Notarization of documents (oath taken by consular officer)

Documents will be notarized Mondays through Fridays form 8:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Requirements:

1. Proof of identity. Your passport or any other type of government-issued identification card as long as it has your photograph and your complete name.
2. Fee of $30.00. Fees may be paid in U.S. dollars or the equivalent in Lempiras at the Embassy in Tegucigalpa. There is an additional cost of $20.00 for each additional notarial related to the original document.

If your documents require witnesses you will need to bring them with you and they must present government-issued identification as well.

Authentication of documents (certification of genuine signature)

On September 30, 2004 the “Hague Legalization Convention” entered into force in Honduras. Both Honduras and the United States are party to this Convention. Therefore:

1. In accordance with the Convention, documents issued by countries party to the Convention are not required to be authenticated by consular representatives of the country where they will be used. Instead they must be accepted when bearing an Apostille.
2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been designated as the Central Authority for Honduras and will be issuing the Apostilles for Honduras.
3. Within the United States: For Federal Agency documents the U.S. Authority is the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office. For Federal court documents the U.S. Authority is the clerk of the federal courts. For documents originating in a state of the U.S. the Authority is listed at http://www.nass.org/NPA/us/UnitedStates.htm.

The Convention applies to the following Public Documents:

1. Documents issued by State institutions and Centers of Public and Private Education.
2. Official certifications of private documents, official authentications, and notarials.

Procedures to obtain an Apostille:

1. Documents issued by State institutions and Centers of Public, Private and Superior
Education (transcripts) must first be certified by the appropriate Ministry – then apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2. Documents authenticated by Honduran Notary Publics must first be certified by the Supreme Court, then apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Procedures to authenticate documents that are not contemplated under “Hague Legalization Convention”:

Authentication requests may be submitted Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. The
authentications will be ready two days later at 3:00 p.m. during working days.

1. Documents must be properly authenticated by a Honduran Notary previously registered with the American Consulate.
2. Fee of $30.00. Fees may be paid in U.S. dollars or the equivalent in Lempiras. We do not accept credit cards or personal checks for these services. Documents can only be authenticated at the American Embassy in Tegucigalpa.