Consular Legalisation

A foreign document has no legal effect in Vietnam until it has been legalised — certified by the authorities of the issuing country and then by the Vietnamese diplomatic mission there, or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here.

Wise Counsel handles consular legalisation of foreign documents for use in Vietnamese procedures, and of Vietnamese documents for use abroad.

What we help with

• Advising which documents require legalisation and which are exempt
• Legalisation of foreign civil status, corporate and court documents
• Legalisation of Vietnamese documents for use in another country
• Advising on the correct sequence — notarisation, certification, then legalisation
• Coordinating with the issuing authority abroad where documents must be reissued
• Arranging certified translation after legalisation
• Advising on validity periods so documents do not expire mid-procedure
• Handling urgent legalisation where a deadline is approaching

Vietnam is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille alone is not sufficient. Full consular legalisation is still required.