Saudi Arabia is not a Hague Convention member — apostille is not accepted. We manage the complete chain: notarization → Secretary of State → US Department of State → Saudi Embassy. Employment, business, and personal documents.
Step 1 of 4
What document type do you need legalized for Saudi Arabia?
Because Saudi Arabia has not ratified the Hague Convention, there is no shortcut — every document must pass through the full chain before it is recognized by Saudi authorities:
Note: Arabic translation is required separately, in addition to the legalization chain. We coordinate both.
Saudi Arabia employment visas and Iqama (residency) require fully legalized diplomas, transcripts, and background checks. The chain typically takes 5–8 weeks. Starting early is critical — we help you plan and execute on time.
Saudi Vision 2030 has brought major growth to the kingdom — and with it, increased demand for legalized corporate documents. We handle commercial legalization for businesses entering or expanding in the Saudi market.
Saudi Arabia's professional licensing boards (Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Saudi Council of Engineers) require legalized credentials for all foreign-trained professionals. We have experience with healthcare and technical credential legalization.
| Document | Issuing authority | Estimated time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original document (notarized) | Issuing authority + notary public | Before chain starts | Documents must be notarized before entering the legalization chain. Original notarized document required — no photocopies. |
| Secretary of State authentication | Secretary of State — relevant US state | 5–15 business days (standard) | Authenticates the notary's credentials. Required first step for all US state-issued documents. |
| US Department of State authentication | U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications | 4–8 weeks standard / 5–7 days expedited | Required by Saudi Arabia for most US documents. We use expedited service to minimize delay at this step. |
| Saudi Embassy / Consulate legalization | Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the United States | 5–15 business days | Final step. Saudi Embassy has strict requirements on document format and may require Arabic translation at this stage. |
| Certified Arabic translation | Qualified translator (Saudi-accepted) | 2–3 business days | Saudi authorities require certified Arabic translation for most document types submitted for employment, business, or family matters. |
Tell us your document type and Saudi purpose (employment, business, family, education). We map the exact chain, Saudi-specific formatting requirements, and provide a fixed quote and realistic timeline.
We arrange notarization if needed, then submit to the Secretary of State in the issuing state. We track every step and provide status updates throughout.
We submit to the US State Dept. Office of Authentications — required by Saudi Arabia for most US documents. We use our expedited service to minimize the wait at this critical bottleneck.
We submit to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the US and coordinate any Arabic translation requirements. Your fully legalized document is returned ready for use in Saudi Arabia.
Information on this page is based on procedures from recognized government and intergovernmental bodies — not third-party estimates.
Reviewed by
Laura ChenLegal Document Expert
Specialist in documents for the English-speaking market with a focus on fast and secure processing.
Saudi Arabia is not a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Countries outside the Convention cannot use the apostille system — they require each document to be authenticated through their own consular legalization chain. For US documents going to Saudi Arabia, the chain is: notarization → Secretary of State → US State Dept. → Saudi Embassy/Consulate.
Standard chain: (1) Notarization by US notary public, (2) Secretary of State authentication (state where document was issued), (3) US Department of State authentication (Washington DC), (4) Royal Saudi Embassy or Consulate legalization. Arabic translation is also typically required.
Saudi employment visas typically require: university diploma (legalized), academic transcripts (legalized), background check / police clearance certificate (legalized), and sometimes professional license or certification (legalized). All must go through the full chain.
Standard timeline: 5–8 weeks total. Secretary of State: 1–2 weeks. US State Dept.: 4–8 weeks standard (5–7 days expedited). Saudi Embassy: 5–15 business days. Using expedited State Dept. service reduces total time to approximately 3–5 weeks.
Yes. Saudi authorities and employers require certified Arabic translation for most legalized documents. This is separate from the legalization chain — you need both. We offer combined legalization + certified Arabic translation packages.
No. The Saudi Embassy requires original notarized documents. Photocopies — even notarized photocopies — are generally not accepted. Some document types can be certified copies from the issuing authority, but plain photocopies will be rejected.
Message us today for a free document review and guidance.