U.S. documents for Egypt

Egypt is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention — Not a party to the Apostille Convention (absent from HCCH status table); embassy legalization required.. An apostille will not be accepted. U.S. documents must be authenticated and then legalized: state authentication certificate (for state documents), U.S. Department of State authentication, and legalization at Egypt's embassy or consulate in the United States.

The route, step by step

1. State authentication (state documents)

   Request an authentication certificate from the state competent authority, naming Egypt as the destination.

2. U.S. Department of State authentication

   Submit the state-certified or federal document to the Office of Authentications with Form DS-4194 and $20 per document.

3. Legalization at the Egypt embassy or consulate

   Consulate of Egypt, 3521 International Court NW, Washington DC (covers DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, DC, WV; other states use NY, Chicago, Houston, LA). $47 per document ($132 pet documents), cashier's check only by mail, USPS only, at least 10 business days. Court/marriage/divorce documents need state then US Dept of State authentication first.

4. Translation

   Confirm whether Egypt requires a translation and at which stage.

Using U.S. documents in Egypt

Egypt is not a Convention party. The chain is state authentication (for state documents), U.S. Department of State authentication, then legalization at the Egyptian Embassy’s consular section in Washington, D.C. or the consulates in New York, Chicago, Houston or Los Angeles according to jurisdiction. On arrival in Egypt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may require a further attestation. Typical documents: degrees for employment and for recognition by the Ministry of Higher Education (which may require additional equivalency), marriage and birth certificates for residency and family matters, POAs for property and inheritance (drafted in the form Egyptian notaries and the Shahr al-Aqari expect), corporate documents for company registration, and affidavits for courts. Arabic translations are usually required and are often made in Egypt by a translation office accredited by the embassy or the Ministry.

Why U.S. documents are sent to Egypt

• employment contracts and work permits
• marriage in Egypt
• education (degree attestation)
• medical reports
• bringing pets

Egypt-specific points

• Non-Hague: notarize/state-certify, then US Dept of State authentication certificate (Form DS-4194, $20/doc, ~4 weeks by mail), then legalization at the destination country's embassy/consulate.
• Florida documents fall under the Washington DC consulate's jurisdiction.
• Letters (employment/medical) must be signed before a notary with a dry seal beside the signature.