In order to be valid in Brazil, all signatures in foreign documents should first be notarized by a Notary Public whose signature has been certified by a county clerk or by the Secretary of State. Once this is done, documents, in their entirety, should be sent to this Consulate for the necessary authentication.

The Notary Public's seal must be stamped directly on the document to be forwarded to the Consulate. Please note that the Legal Section will only authenticate original documents (or authenticated copies) issued in the jurisdiction of this Consulate as indicated below (letter "d").

The Notary Public must state clearly that the signer of the document appeared before him/her in order to have his/her signature authenticated. Please, stamp or type the name of the signer of the document.

The signature of local authorities/and or Notaries should be handwritten. Names and titles must be stamped or printed.

For the authentication of Birth and Death Certificates, Marriage Licenses or Certificates of Marriage Dissolution, please send a certified copy issued in the jurisdiction of this Consulate General.

The legalization of the signatures of local authorities such as: Secretary of State, Judge of Superior Court, School Official, Public Official of the Department of Health or Agriculture, Police Official, etc., waives requirement no.1. Documents issued by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) or any other USA Government Agency in the Washington D.C. area (Maryland, Virginia) must be authenticated at the Consular Section of the Brazilian Embassy in Washington D.C. ( 3006 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington DC 2000. Phone: (202) 238-2837, Fax: (202) 238-2818).

Legalizations may be processed by mail only when a self-addressed, registered, stamped USPS (United States Postal Service) envelope is provided. Effective January 1^st, 2008, the Consulate-General will no longer accept delivery of envelopes transported by courier services such as Federal Express, UPS, DHL and others.  The Consulate General will only accept delivery of envelopes transported by the United States Postal Service (Post Office).  The same rule applies to envelopes for returning documents: only pre-paid U.S. Postal Service envelopes will be accepted for returning documents.

There is a consular fee of US$20.00 per document. No checks are accepted. Please, cash or money orders only.

Documents processed at this Consulate will not be sent directly to Brazil;

Allow a minimum of two business days for the processing of documents; if requesting by mail, please note that the two-business-day processing time will start counting after the document is received in the Consulate;

For the validation of school diplomas and/or transcripts grades, please request the specific information;

The Brazilian Consulate in San Francisco has jurisdiction over the states of Oregon, Washington, Alaska and in California over the following counties: