Official and legal documents issued by government offices, institutions and organizations in one country or state must undergo the authentication (a.k.a. “attestation”) process of that country for these documents to be accepted as legal and valid in another country or state.
The final authenticating power in a country or state is its Foreign or External Affairs agency. In the Philippines, it is the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). In Oman, it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
The Philippine Embassy does NOT authenticate or certify any document issued by any government office, or private or commercial institutions, establishments and organizations in the Philippines or Oman, with one exception.
The Philippine Embassy in Oman can only counter-authenticate Authentication Certificates issued by the DFA until mid-2019, when the accession of the Philippines to the Apostille Convention became effective.
- Documents issued in the Philippines for use in Oman
- Original document duly authenticated (not apostilled) by DFA.
- Fee: R.O. 10 (cash only)
APOSTILLE
Apostille is a type of authentication that allows documents to be accepted as legal and valid in other countries that are signatories to the Apostille Convention. An apostilled document in one signatory state does not need to be authenticated by the Embassy or Consulate of that state or the Foreign Ministry of another signatory state.
Both the Philippines and Oman are signatories to the Apostille Convention. The list of other signatory countries can be found here: https://dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/statements-and-advisoriesupdate/22114-public-advisory-apostille-convention-on-authentication-of-documents-takes-effect-in-ph-on-14-may-2019%20.
Philippine Apostille
Philippine-issued documents apostilled by the DFA are legal and valid for use in Oman, as well as in other countries that are signatories to the Apostille Convention. The Embassy will NOT put any stamp on the apostille certificate or the apostilled documents, and will also not issue any certification stating the validity of the apostille certificate and attached documents.
- A genuine Philippine apostille certificate may be verified through this link: https://co.dfaapostille.ph/verify/. The QR code on the apostille certificate may also be scanned by a QR reader on a mobile phone to go to the same link.
NOTE:
The receiving office or institution in Oman may require the documents, including the apostille certificate, to be translated to Arabic. In such case, the applicant must have the documents translated by a licensed translator in Oman. If the translation is required to be attested, the agency responsible for attesting the Arabic translation is the branch of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) with jurisdiction over where the translation office is located.
Oman Apostille
In a similar manner, Oman-issued documents apostilled by MOFA are legal and valid for use in the Philippines, as well as in other countries that are signatories to the Apostille Convention. They are also required for some consular services provided by the Philippine Embassy in Oman.
- For locations of the Authentication Offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please visit https://fm.gov.om/attestation-of-documents.
- To see a sample of the Oman Apostille stamp, please visit https://consular.dfa.gov.ph/images/Authentication/Sample_Foreign_Apostilles/Oman.pdf
NOTE:
If the apostilled documents will be used in the Philippines, they must be translated to English. The Embassy advises that the applicant have the translation to English done in Oman, attested by the appropriate branch of the OCCI, and apostilled by the MOFA together with the original documents in Arabic.
