Appointment Information
Consular officials at any U.S. embassy or consulate abroad can provide a service similar to the functions of a notary public in the United States. Like a notary public in the U.S., the consular official must require the personal appearance of the person requesting the notarial service; establish the identity of the person requesting the service; establish that the person understands the nature, language, and consequences of the document to be notarized; and establish that the person is not acting under duress.
All notary services at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and Consulates General in Jeddah and Dhahran are by appointment only.
Make an appointment at the Embassy in Riyadh, Consulate General in Jeddah, or Consulate General Dhahran:
Due to the demand for notarial services, we cannot offer expedited appointments except in cases of emergencies. The Department of State defines an emergency as a situation involving the life or death of an American citizen. If you have an emergency situation, please first make an appointment at the post of your choosing and then send an email to the Embassy or Consulate you made the appointment with describing the nature of the emergency and the service you require. If your request is approved you will receive a response with your expedited appointment date and time.
Prior to booking a notarial appointment, have you determined whether or not remote online notarization is possible? Please refer to this site for additional information on how to get documents remotely notarized: https://www.nationalnotary.org/notary-bulletin/blog/2020/03/states-emergency-action-remote-notarization
Notarial services may be refused under the following conditions:
- it is prohibited by treaty or foreign law; it is prohibited by U.S. law;
- the notarizing officer believes the document will be used for a purpose patently unlawful, improper or inimical to the best interests of the United States;
- the document is blank;
- the individual does not appear to be capable of understanding the nature or language of the instrument;
- the individual is unable to comprehend the significance of the act and/or is acting under duress;
- the document is incorrect;
- the individual has invalid, inadequate or insufficient proof of identification;
- the proof of a corporate title or position is lacking or inadequate;
- and/or the service is a medallion signature guarantee.
(Only financial institutions can provide a signature guarantee/medallion guarantee service.)
Please read the information below before making your appointment.
Service Basics
Appointments must be made via the online appointment system; customers without an appointment will not be accommodated. Individuals needing notary services must appear in person at their scheduled appointment time, present proper photo identification (a valid passport or valid government issued identification – must be in English) and pay the appropriate fees.
If the document requires witnesses in addition to the notary, please note that you must bring your own witnesses to the Embassy or Consulate. Please notify us if you have additional person(s) accompanying you, and also send us full details of the identification that the witnesses will use to access the Consulates General or Embassy. Due to space limitations, people not required to sign documents during the notary service will not be able to accompany the applicant into the Embassy or Consulate and should not come to the Embassy or Consulate.
Prior to your appointment, you should review your documents to understand what is needed. Consular officers cannot provide legal advice and may not be familiar with your particular legal document. If you have questions or do not understand the document(s), please direct your questions to an attorney or the agency/individual which issued the document.
Do not sign the document until requested to do so by the officer. Depending on the nature of the document, the officer will either administer an oath that your signature was done freely and with an understanding of the document’s contents, or administer an oath whereby you swear or affirm the contents of a document are true. (Note: officers do not certify that the contents of submitted documents are true. An officer only certifies that you have signed and sworn or affirmed under oath that the contents are true.)
Consular officials are prohibited from offering legal advice regarding the form or content of documents to be notarized. The consular section staff cannot complete the form or statement for you. You should clearly understand the document and the requirements set by your financial institution, government agency, or attorney. We reserve the right to ask you to return at a later date/time if your documents are not prepared for notary service.