Notaries

American citizens and others may receive a variety of notarial services at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy. Documents, such as affidavits and powers of attorney, or Turkmen legal documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, can be authenticated for use in the U.S.

The U.S. Embassy can acknowledge the signature on an affidavit or power of attorney only if the document is intended for use in the U.S. and only if the individual appears in person, signs the document in the presence of a consular officer, provides positive proof of identity, and takes an oath. In some rare cases, an affidavit executed at the Consular Section may be used for legal purposes in Turkmenistan after the signature and seal of the consular officer have been authenticated by the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

There is a fee of $30 U.S. dollars for the first seal and signature of the Consular Officer and $20 for each additional seal and signature provided in connection with the same transaction at the same time.

Authenticating documents issued in Turkmenistan
(Also known as "legalizing" these documents)

The U.S. Embassy can authenticate ("legalize") legal documents issued in Turkmenistan, such as birth and marriage certificates, after the documents have made their way through the Turkmen authentication chain. This requires a stamp and signature from the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once the signature from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been obtained, the U.S. Embassy can authenticate that signature by comparing it with the signatures we have on file. Once authenticated, the document is recognized as a legal document for use in the United States. There is a fee of $30 U.S. dollars for this service.

Authenticating documents issued in the United States

The U.S. Embassy cannot, by law, under any circumstances, authenticate a document issued in the United States. This includes birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, educational records, powers of attorney, copies of documents unaccompanied by originals, etc., regardless of whether the documents have already been notarized in the United States. These documents must be authenticated in the United States.

To authenticate a document of this sort, the signature of the local U.S. notary public must be authenticated at the local and state levels. Then, the document must be sent directly to the U.S. Department of State Authentication Office, 518 23rd Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20520, telephone: (212) 647-5002.

There is a fee of $5.00 for each authentication, payable in the form of a check drawn on a U.S. bank or money order made payable to the Department of State. The Department of State will return the document to you after it has been authenticated; processing time for authentication requests sent by mail is five working days or less.

Once through this U.S. authentication chain, the signature of the Secretary of State must finally be authenticated by the Turkmen Embassy in Washington, D.C. The document should be sent directly to the Turkmen Embassy with whatever the current fee is at the time. With this last signature, the document is recognized as a legal document for use in Turkmenistan.

Contact Information for the Embassy of Turkmenistan:
Embassy of Turkmenistan
2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 588-1500
Fax: (202) 588-0697