The legalization is carried out at the Territorial Government Office (the Italian Prefettura) and consists in the certification of the legal nature of the public server who has signed a document and in the authenticity of his/her signature itself.

The legalization of documents is the procedure through which the authenticity of the signature and of the seal or stamps affixed on an official document are certified, so that the document is recognized in a country other than that of issue. This procedure is required only in specific cases.

The simplest case of document “legalization” involves the attachment to the document of the Apostille, as agreed by the The Hague Convention on 5 October 1961. This is a simplified procedure for the legalization of public documents to be used in countries other than those of issue and it is valid in the countries belonging to the above mentioned Convention.

Time required: From 5 to 7 working days