Notarial service
According to the Foreign Service Act, Section 13, the foreign service, i.e., the embassy, can perform any notarial service that a Notarius Publicus in Norway can perform, if it is in favor of a Norwegian citizen or the matter is otherwise connected to Norway or Norwegian interests. This includes, among others:
- Certifying that a document is original.
- Certifying the accuracy of a transcript (True copy).
- Certifying a signature.
- Certifying that a person is alive (life certificate).
- Certifying that a declaration of intent has been made by a specific person.
The embassy can only certify a True copy of Norwegian original documents, such as Norwegian passports, diplomas, birth certificates, and certificates of residency. This means that the embassy cannot certify a True copy of other countries' ID documents or other documents issued in other countries.
Legalisation
Legalisation is a formality that may be necessary for a document to have legal effect in a country other than where it was issued. Apostille, on the other hand, is a simplified form of Legalisation that applies to countries that are parties to the Hague Convention on Apostille. Norway has joined this convention, but Egypt is not currently a party to it, and therefore the embassy's verification of documents for use in Norway is included as part of the legalisation process. This is the list of countries that are parties to the Hague Convention on Apostille.
Documents that have already been stamped with Apostille do not need to be legalised.
Legalisation means confirmation of a public official's signature, as well as confirmation that the signer holds the position indicated in the document and has the right to issue such a document in that capacity.
Legalisation does not confirm the correctness of the document's contents.
To legalise documents issued in Egypt, the document must be in the original and be translated into English by a state-certified translator, legalised by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the Norwegian Embassy in Cairo can legalise it.
The embassy does not have the authority to legalise documents issued outside of Egypt. Note that the embassy cannot legalise documents issued in Libya, even though Libya falls under the embassy's jurisdiction. For more information regarding the legalisation of Libyan documents, you can contact the embassy via email at consular.cairo@mfa.no.
To legalise documents issued in Norway, the procedure described on the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website must be followed.
Fees and payment, appointment booking, and processing time
See further information here regarding fees and payment. Note that the information is only provided in Norwegian since the services, with the exception of legalisation (which is free of charge), are intended for Norwegian citizens.
You must book an appointment at the embassy for notarial service and legalisation. You can read more about appointment booking here.
The processing time for notarial service and legalisation is three days, but it is usually done on the same day.
Authorisation for the delivery and retrieval of documents for legalisation
If you are unable to personally deliver and/or retrieve documents for legalisation at the embassy, you can authorise another person to do this on your behalf. You must issue a consent to this individual, specifying the scope of the authorisation. The consent must also include the full name and date of birth of the person you are granting authority to. The consent must be submitted in its original form along with a notarised copy of your valid ID document. If you are in Norway, you can approach a police station, present a valid ID document, and the original consent, requesting electronic transmission to the embassy. The person you authorise must present a valid ID document when submitting/retrieving your documents at the embassy.
The embassy has created a consent form that can be printed and filled out by hand. Please refer to this page, where you will find the form titled "Fullmakt - levering og henting av dokumenter for legalisering", meaning "Consent - delivery and retrieval of documents for legalisation". This form is intended for use by Norwegian citizens who are in Norway and are unable to deliver and/or collect documents for legalisation.