SAUDI ARABIA – To Join Apostille Convention

November 11, 2022

Saudi Arabia has officially submitted documentation to accede to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, more commonly referred to as the Apostille Convention. The Apostille Convention facilitates the use of public documents abroad by replacing the often long and costly legalization process with the issuance of a simple Apostille certificate. With the accession of Saudi Arabia, the Apostille Convention now has 122 contracting parties around the world.

Countries that are contracting parties to the convention can authenticate a public document by issuing an Apostille certificate through an approved competent authority. This one-step process reduces time and cost by avoiding additional certification or legalization at an embassy or consulate of the foreign/destination country.  Apostilled documents are commonly needed for registering a company, opening a bank account, and other business or legal transactions being conducted in a member jurisdiction to the Convention.

The Apostille Convention will officially go into effect in Saudi Arabia on 07 December 2022. From that date on, contracting parties are obliged to waive the legalization requirement for public documents issued by Saudi authorities and accept apostilles issued by Saudi Arabia’s designated competent authority. Likewise, Saudi authorities must accept apostilles for incoming foreign public documents issued by the competent authorities of other contracting parties.

CIBT offers a complete Apostille service, offering either a 24 hour or same day service. In addition to arranging an apostille, we can arrange other required steps, such as Notarisation, Chamber of Commerce certification and Embassy Legalisation.

Please contact our experts on [email protected]  to discuss your Apostille needs.