The Embassy is not authorized to provide apostilles or assist in obtaining them.  Please do not schedule an appointment for this.

An apostille is a validation stamp ensuring that a particular document is recognized in countries that signed The Hague Convention as of October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.  When both countries have signed the Hague convention, the apostille procedure must be followed.  Israel and the United States are both signatories to the Hague convention.

This means that the U.S. Embassy is not authorized or equipped to provide Apostille Certificates of U.S. or Israeli documents. 

Apostille certification of U.S. documents should be certified by one of the officials in the jurisdiction in which the document has been executed.  There are three levels of U.S authorities competent to issue an Apostille Certificate depending on what jurisdiction executed the documents:

• States, Territories, and Other Jurisdictions:
  Each state, territory, or other jurisdiction in the U.S has an office that can issue an Apostille certificate.  Listings of competent office in individual states and other jurisdictions.

• Federal Executive and Administrative Agencies:
  You must obtain the seal of the federal agency that issued the document before the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office can affix an Apostille to the document.  Please see the U.S. Department of State Authentication Office website for more information.

• U.S. Courts:
  Clerks and Deputy Clerks of the Federal Court System can issue Apostilles.  Please see the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts and national federal apostille related court forms (AO 390, 391, an 393).   The website www.uscourts.gov holds contact information for the different courts.

Authentication of Israeli public documents is provided at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Branch for Certification of Public Documents.

 

The Embassy cannot provide or certify copies of U.S. vital records because they are issued by the individual states.  Please do not schedule an appointment for this.  To obtain U.S. vital records, see the link below. 

For U.S. birth, death, marriage, or divorce records:  National Center for Health Statistics.

A Medallion imprint or stamp indicates that a financial institution is a member of a Medallion signature guarantee program and is an acceptable signature guarantor.  By participating in the program, financial institutions can guarantee customer signatures with the assurance that their guarantees will be immediately accepted for processing by transfer agents.

 

Consular officers at U.S. embassies and consulates cannot perform a Medallion Signature Guarantee.  Please do not schedule an appointment for this. 

 

Financial institutions in Israel that are connected to U.S. or Canadian banks may be able to offer a medallion signature guarantee to existing customers.  Banks that have no affiliation with you – the investor – are unlikely to assume the liability inherent within the signature guarantee. If you have been unable to obtain a Medallion Guarantee, you should contact the transfer agent or issuer (corporation) requiring the Medallion Guarantee for assistance.

General questions about Medallion Signature Guarantees should be directed to the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Assistance, by email to help@sec.gov, by phone at 1-800-SEC-0330, by fax at 202-772-9295, or by mail to 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C., 20549-0213.

For more information, see the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website.

 

U.S. embassies and consulates cannot authenticate diplomas or other documents from universities and other schools in the United States or provide notarial services related to such credentials.  Please do not schedule an appointment for this.

In an effort to be of assistance to persons who wish to present academic credentials from the United States for use abroad, step-by-step guidance is provided on the State Department’s website:  Authentication of American Academic Credentials for Use Abroad

 

A photocopy of a Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship is not a valid document for most legal purposes.  The Embassy cannot provide or certify copies of these documents.  Please do not schedule an appointment for this.  To obtain a replacement or certified copy, see the links below.

• Replacements:  N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
• Certified copies:  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Israel and the United States are both signatories to the Hague convention.  When both countries have signed the Hague convention, the apostille procedure must be followed.  This means that the Embassy is not authorized or equipped to provide Apostille Certificates of U.S. or Israeli documents.

Authentication of Israeli public documents is provided at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Branch for Certification of Public Documents.