Chile Legalization
Chile Legalization and Notarization of Documents

Chile LegalizationChile is not a party to the Hague convention on document signatures.

Foreign Documents to be legal in Chile or accepted for most official purposes must be legalized. An apostille certificate is not acceptable in most cases in Chile, as it is a legal instrument normally recognized only by signatory countries to the Hague convention.

To legalize a document for use in Chile orginating in most other countries, the document must at the minimum complete the following chain of legal certifications:

1. The chain of authority of the originating signer of the document must be established. For example, birth certificate must have an attached certification that the office that issued it is authorized to issue birth certificates, and that office above it is authorized, all the way to either the State Department or Foreign Ministry (or local equivalent) .

2. The Chilean Consulate or Embassy responsible for the territory or country where the document was originally produced must then certify that document is in fact in compliance with the traditions of that foreign country.

3. The Foreign Ministry of Chile must then certify that document is authorized for use in Chile.

Please keep in mind that the exact process for legalization of foreign documents will depend greatly on what sort of document it is, what country it originates from, and for what purpose it is to be used in Chile. We strongly urge anyone needing to legalize a document for use in Chile to seek the assistance of qualified Chilean Attorney with experience in legalizing foreign documents.