Instructions and Regulations of Documents Ratification
Regulations and Instructions
Documents to be authenticated:
Procedures
- Each government agency is competent to authenticate the original documents issued by it, as well as copies with a (Certified True Copy) Seal. The documents shall be signed and sealed by an accredited official before being authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- The document should contain a series of authentications with an accredited seal and signature to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (General Administration of Authentication or one of its branches or offices).
- Any scrape or addition to any of the data indicated in the document or its authentications shall justify the rejection of its authentication.
- In case any authenticated document proven to be invalid in content or contains unaccredited previous seal and signature to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Ministry’s authentication therefore is considered to be null and void, without prejudice to pursuing the ones responsible for that by the competent authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and it offices are not responsible for the content of any document. However, it withholds the authentication of any document that contravenes in content the provisions of the Islamic Shari’a or the Laws applicable in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Documents to be authenticated must be submitted either directly by the person concerned, or by the one given the power of attorney of such person.
- After being authenticated by concerned commercial and industrial chambers, the documents issued by the commercial or industrial sectors shall be authenticated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and affiliated offices, without prejudice to laws governing document authentication.
- Documents submitted for authentication by service offices or other equivalents shall be submitted (from eight to ten o’clock a.m.) and received at 1 p.m.
- The fee of a single document authentication is (30) Saudi Riyals .
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Saudi citizens shall be exempted from authentication fee only in the following documents:
- Birth Certificates
- Educational Certificates at all levels
- Death Certificates
Documents to be authenticated:
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Power of Attorney
- Electronic-Power of Attorney issued by the Ministry of Justice in the Kingdome of Saudi Arabia.
- Power of attorneys issued by Saudi embassies abroad (for Saudis) shall be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then the Ministry of Justice.
- Power of attorneys issued abroad (for non-Saudis) shall be authenticated from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia or from the Embassy of the same country inside The Kingdom by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Ministry of Justice.
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Birth Certificates
- Birth certificate issued from the Civil Affairs Agency in the Kingdom after being authenticated by the Ministerial Agency of Civil Affairs.
- Birth certificate s for Saudis issued abroad after being authenticated from the Saudi Embassy in the country of the certificate.
- Birth certificate for foreigners after fulfilling all necessary authentications.
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Educational Degrees
- All educational degree issued from educational authorities inside the Kingdom for all levels of education including the academic record.
- Academic degrees and records issued by external education authorities shall be authenticated by the Saudi Cultural Mission and Saudi Embassy or the nearest Saudi Embassy in the country.
- Certificates issued by the General Organization for Technical Education or medical colleges and institutes and experience certificates shall be authenticated by the concerned authority. Then they shall be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Marriage Contracts
- Marriage contracts for Saudis and foreigners issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shall be authenticated by the Ministry of Justice. Then they shall be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Marriage contracts for Saudis issued abroad shall be authenticated by the Kingdom’s mission in the host country.
- Marriage contracts for foreigners issued by foreign embassies in the Kingdom.
- Marriage contracts for foreigners issued by their country after the authentication by the Saudi Embassy within the same country or their country’s embassies in the Kingdom.
- Clearance requests issued by Saudi Food and Drug Authority.
- Commercial registers and partners’ certificates issued by Ministry of Trade.
- Translated documents from governmental entities and approved foreign missions in Saudi Arabia. In case of requesting authentication of the translated document issued abroad, the original document should include all the authentications (issuing authority, foreign ministry of the country, and signature and seal of the embassy of Saudi Arabia official in the same country or the nearest embassy of the Kingdom). The translation should be correct and a transcript of the original document. Instruments issued by foreign courts shall be translated to Arabic by an approved entity before applying it for authentication.
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letters
- Letters of visa cancellation sent to the Kingdoms’ embassies abroad due to fingerprint scan upon arrival or the person’s unwillingness to come to the kingdom can be authenticated if it hasn’t been three months since issuing the visa. If it has been three months since issuing the visa, the person should consult the General Administration of Visas in Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Letters to extend the duration of exit and re-entry.
- Letters of criminal records issued by foreign embassies in the Kingdom and certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Letters issued by the Saudi Building Code National Committee.
- Letters issued by the Organization for Certified Public Accountants.
- Any other letters that require authentication and are fully authenticated.
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Other documents
- Criminal records issued by the department of Criminal Evidence.
- Electronic documents issued by the Chamber of Commerce.
- Printed data of license information issued by the General Department of Traffic.
- Printed data of the National Identity or Residence Permit.
- Memorandums issued by diplomatic and consular missions within the Kingdom (for those concerned).
Procedures
- The above documents shall be authenticated after being stamped and signed by the competent party in the relevant authority accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- A copy of a residence permit or passport shall not be authenticated unless it holds a valid authentication by its issuer.
- The translation of the driver’s license or its copy shall not be authenticated unless it has a valid authentication by the issuer.
- For authentication, the copy of educational certificates must be stamped (a certified true copy) by the Ministry of Education and other educational bodies.
- The notification of birth shall not be authenticated, but the certificate of birth is required and must to have it.
- A certificate of birth that is issued for citizens from outside the Kingdom shall be authenticated.
- Laminated documents shall not be authenticated.
- The full name of the department of authentication’s employees must be codified with his signature.
- Ensure that the date, in which the authentication was either automatically on the sticker or manually, is codified.
- Ensure that the fees are paid (30 riyals) prior to authentication, except the exempt documents which are: (birth certificates, educational and death certificates of citizens).