Legalization

Our agency, ABC Translation, specializes in document legalizations for official use. There are several kinds of legalization, such as the apostille, certified copy (patent / vidimus), and legalization of an embassy or consulate. Some institutions even sometimes request certified copies with an apostille.

We work in partnership with the various administrations such as the notary, the prefecture, the chancellery and the embassies and consulates to be able to provide you with the correct legalizations. In terms of turnaround, legalizations can be done fairly quickly (between 2 and 5 working days).

Legalization by apostille:

The countries that have signed the Hague Convention recognize the value of a document without the visa of a consulate or an embassy, provided that it bears the legalization by apostille.

This apostille is affixed to the signature of an official registrar or on that of a notary, exclusively. It cannot appear on a document signed by a private person.

Simple legalization:

Simple legalization is the seal recognized by all countries which are not signatories to the Hague Convention, provided that the document bears the visa for representation in Switzerland (embassy, consulate or mission).

These legalizations are possible for any type of document provided that the signature appearing there is known to the legalization service.

By an embassy / consulate:

For documents to be valid in some countries, such as China, they must be legalized at the Embassy or Consulate. All documents must be legalized by a notary and the Swiss Federal Chancellery before the Embassy or consulate can affix their legalizations.

True certified copy:

A certified copy, also called Vidimus or Brevet, is a copy whose conformity to the original document has been recognized by a notary. When the original documents have been issued by foreign authorities, certain institutions ask for certified copies which have been certified by a notary. The same goes for documents going abroad.

Legalization of signature:

By legalizing a signature, the notary attests to its authenticity: the signature that appears at the bottom of a document is that of the person claiming to have signed it.

Legalization