We have previously discussed the wave of South and Southeast Asian countries joining the Hague Convention in recent years – as of April 2022, there has been another new addition to the convention which we hope will simplify the process of Saudi Arabia document legalisation, especially for our clients abroad who cannot visit embassies in-person.
Currently, only agents appointed by the Embassy of Saudi Arabia are allowed to process applications for document attestation on behalf of other individuals and businesses – this limits options and can make it difficult to find assistance when you need it, particularly if you are not presently in the UK and cannot present your UK documents to the embassy yourself.
Even if you are able to attend an in-person appointment at the embassy, the process can be complicated. Under the current system, different documents have different requirements, either in addition to, or instead of, apostilles:
- For medical documents – a stamp from the Saudi Arabian Medical Section
- For educational certificates – a stamp from the Saudi Arabian Cultural Office
- For business and commercial documents – a stamp from the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce
These steps take time, and often call for supporting documents – for instance, documents sent to be certified at the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce must be accompanied by an application form filled in and signed by a company director, as well as a copy of their passport.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to join the Hague Convention is sure to cut back on the red tape, allowing us at Pardus Bloom to better assist clients with document legalisation matters relating to Saudi Arabia.
Once the convention is in force, the only requirement for a UK document to be used in Saudi Arabia will be the apostille itself (and, if necessary, prior notary or solicitor certification). This will make the process faster and less expensive, and will allow for more choice for those using agents to complete document legalisation on their behalf.
Joining in 2023 will be Pakistan, and, most recently ratified, Senegal. As discussed in our previous articles, it may take some time before companies and organisations in Saudi Arabia stop requesting embassy attestation, and it may be the case that the embassy continues to offer it as necessary for a while after the convention has entered into force. However, we can expect embassy attestation to be called-for in far fewer instances, which is good news for anyone planning to live, work or study in Saudi Arabia.
In the meantime, Pardus Bloom will continue to offer assistance with notarisation and legalisation for documents in preparation for attestation at the embassy.