cheapest route. You need a verifiable government photo ID and a stable connection. A small number of countries object to notarial acts being performed within their territory by remote means, and some U.S. recipients still refuse remote notarisation, so confirm both ends before relying on it.
Do I need an apostille on a consular notarisation?
Not for use inside the United States. You need one only if the document is going on to a third country, and it comes from the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications because a consular act is a federal act.
What if there is no U.S. embassy where I am?
Several posts are suspended, including Kabul, Damascus, Sanaa, Tripoli, Khartoum and Caracas, and there has been no U.S. embassy in Iran since 1980. In those countries the practical routes are a local notary plus authentication, a U.S. remote online notary, or travelling to a post in a neighbouring country.
Will the embassy notarise anything I bring?
No. A consular officer will refuse a document that appears fraudulent, one they cannot understand without a translation, and anything that would amount to giving legal advice. They notarise the signature, not the contents, and they will not draft or vet the document for you.
This guide is published by a private document processing service. It is not legal advice and we are not a government agency. Requirements change without notice, so confirm anything critical with the mission before you post documents.
