Notarial service
According to the Foreign Service Act, Section 13, the foreign service, i.e., the embassy, can perform any notarial service that a notary public 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 the one in which it was issued, for example, a document issued in Egypt that needs to have legal effect in Norway, or a document issued in Norway that needs to have legal effect in Egypt.
Legalisation refers to the confirmation of the signature of a public official, as well as confirmation that the signer holds the position indicated in the document and, in that capacity, has the right to issue such a document.
Legalisation does not involve any verification of the document's content, meaning it does not confirm that the content of the document is correct.
The legalisation process
It is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt that legalises documents. For the document to have legal effect in Norway, it must be in the original form and translated into English by a state-authorised translator in Egypt, then legalised by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally confirmed by the Norwegian Embassy in Cairo. This process is similar in other countries as well.
The various ministries in Egypt have their own offices with state-authorised translators who offer translation services. Translation and legalisation services can be arranged on the same day within opening hours, and it is not necessary to book an appointment in advance.
To legalise documents issued in Norway for use in Egypt, follow the procedure described on the Norwegian government's website. The procedure is as follows:
- The document must be translated into Arabic by a state-authorised translator in Norway and then confirmed by a notary public (usually the district court).
- Then, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oslo must legalise the document.
- Finally, the document must be confirmed by the Egyptian Embassy in Oslo.
Please note that the Norwegian Embassy in Cairo does not have the authority to legalise documents issued outside of Egypt. The embassy also cannot legalise documents issued in Libya, despite Libya being covered by the embassy in Egypt. For more information about the legalisation of Libyan documents, you can contact the embassy via email at consular.cairo@mfa.no.
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.