Document Legalization & Authentication
Authentication, notarisation and legalization of corporate and personal documents for international use.
Overview
A degree certificate, board resolution or marriage certificate that is perfectly valid at home carries no automatic weight abroad. Before a foreign authority will accept it, the document usually has to pass through a chain of verification — notarisation, authentication by the issuing country, and legalization or apostille — in a specific order. Getting that order wrong means starting again. We identify the exact chain your documents require and coordinate each step.
Who It's For
- Foreign nationals whose qualifications or civil documents must be recognised in Kenya.
- Companies legalising corporate documents for registration, tender or banking purposes.
- Kenyan individuals and businesses whose documents must be accepted abroad.
- Applicants whose permit or visa application has been held up pending properly legalised documents.
Our Process
Requirements Assessment
We confirm what the receiving authority actually requires — apostille or full consular legalization — since the two are not interchangeable and depend on the countries involved.
Chain Mapping
We set out the exact sequence of notarisation, authentication and legalization your documents need, in order.
Coordination
We coordinate each step with the relevant notaries, government departments and diplomatic missions, and track documents through the chain.
Verification & Handover
We check the completed document set against the receiving authority's requirements before you rely on it.
Required Documents
- Original documents to be legalised (copies are rarely accepted)
- Identification for the document holder
- Confirmation of the country and authority the documents are destined for
- Any prior notarisation or authentication already obtained
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an apostille and legalization?
An apostille is a single certificate accepted between countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Where the Convention does not apply between the two countries concerned, a longer consular legalization chain is required instead. We confirm which route applies before starting.
Can you guarantee the receiving authority will accept the documents?
Acceptance is always the receiving authority's decision. What we do is confirm their stated requirements in advance and complete the chain in the correct order, which is what avoids the rejections we most commonly see.
Do you need my original documents?
Usually yes. Most authorities in the chain will only act on originals or on copies they have certified themselves. We will tell you exactly what must be surrendered and for how long.
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Learn moreReady to move forward with Document Legalization?
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