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Notarials
Notarial services are available for all nationalities by appointment

Schedule an Appointment

Notarial services are offered at U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo by appointment only. Please be sure to read all the information listed below and bring required identification and documentation with you to the appointment.

Schedule an Appointment

Overview

Hand signing documentEmbassy Santo Domingo provides notarial services similar to those performed by a public notary in the United States. A notary is someone who witnesses you sign a document. This service is available to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who need to have documents notarized for use in the United States. Notarial services are provided by appointment only. Please note that persons seeking notarial services who do not have an appointment will not be granted access to the Embassy.

 

Please be sure to read all the information listed below and bring required identification and documentation with you to the appointment. 

-Choose the date and time of appointment.
-Receive immediate confirmation and print the confirmation page.
-Present the printed confirmation page to consular officials the day of your appointment, as well as your official and valid form of identification. 

Notarial Services are offered for

  • Deeds
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Bills of sale
  • True copies of U.S. passports
    • REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
    • You must bring the DS-3053 to the appointment with the TOP section completed in black ink or typed but NOT signed. You must sign in front of the notary. How to complete the DS-3053 form
    • You must bring a photocopy of your identification, along with the original. 

    • Failure to bring the completed (unsigned) form and a photocopy of your ID will require you to reschedule your appointment.

       

  • Sworn affidavits:  A sworn statement prepared and provided by the affiant (you).  Affidavits are used in many different situations for many different purposes.  We cannot prepare affidavits, and we cannot advise on the specific language needed in individual cases.  Please consult a lawyer or other advisor for that type of assistance before bringing affidavits to be executed.
  • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request forms

Requirements

  • You must appear in person so we can verify your identity and document. 
  • Do not sign the document before your appointment. 
  • You must bring the complete document, not solely the page to be notarized. 
  • If witnesses are required, you must bring someone to witness your signature in front of the officer; consular staff cannot serve as witnesses. 
  • We do not offer remote or virtual services.  
  • We charge a $50 fee for each consular seal we place on a document. You will need to pay on the day of your appointment. 
  • Fees can be paid at the Embassy cashier in cash (Dominican Pesos or U.S. dollars) or with a credit card, or you can pay online (QR code link available at the Embassy). 
    • We do not accept checks or torn, marked or stained pesos or dollar bills. 
    • Notary fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. If you need multiple seals on your document or you are uncertain of the amount to pay, we recommend deferring payment until you have confirmed the total amount owed during your appointment at the Embassy. 

 

On the day of the appointment, Notarial customers must:

  • Appear at the American Citizens Services Unit, Consular Section, 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment with the required documentation, photo identification, and an additional photocopy of the identification that will be used. 
  • Receive a ticket number. 
  • Proceed to the second floor and take a seat until called by number. 
  • Follow consular officials’ instructions. 

 

At the notarial appointment the notary will:

  • Confirm your identity. 
  • Establish that you understand the nature, language, and consequences of the document, and that you are signing it freely, without pressure. 
  • Conduct an oath or affirmation that the contents are true to the best of your knowledge. 

 

Requesting an Earlier Appointment for Notarial Service

Before you can request an emergency appointment you must first schedule an appointment for the next available date. 

Upon scheduling an appointment, you will receive a booking confirmation number. 

To request an earlier appointment, access the ACS Navigator Main Menu  U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo (google.com) , and select “All Other” (the last option on the Main Menu). Follow the corresponding instructions. 

Requests with incomplete information cannot be processed.   The request must include the following details: 

  1. Applicant’s full name as written on identification 
  2. Date, time, and booking confirmation number of the original appointment  
  3. Service requested – notarial services 
  4. Reason for the emergency appointment request 
  5. Name and contact information of the requestor, including an email address and telephone number 

Due to high demand, we cannot accommodate all emergency appointment requests. 

If your request for an earlier appointment is approved, you will receive a response from our office within one business day.  Due to the high volume of inquiries, we do not respond to follow-up messages. 

The Embassy cannot:

  • Notarize/authenticate U.S. state-issued documents, also known as APOSTILLES.  This includes U.S. state-issued birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, and divorce decrees.  Apostilles for U.S. documents to be used in the Dominican Republic can be obtained by the Secretary of State of the U.S. state where the document was issued.  A list of contact information for each state can be found at The Hague Convention website . 
  • Notarize/legalize/authenticate U.S. academic credentials.  Contact the issuing educational institution for authentication. 
  • Certify or provide “true copies” of original, non-U.S. documents to be used in the United States. 
  • Certify copies of Naturalization Certificates.  Visit the USCIS website  for more information. 
  • Certify copies of U.S. State Department Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs).  Please click here  for more information. 
  • Certify true copies of Social Security statements. Please contact the Social Security Office.  
  • Validate driver’s licenses.  Please contact the Department of Motor Vehicles  of the state that issued your driver’s license. 
  • Certify  other U.S. state-issued documents.  Please click here  for more information. 

 

Authentication of Documents

The United States and the Dominican Republic are both parties to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents (Hague Apostille Convention). This Convention eliminates the requirement for diplomatic and consular authentication of public documents originating in one country (party to the Convention) that a requester intends to use in another country.  This authentication is called APOSTILLE. In the Dominican Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepares apostilles for Dominican documents that are to be used abroad. 

The section of the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs which performs this service is the Department of Document Authentications located at the following address: 

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Dirección de Legalización de Documentos
Avenida Independencia No.752 Estancia San Gerónimo, Santo Domingo, R. D.
Horario laboral: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
809.987.7001 Ext: 7638, 7386, 7607, 7608 / 809.535.6280
relexteriores@mirex.gob.do 

The Embassy cannot authenticate Dominican public documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, court decrees, school transcripts, nor signatures of foreign ministers, attorneys, and certified translators. 

Authentications of the U.S. Consular Officer’s Seal 

It is sometimes necessary for legal purposes to have the seal and signature of a U. S. consular official further authenticated by a higher authority. The Department of State’s Authentications Office  can perform this function.

How to complete the DS-3053 form

Useful Information

Notarial Services of U.S. Consular Officers Abroad

U.S. Birth Certificate Apostilles

How to complete the DS-3053 form