On or about August 14, 2016, authorities in Brazil will accept documents legalized with apostille, which involves a streamlined legalization process available in certain countries. Consular legalization will no longer be required once the announcement is fully implemented.
Background
Apostille of documents offers benefits for the following reasons:
- Authentication can occur in one or two steps, in contrast to consular legalizations, which normally involve multiple levels of verification; and
- Some countries offer an electronic apostille process, which allows tracking of apostilled documents.
Only countries that have agreed to join the 1961 Hague Convention "Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents" can issue and accept apostilles on public documents. There are currently 112 countries party to the Convention.
What This Means for Foreign Nationals
Foreign nationals seeking to use foreign-issued documents in Brazil should benefit from this development. Applicants planning to submit supporting documents for visa applications that require authentication should contact their immigration professional for further guidance.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.