Tanzania Certificate Attestation
The Hague Apostille Convention does not apply to Tanzania which means foreign documents need formal verification before acceptance in the country. The Tanzanian authorities demand Certificate Attestation for all employment-related and educational needs, business and immigration activities, and legal procedures. Tanzania certificate attestation confirms that international documents retain their genuineness during abroad processes.
Types of Documents That Need Tanzania Certificate Attestation
1. Educational Documents
- Degree Certificates
- Diploma Certificates
- School/University Transcripts
- Training Certificates
2. Personal Documents
- Birth Certificates
- Marriage Certificates
- Death Certificates
- Divorce Certificates
- Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
- Medical Certificates
3. Commercial Documents
- Power of Attorney
- Business Agreements
- Company Registration Documents
- Export and Trade Invoices
Reasons for Obtaining Tanzania Certificate Attestation
- Employment in Tanzania: Work permits require educational and experience certificates duly attested by the appropriate authorities.
- Higher Education: Foreign students must have their degrees and transcripts authenticated for university admissions in Tanzania.
- Business Setup & Trade: Companies must legalize commercial documents for lawful business operations in Tanzania.
- Family Visa & Immigration: Personal records must be attested for marriage, birth, or dependent visa processing.
- Legal & Government Procedures: Legal documents such as power of attorney and affidavits must be officially attested for use in Tanzania.
Tanzania Certificate Attestation Process
- Notary Attestation: Initial notary authentication is required for documents such as affidavits and declarations.
- State-Level Attestation:
- Educational documents are verified by the HRD or SDM of the issuing state.
- Personal documents are verified by the Home Department of the respective state.
- Commercial documents are verified by the Chamber of Commerce.
- Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Attestation: MEA adds its official stamp as part of document authentication.
- Tanzania Embassy Attestation: Documents are submitted to the Tanzanian Embassy in the home country for further verification.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Attestation in Tanzania: Final legalization step is performed by MOFA in Tanzania.
The Tanzania certificate attestation process takes approximately seven to twenty working days, depending on the document type and the urgency of the request. The fees vary based on the number of documents and the service provider.
Since Tanzania is not a member of the Apostille Convention, document attestation is a mandatory multi-step process. It involves local and central authorities in the home country as well as Tanzanian authorities to ensure legal recognition. Completing proper Tanzania certificate attestation simplifies visa applications, employment approvals, and business documentation formalities.
