Egypt is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille will not be accepted there. A U.S. document going to Egypt needs legalization instead: certification by the state that issued it, authentication by the U.S. Department of State, and then legalization by Egypt’s embassy or a consulate in the U.S.
Egypt has 5 missions in the U.S., and each legalizes documents only from the states in its district. The mission is decided by the state that issued or notarized the document, not the state you live in.
In person or by USPS mail; the embassy quotes about 10 business days by mail.
At a glance
Which mission takes your document
| Mission | States it covers |
|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. Embassy of Egypt, consular section |
Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia |
| New York Consulate General of Egypt |
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Chicago Consulate General of Egypt |
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin |
| Los Angeles Consulate General of Egypt |
Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming |
| Houston Consulate General of Egypt |
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas |
From the mission’s own published information, checked October 2026. For federal documents such as an FBI check, we confirm the mission before submitting.
Documents we legalize most for Egypt
| Document | Usually for |
|---|---|
| Marriage certificate, single status affidavit | Marriage registration in Egypt |
| Birth certificate | Registering a child, residency |
| Diploma and transcripts | Employment and equivalency |
| Power of attorney | Property and inheritance |
Things worth knowing
- Districts are strict. The embassy in Washington does not accept documents from states outside its district.
- Notary seal placement matters. The embassy asks for the notary’s embossed seal beside the signature.
- Arabic translation is usually required once the document is in Egypt.
How it works
Step 1
Notarize if needed
Private documents only. Vital records and court records skip this.
Step 2
State certification
By the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Federal documents skip this.
Step 3
U.S. Department of State
Federal authentication in Washington, D.C.
Step 4
Egypt embassy or consulate
The mission for your document’s state.
Egypt Embassy Legalization: common questions
Can I get an apostille for Egypt instead?
No. Egypt is not in the Apostille Convention, so it needs the legalization chain ending at its embassy or consulate.
Does it matter which consulate I use?
Yes. Missions only legalize documents from the states in their district, decided by where the document was issued or notarized. Use the consulate finder.
How long does it take?
The state and federal stages take one to three weeks together, and the embassy stage adds its own time, which varies. Plan for several weeks in total, and longer around holidays.
Official sources
Requirements, fees and processing times are set by the authorities below and can change without notice. Verify anything time-critical directly with them.
Egypt mission in the U.S.
Ready to get started?
Tell us the document and its state, and we will run the whole chain to the right Egypt mission.
Related: Embassy legalization · Non-Hague countries · Country checker · Translation requirements