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Notarials
Notarial services are available for all nationalities by appointment

Notice

To schedule an appointment, please see our online Consular Calendar.

Overview

Hand signing documentNotarial services are for all nationalities and are by appointment only. Normally the document to be notarized is for use within the United States, although there may be exceptions. If you have multiple documents to be notarized, you should only make one appointment. You will pay $50 USD, at the Embassy or Consulate on your day of appointment, for each notary seal required.

On the day of your appointment, you must:

  • Bring the complete, unsigned documents to be notarized. Even if there are pages that do not require signature or seals, you must present the entire packet.
  • Present a valid government-issued ID such as a passport or driver’s license. The name on the documents must be the same as the name on your ID.
  • Pay $50 USD per notary seal.
  • Be of sound mind and understand the document you want notarized. Consular staff is not permitted to explain contents to you.
  • If your notary service requires a witness, you must arrange for your own witnesses. Consular staff cannot witness your documents.

Examples of Notarial Services Performed At No Charge

DS-3053: To notarize a DS-3053 Statement of Consent: Issuance of a U.S. Passport To a Minor Under Age 16 (PDF, 345K), please review the instructions listed on the form, the information fields that must be completed, and bring your original, valid, government-issued photo ID as well as a photocopy of both sides. As the U.S. Department of State requires that this form be notarized, this service is performed free of charge.

Scales, Seal, Pen

Power of Attorney (in conjunction with U.S. passport applications): When both parents are unable to be personally present to apply for a minor’s U.S. passport, and they wish to designate a third party to do so, they may sign a power of attorney (POA) before a notary public. This POA must contain specific data fields; see a sample.  Note that photocopies of both sides of each parents’ original, valid, government-issued photo ID must be included with the POA. As the U.S. Department of State requires that this form be notarized, this service is performed free of charge.

At the Direct Request of a U.S. Municipal, State or Federal Entity

At the Direct Request of a Foreign Government

What we can and cannot assist with:

Specifically, we can assist with the following documents:

  • Affidavits (including, but not limited to, affidavits of Freedom to Marry if you plan to marry in Albania, and Residency Permit if you plan to reside in Albania);
  • Parental Consent (Form DS-3053) – This is used to provide parental consent if one parent is not physically present to sign the passport application for a minor under the age of 16 – This is a No Fee Service;
  • Sworn Statements;
  • Foreign passport copy certification for the issuance of a Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for U.S. tax related purposes only.

We cannot provide the following services:

  • Notarize, legalize or authenticate Albanian or U.S. State-issued documents;
  • Provide an Apostille (more information on our webpage here);
  • Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support), which no longer requires notarization;
  • Certified copies (“true copies”) of original documents (except for some SSA related services and Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) applications for U.S. tax related purposes).
  • True copies of academic credentials, college transcripts or diplomas.

Questions? Send us a detailed email at ACSTirana@state.gov with a clear subject line.