Document authentication
Have a Sierra Leonean document authenticated for use abroad, with a QR stamp anyone can check.
Authentication of Sierra Leonean documents for use abroad, and of foreign documents for use in Sierra Leone.
At a glance
- Issued by
- The Sierra Leone mission that serves the country you live in.
- Processing time
- Most documents are authenticated within 10 working days of receipt of the originals and payment.
- Originals and visits
- Send or bring the original of each document to the mission.
- How you get it
- Collect it from the mission, or have it posted to you in a prepaid envelope you send.
- When you pay
- When you apply.
Who can apply
Anyone, of any nationality, and organisations, who need a Sierra Leonean document authenticated for use abroad, or a document issued in a country the mission covers authenticated for use in Sierra Leone.
People of any nationality and organisations can apply. Someone else can apply for you.
What you need
To send, bring or do
- Original documentSend or bring the original of each document to the mission.
Also upload, if you have them
- Applicant identification
Sending documents
Send or bring every original document. Documents issued outside Sierra Leone must first be notarised and, where the issuing country requires it, apostilled or legalised. Originals are returned in person or by prepaid mail.
You will say where each document was issued and where it will be used. Documents issued abroad need the steps marked “Needed for documents issued abroad” first.
How it works
- Apply online, listing each document to authenticate.
- Send or bring the original documents to the mission.
- Pay the fee for each document and submit your receipt details.
- The mission checks each document's signature and seal against the specimens on file.
- Your application receives one QR stamp, covering all its documents, that anyone can verify online.
Fees and how to pay
You pay the mission when you apply, then send your receipt details with the application or from the tracking page.
The ways to pay depend on the mission. Choose the country where you live to see them.
What the form asks
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