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Notarials and Authentication Services
 

Other Services

Notarial services are available by appointment at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Athens Greece.

Office hours for this service are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., except Greek and American holidays.  We are also closed the last Wednesday of every month.

The U.S. Embassy performs notarial service for documents to be used in the United States. These services include: 

The U.S. Embassy performs notarial service for documents to be used in the United States. These services include: 

Affidavit 

An affidavit is a sworn statement. Using our blank affidavit form , you can write out almost any statement you may wish to make. Please do not sign the form before you come to the Embassy. You will need to sign it in front of a Consular officer, whose role is to confirm the identity of the person making the statement.

Power of Attorney

A power of attorney allows you to designate someone to take legal actions on your behalf. A common example of this is empowering someone else to buy or sell property in the United States in your name while you are overseas. We cannot advise you on the specific language or content of a power of attorney, so you may wish to consult a lawyer or other appropriate advisor before coming to see us to have your power of attorney notarized.

You can use our blank Power of Attorney form or you may use one supplied to you by your attorney, bank, or company. Please fill out the form before you come to our office, but please do not sign the form. You will need to sign it in front of a Consular Officer. 

Acknowledgement of Signature

An Acknowledgement of Signature or Acknowledgement of Execution is a notarial service which verifies that a particular person signed a given document. It is often used for legal agreements, business documents, etc. It is also used when more than two signatures are required on the document but all of the parties who must sign are not present. We can notarize (or acknowledge) only the signatures of those who are present to sign in front of us or appear in front of us and verify that they have signed the document.

Authentication of signature 

An authentication is the placing of the consular seal over the seal of a foreign authority whose seal and signature is on file with the American embassy or consulate. A consular authentication in no way attests to the authenticity of the contents of a document but merely to the seal and signature of the issuing authority.

Preparation for a Notary Appointment

 

  • Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. 
  • Make sure you understand your document. We are not allowed to explain the contents to you. 
  • Please complete the document with the appropriate names, places, and dates before you arrive (but do not sign the form; you will sign it at the Embassy in front of a Consular officer). 
  • Please mark the pages where you and the notary need to sign. The Consular staff cannot advise you in any way on what is required of you for your documents so come to the appointment fully prepared. 
  • Pay the appropriate fee: $50 per each notary service. All fees are payable in U.S. dollars or Euro at the Embassy’s exchange rate. A combination of U.S. dollars and Euro will not be accepted. The Embassy also accepts payment by credit card.
  • If your document requires the presence of witnesses in addition to the notarization, you are responsible for providing these witnesses. Consular staff cannot act as witnesses.   

 

Please be aware that the consular officer may refuse any notarial service when: 

 

  • The host country does not authorize the performance of the service. 
  • The document will be used in transactions that may be prohibited by U.S. law. 
  • The officer believes that the document will be used for a purpose that is unlawful, improper, or inimical to the best interests of the United States. 
  • The officer does not understand the document, due to language or any other reason. 
  • The officer believes the customer does not understand the document to be notarized, due to language or any other reason. 

 

Due to government regulations, we cannot provide the following services: 

U.S. Apostille 
The Embassy cannot offer any apostille services. 
Since the U.S. and Greece are part of the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, both Countries will accept an Apostille stamp on the certificate or official document concerned, as proof of legalization.  Apostille Stamps on a U.S. document are given by the respective U.S. State’s Secretary of State. To find the addresses of Secretaries of State and more detailed instructions on the procedure to be followed, please click on the following useful links:
U.S. Secretaries of State:
http://www.nass.org/NPA/us/UnitedStates.htm 
Authentication of U.S. documents:
http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth/ 
U.S. State and Local government websites:
http://www.statelocalgov.net 
Authentication/Notarization/Legalization of public documents issued in the United States. 
Such documents include vital records (birth, marriage, death, and divorce), as well as commercial, or other credentials. Consular officers do not have access to the records of the issuing office or the seal of the custodian of these records.
To request vital records you may use the following links:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm or http://www.vitalcheck.com
Certification of True Copies of Documents
The Embassy cannot provide certified true copies of public documents like birth, marriage, divorce or death records, bank statements, court documents, or other such official records. Such requests should usually be addressed to the office which issued the document in question. An alternative is to permit the requester to make a sworn statement that the document presented is a true copy according to 7 FAM 850.  This is a process whereby an individual makes a sworn statement declaring that a copy is an exact reproduction of an original document he or she possesses.
Certification of U.S. Academic Credentials

Consular generally should not authenticate or provide certified true copies of foreign academic credentials, transcripts, or degrees.  
Some foreign countries continue to require authentication of academic credentials.  See Authentication of American Academic Credentials for Use Abroad on the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular AffairsInternet page for guidance about how to obtain such records.
 U.S. Military Schools:  Copies of school records can be obtained from the National Military Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.  
Signature (or “Medallion”) Guarantees

Consular officers are not authorized to provide signature guarantee/medallion guarantee service. A Medallion Signature Guarantee is not a notarial service, but rather a special procedure related to securities, which can only be performed by an authorized representative of a financial institution participating in a medallion program approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC

Appointment System