INTRODUCTION
There are several reasons why anyone would want to legalize a certificate or any other document. Obtaining an attestation of certificate in Cameroon is usually required for documents, which are required to be used for any official or private purpose abroad.
Documents that are issued either by any government agency such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, certificates of incorporation, educational degree certificates, transcripts, death certificates, and so on, may be required to be authenticated and legalized before they can be used in a foreign country.
Normally, what is expected of an individual by foreign establishments is to certify that the document, is borne by such a person is an authentic and valid one, and not forged.
PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING AN ATTESTATION OF CERTIFICATE CAMEROON
- Before obtaining an attestation of certificate in Cameroon, a qualified Notary Public must first notarize such a document. This must be done before any authentication takes place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of External Relations. Qualified lawyers always carry out the notarization of documents. It should be noted that the charge for notarization is not fixed.
- After the notarization has been concluded, before obtaining an attestation of certificate in Cameroon, the document would be brought to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, upon which one would be required to authenticate the document.
- There will be a required payment to be made for the certificate that is sought to be authenticated in Cameroon. The prescribed fee for obtaining an attestation of certificate in Cameroon would be paid into the Ministry-designated account.
- Upon the completion of the payment, proof of payment (which is normally the bank teller) would be submitted to the Legal Services Department in the Ministry. The applicant may be asked to return to the embassy within a few days to pick up the attestation of certificate in Cameroon.
- If the document involved is an academic certificate or transcript, the document must also be attested at the Ministry of Education, where the applicant can either apply himself or through a lawful attorney only.
- After the authentication process, the document may be taken to the relevant embassy for legalization where such a process is further required.
In closing, it should be noted that there are different documents that can be legalized, but the step for attestation of various documents are often similar.
Article by Barr. Mafany victor Ngando
Kinsmen Advocates Law Firm
“The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstance”