Job Discussion Forums

[gorkomi]

What exactly am I supposed to do? It says "Certified" - by who? Do I go to a US bank with 2 xeroxed copies, have them notarize the copies, and then send the two xeroxed copies to Washington's embassy? Am I supposed to send the originals to someone?



A certified and notarized copy of the applicant's university degree or diploma, which MUST be validated by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in Washington DC (telephone 202-337-9450 or 202-298-8849).
For training or technical diplomas, certified and notarized copies MUST additionally be validated by the U.S. Department of State.
Degrees and diplomas need to be notarized by the Saudi Consulate: the fee is U.S. $8.00 (eight dollars) per page, payable to 'The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia'. Cash and personal checks are not accepted.
Diplomas issued by an institution outside the U.S. should show the signature and the seal of the issuing country�s Consulate.

[a_ibrahim]

Unfortunately, that's enough. Once you have them notarized, it has to be certified by the county clerks office and then by the secretary of state of whatever state you live in. After that, you mail these documents to be validated by the Dept of State in Washington. It normally takes them 5 days from the date of receipt to process your documents.

I don't know what state you're in but either way, it's a tedious task. And, it's a pain. Also, this is only part of what you'll have to include when you send it to the Cultural Mission. There are agencies who will do everything for you. Of course, it's not cheap.

[gorkomi]

Thank you.

This is like the medical I had to. My doctor raised her eyes and said "This is archaic and ridiculous."

[gorkomi]

Sorry, I'm still confused. Am I sending something original to them? Otherwise, why do they want a prepaid return envelope?

I am getting all of the documents notarized, certified, verified and then sending them along with the originals to the Saudi Embassy?

[manowur]

Hello,

I'm going through the same thing now and have some doubts as well.
Apparently, the requirements for the Saudi embassy is to submit notarized/certified copies but I just spoke with my county clerk's office and state department and they both say they will only stamp originals. To be honest, I really don't want to submit any originals to the Saudi embassy.

Also, my state department said they will not authenticate my TEFL certificate because I obtained it in a different state. They said I must go through the state department of where the certificate was obtained; yet another inconvenience.

I've asked my former school to help me in this matter, but I think they're trying to get over on me. They asked me to pay in the range of $100. Does that sound right? According to the fees charged in my state, I calculate it shouldn't cost more than about $20-$25 tops (including postal fees).

As a side note, it doesn't say in the requirements that university degrees need to be validated by the US Dept. of State. As far as I'm aware, a certified/notarized copy can be sent directly to the Saudi cultural mission for authentication. It says validation by the USDoS is only an additional requirement for training/technical diplomas (like a TEFL cert., I imagine).

Can anyone verify this stuff? Thanks!

[The Lathe of Heaven]

Hi guys & gals,

I am going through the same thing here in Canada. I took my originals to my lawyer and he photocopied them and then put his notary seal on them ($20 CAN each) then told me to go to the Ministry of Government Services, official documents department and have them authenticated ($16 CAN each). Now I have one more place to go to and that's the capital, Ottawa, to get these copies authenticated one more time by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ($??? CAN each).

The people in the provincial office said if I go there directly it will get done in the same day, otherwise you will wait two weeks to have it done by mail.

The final step will be to hand it in with my visa application to the Saudi Embassy and cross my fingers and toes.

I am not handing in the originals because after all these authentications and seals they are as good as the originals.

TLOH

[Chthon]

Like a_ibrahim said, there are professional businesses that will handle all of this for you. Not only get you the visa but everything leading up to that, including getting things notarized and stamped by the Cultural Mission.

It may not be cheap, but it is work-related and your employer should be willing to reimburse you.

[gungediana]

How much would it cost roughly to pay someone else to help you with the visa documents?

[ThaneKerner]

If you're outside the USA, can you get this done at a US embassy?

[johnslat]

Dear ThaneKerner,
If you can get ANYTHING done at a U.S. embassy anywhere, you're a much better man than I.
They wouldn't even mail in our absentee ballots in Riyadh, nor would they issue gas masks in '90/'91 until enough people called their representatives in Washington to complain. They were the VERY LAST embassy to issue them.
Regards,
John

[a_ibrahim]

The US Embassy and US Consulate are mere decorations here in the kingdom. They will notarize/authenticate something which has been authenticated by the State Department already. I tried with no success to have something notarized, not authenticated, and it was met with nothing but a nasty attitude. I repeatedly said that I wasn't looking to have the document authenticated but it was a waste of time and energy. This is proof that an unwillingness to work is not limited to Saudi Arabia and Saudis.

[veiledsentiments]

[ThaneKerner]

I've heard this is the case in places.

I guess you send your documents off and have them notorized back in your home country. To that, you may have to give someone you trust power of attorney so he or she can do it for you. I wish I were a notary public. I could make some money overseas notarizing this, that, and everything left.

[ThaneKerner]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]