American Citizen Services
Notarial Services
Consular Officer may acknowledge signatures on documents signed before him/her.
American Citizens may also execute affidavits or sworn statements before a Consular Officer. If a document signed by a person located in the U.S. must be notarized in Tajikistan, that document should first be notarized in the U.S. and then go through a series of certification known as "the chain authentication method". Please note that U.S. Consular Officers abroad are NOT permitted to authenticate seals and signatures of notaries public and other officials in the U.S. They may, however, certify the Seal of the U.S. Department of State if this is requested in particular cases by the national authorities of the host country.
For more information on Notarization Services please visit the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs website.
Notarization Service Fees
Notarial service - U.S. $30.00 (first seal); $20.00 for each additional seal provided in connection with the same transaction at the same time;
True copy - U.S. $30.00 (first seal); $20.00 for each additional copy provided at the same time;
Authenticate a U.S. Federal seal - U.S.$30.00.
Notarial Services
The U.S. Embassy Dushanbe Consular Officer can provide notarial services to customers regardless of their nationality. In order to have a document for use in the United States of America notarized, please bring your picture identification including signature (e.g., a passport, driver's license, U.S. alien registration card). The fee for each notarial is currently $30 to be paid to the embassy cashier in cash. Each additional seal provided at the same time in connection with the same transaction costs $20. For more information about notarial services please call 229-23-00.
NOTARIAL REGULATIONS
U.S. consular officers abroad function in place of U.S. notaries public. Their notarial authority, as such, is strictly limited. Notarial services are governed by U.S. and Tajik laws and treaties. The embassy is prohibited from legalizing, witnessing, verifying, certifying, or otherwise notarizing documents for use outside the United States. The primary restrictions on notarial services are listed below.
The Embassy cannot "verify" or "legalize" U.S. documents for use outside the United States. To legalize U.S. documents for use outside the U.S., first it is necessary to notarize the document in the U.S. and then go through a series of certification known as the “chain authentication method” (see the instructions below).
The Embassy will not certify foreign civil documents (e.g. Tajik passports, certificates from ZAGS, etc.), or any academic credentials.
As a corollary practice of this policy, the Embassy does not provide certification of any US passport pages other than the information page.
The Embassy will not provide certified true copies of documents for use in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
“LEGALIZATION” OF DOCUMENTS FOR USE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES
If a document signed by a person located in the U.S. must be notarized in Tajikistan, that document should first be notarized in the United States and then go through a series of certification known as the “chain authentication method”, which is literally a paper chase in which authorities will have to attest to the validity of a succession of seals beginning with your document and ending with the seal of the foreign embassy or consulate in the United States. Please note that U.S. Consular Officers abroad are NOT permitted to authenticate seals and signatures of notaries public and other officials in the U.S. They may, however, certify the Seal of the U.S. Department of State if this is requested in particular cases by the national authorities of the host country.
Foreign Embassy: This is the last step in the authentication chain. Usually, foreign embassies or consulates in the United States can only authenticate the seal of the U.S. Department of State. Check with the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the U.S. to see if some of the steps can be avoided.
The Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan is located at 1005 New Hampshire Ave., Washington, D.C., tel: (202) 223-6090; website: http://www.tjus.org
U.S. Department of State Authentications Office: The office is located at 518 23rd St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20520, tel: (202) 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. For additional information, call the Federal Information Center: 1-800-688-9889, and choose option 6 after you press 1 for touch-tone phones. Walk-in service is available from the Authentications Office from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Monday-Friday, except holidays. Walk-in service is limited to 15 documents per person per day (documents can be multiple pages). Processing time for authentication requests sent by mail is 5 working days or less. See also the State Department home page at http://www.state.gov. See also in general, 22 C.F.R. 131.
Documents Issued by Federal Courts: Documents issued under the seal of a federal court should be sent to Justice Management Division, Security Program Staff, Physical Security Office, 9th and Pennsylvania Avenue, Room 6531, Washington, D.C. 20530, tel: (202) 514-2314 or 514-4667 for the preliminary authentication. Then forward the document(s) to the U.S. Department of State, Authentications Office as explained above. Finally, send the documents to the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the United States.
Documents Issued by Federal Agencies: Documents issued under the seal of a federal agency can be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office following the instructions above. Then send the documents to the foreign embassy or consulate in the United States as explained above.
State Documents: State documents such as documents originating with a state court or agency (birth, death, marriage, etc.) must be authenticated by the appropriate office in the state Secretary of State's office. The document may then be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office as explained above. The document may then be authenticated by the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the United States following the instructions above.
Notarized Documents: The procedure for authenticating documents executed before a notary public such as affidavits or acknowledgments varies from state to state. It is advisable to contact the state authentication authority to learn what steps are necessary between the notary's seal and the state Secretary of State's seal. In some states, this requires contacting the clerk of the court of the county where the notary is licensed, and obtaining an authentication of the notary's seal. The Consular Section can provide you with the state authorities’ addresses.
The list of state authentication authorities in the U.S. and more detailed information is also available at http://www.nass.org/NPA/us/UnitedStates.htm
The state Secretary of State's office can then authenticate the seal of the clerk of the county court. After the seal of the state Secretary of State or comparable authority is on the document, it may be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office. The final step is to obtain the seal of the Tajik Embassy in the United States following the instructions above.
Various Tajik officials sometimes advise people to go to the U.S. Embassy to get an official Embassy "stamp" on documents for use in Tajikistan. The U.S. Embassy is not empowered under U.S., Tajik, or international law to perform this function. Therefore, the U.S. Embassy cannot legally accommodate such requests.
To legalize U.S. documents for use in Tajikistan, you should follow the instructions given above. Tajik documents, which must be notarized for use in Tajikistan, should be executed before Tajik notaries public.
AFFIDAVITS
An affidavit is a statement made under oath before a notary public or other official authorized to administer oaths. American citizens may also execute an affidavit stating whether the person has been married before or not, which must be presented to the ZAGS office in order for an American citizen to register marriage in Tajikistan. You may not make any statements in an affidavit on behalf of the U.S. Embassy or the U.S. Government. The Embassy takes no responsibility for the content of affidavits; however, persons who knowingly make false statements in an affidavit sworn before a U.S. consular officer may be subject to perjury charges under U.S. law.