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How to legalize your TESOL certificate
Certain employers might prefer it if you have your hard copy certificate approved by a government department.
Governments in some countries – China for example – might require you to have your certificate approved by a government department. This is a process known as having an “apostille” applied to the document, also commonly referred to as “legalization”. Certain employers might also prefer it if you have your certificate legalized even if it’s not a fixed requirement in their country.
Legalization lets the schools know that the certificate has been reviewed by the government and that they confirm it’s an authentic document that meets their requirements.
Most schools around the world won’t require this, so we wouldn’t recommend automatically paying for legalization unless a particular employer has requested you to do it, or unless you know that it’ll be beneficial where you plan to teach.
How legalization works:
The process involves two main steps – first having your certificate notarized by a Notary Public, then having it sent to the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) to be legalized/apostilled.
It’s possible to do both of these steps yourself, but it’s usually much easier to have it done by an authentication service. An authentication service will be able to take your certificate through the necessary steps and then send it back to you.
This is the process that we would recommend:
1. Purchase the legalization service through this site here: Hague Apostille – TESOL Legalization. This is a discounted service for World TESOL Academy graduates, covering the notarization and legalization steps for your certificate. There are other companies aside from Hague Apostille, but we’d recommend them as they provide a fast and dependable service.
2. After this, you would need to order the hardcopy of your certificate from our site here: https://www.worldtesolacademy.com/ordering-your-certificate/
When ordering your certificate you should put the Hague Apostille address from the order form on their website.
3. We’ll then get your certificate printed, packaged, and shipped to Hague Apostille. They’ll have it processed and taken to a notary public to be notarized. After this, it will be sent to the FCDO to be legalized, and finally they’ll send it to you when it’s ready.
The process can take a few weeks to complete, so it’s best to start early if you’re hoping to finish quickly and head overseas.
How long does it take to legalize/apostille a TESOL certificate?
From start to finish, the process can take around 2-4 weeks, though times can vary.
It will take a few days for us to produce your hard copy certificate, have it embossed and then shipped to Hague Apostille. Once they receive it, they’ll start working on it as quickly as possible, but it does take some time. They’ll need to send it to get apostilled/legalized by the FCDO (government department). The FCDO will return the legalized document to Hague Apostille and they’ll ship it to your final delivery address.
How do I get my certificate authenticated for China?
You would only need to follow the instructions above if you plan to teach English in China. This would be the correct process for you to go through.
In previous years, you would have needed to go through a longer and more expensive process which included an extra step of embassy attestation. However, on November 7th 2023 China joined the “Apostille Convention“. This makes it easier and cheaper to get your documents processed and accepted by the Chinese government. Now, you only need to get your TESOL notarized and apostilled/legalized.
How do I get my certificate authenticated for Vietnam?
A small number of countries might require you to take this process a step further and also get your certificate taken to their embassy and attested by them. Vietnam is one of the main countries which requires teachers to do this.
But don’t worry – you’ll follow a very similar process but instead of ordering a legalization/apostille service you’ll select a different option. All the other steps will be the same.
We have a specific guide showing you exactly what to do here: How to authenticate your TESOL for Vietnam.
Related articles:
> How to authenticate your TESOL for Vietnam
How to legalize your TESOL certificate
Certain employers might prefer it if you have your hard copy certificate approved by a government department.
Governments in some countries – China for example – might require you to have your certificate approved by a government department. This is a process known as having an “apostille” applied to the document, also commonly referred to as “legalization”. Certain employers might also prefer it if you have your certificate legalized even if it’s not a fixed requirement in their country.
Legalization lets the schools know that the certificate has been reviewed by the government and that they confirm it’s an authentic document that meets their requirements.
Most schools around the world won’t require this, so we wouldn’t recommend automatically paying for legalization unless a particular employer has requested you to do it, or unless you know that it’ll be beneficial where you plan to teach.
How legalization works:
The process involves two main steps – first having your certificate notarized by a Notary Public, then having it sent to the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) to be legalized/apostilled.
It’s possible to do both of these steps yourself, but it’s usually much easier to have it done by an authentication service. An authentication service will be able to take your certificate through the necessary steps and then send it back to you.
This is the process that we would recommend:
1. Purchase the legalization service through this site here: Hague Apostille – TESOL Legalization. This is a discounted service for World TESOL Academy graduates, covering the notarization and legalization steps for your certificate. There are other companies aside from Hague Apostille, but we’d recommend them as they provide a fast and dependable service.
2. After this, you would need to order the hardcopy of your certificate from our site here: https://www.worldtesolacademy.com/ordering-your-certificate/
When ordering your certificate you should put the Hague Apostille address from the order form on their website.
3. We’ll then get your certificate printed, packaged, and shipped to Hague Apostille. They’ll have it processed and taken to a notary public to be notarized. After this, it will be sent to the FCDO to be legalized, and finally they’ll send it to you when it’s ready.
The process can take a few weeks to complete, so it’s best to start early if you’re hoping to finish quickly and head overseas.
How long does it take to legalize/apostille a TESOL certificate?
From start to finish, the process can take around 2-4 weeks, though times can vary.
It will take a few days for us to produce your hard copy certificate, have it embossed and then shipped to Hague Apostille. Once they receive it, they’ll start working on it as quickly as possible, but it does take some time. They’ll need to send it to get apostilled/legalized by the FCDO (government department). The FCDO will return the legalized document to Hague Apostille and they’ll ship it to your final delivery address.
How do I get my certificate authenticated for China?
You would only need to follow the instructions above if you plan to teach English in China. This would be the correct process for you to go through.
In previous years, you would have needed to go through a longer and more expensive process which included an extra step of embassy attestation. However, on November 7th 2023 China joined the “Apostille Convention“. This makes it easier and cheaper to get your documents processed and accepted by the Chinese government. Now, you only need to get your TESOL notarized and apostilled/legalized.
How do I get my certificate authenticated for Vietnam?
A small number of countries might require you to take this process a step further and also get your certificate taken to their embassy and attested by them. Vietnam is one of the main countries which requires teachers to do this.
But don’t worry – you’ll follow a very similar process but instead of ordering a legalization/apostille service you’ll select a different option. All the other steps will be the same.
We have a specific guide showing you exactly what to do here: How to authenticate your TESOL for Vietnam.
Related articles:
> How to authenticate your TESOL for Vietnam
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