Embassy legalisation process for Madagascar
Documents issued in the UK must follow a consular chain before becoming valid within Madagascar's legal system. This process begins in Newcastle upon Tyne at Newcastle Register Office, located at Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, where you obtain fresh certified copies of civil records like birth, marriage or death certificates. Rather than risking your only original document, you should order these official duplicates directly from the register office for secure handling.
The next step involves consular legalization for Madagascar, which requires verifying the document's authenticity through official stamps and signatures. After securing a certified copy of your record, it moves through a series of government validations. The route includes notarization by a UK notary, followed by authentication at the Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes before reaching the consular stage for embassy attestation.
Complete procedure step by step
To legalize documents for Madagascar from the UK, start by preparing your papers with the correct certifications. For civil records like birth or marriage certificates, visit Newcastle Register Office to request fresh certified copies, ensuring you keep your original safe at home. These copies will bear the official stamp and signature that begins the legalization chain.
Submit your certified copies, with any required supporting papers, to a UK notary who will verify their authenticity. Once notarized, send the file to the FCDO Legalisation Office at PO Box 6255, Milton Keynes MK10 1XX, to receive the UK government's authentication. The final stage entails embassy legalization for Madagascar, where the consular desk applies their verification to complete the process.
Costs, turnaround and final steps
The total legalization cost includes the FCDO fee plus the consular charge for embassy legalization for Madagascar from Newcastle upon Tyne. You can expect the standard processing time to span 7-10 business days from receipt at each office. An express service is available that reduces this timeframe to 2-3 business days, though an additional fee applies for the faster processing.
Once your file has completed the embassy attestation for Madagascar, the last step links to ensuring all language needs are met. While no translation is explicitly required at the consulate, authorities in Madagascar may request a French translation of the final document. A sworn translator can provide this with the necessary validation to accompany your legalized papers.