| 01. |
I was told that before sending a document to Brazil it must be legalized by the Consulate. What does it mean ? |
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All documents issued in the United States must be legalized by a Brazilian Consulate to become valid in Brazil. The legalization implies either that the document itself is true or it implies that the signature of notary public before which it was sworn in is authentic. If the document is not legalized, it will not be accepted in Brazil. |
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| 02. |
Can I legalize any document in the Brazilian Consulate in San Francisco ? |
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No. The Consulate can only legalize documents issued in its consular jurisdiction, which comprises Northern California and the States of Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
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| 03. |
I received in my home an exchange student from Brazil and now I need to legalize his/her school papers. How can I do it ? |
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You may come to the Consulate with the diploma and the transcripts or you can mail them to the Consulate. Diplomas and transcripts must have either an official school seal or be accompanied by a letter on the school letterhead signed by the Principal,
Registrar or Guidance Officer. There is a consular fee of $ 5.00 per document to be legalized which must be paid either in cash or money order. You must also include a self-addressed and pre-paid envelope for the response. |
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| 04. |
Can I send the documents to be legalized right after they are issued ? |
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It depends. Most documents, such as contracts, must be first notarized by a Notary Public before being presented to the Consulate for legalization. Documents that bear the signatures of authorities such as: Secretary of State,
Judge of Superior Court, School Official, Public
Official of the Department of Health or Agriculture, Police Officer DO NOT NEED to be notarized before being presented for legalization. |
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| 05. |
I live in your jurisdiction (Northern California and the States of Oregon, Washington and Alaska), but the document I have was issued in another place and I have to send it to Brazil from my address. How can I have it legalized ? |
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Since the Consulate can only legalize documents issued in Northern California and the States of Oregon, Washington and Alaska, the only way to do it is for
you to have the document NOTARIZED first by a Notary Public established in our jurisdiction and THEN present the document to the Consulate for legalization. |
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| 06. |
Can I fax or email my document to you for legalization ? |
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No. The Consulate can only legalize originals or certified copies. |
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| 07. |
Do I need to notarize first my birth (or marriage certificate) before presenting it for legalization ? |
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No. You can present the
original birth (or marriage) certificate or a certified copy for legalization without having it notarized in a Notary Public first. The only case you will have to notarized it is when the birth (or marriage) certificate was NOT issued in an area within our JURISDICTION (see question 2 above). |
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| 08. |
Can I pay the consular fee with a check ? |
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Only if
it is a business check. The Consulate accepts cash, money orders
and business checks for payments.
No personal checks are accepted. |
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