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HomeEvidence CodeDiv. 11Ch. 1Art. 3§ 1454 Foreign Signature Certification

§ 1454 Foreign Signature Certification

Evidence Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 1454 Foreign Signature Certification

Key Takeaways

  • •If a document has a signature from a government official of a country the U.S. recognizes, it’s usually considered real and official.
  • •The document must come with a final statement from a U.S. official (like someone from an embassy) saying the signature is real.
  • •This final statement must be sealed by the U.S. official’s office to count.

Example

You get a birth certificate from another country and need to use it in the U.S.

If the birth certificate has a signature from a government official in that country and a U.S. embassy worker signs and seals a paper saying the signature is real, then the U.S. will accept it as a real document.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 1454 Foreign Signature Certification

A signature is presumed to be genuine and authorized if it purports to be the signature, affixed in his official capacity, of an officer, or deputy of an officer, of a nation or public entity in a nation recognized by the executive power of the United States and the writing to which the signature is affixed is accompanied by a final statement certifying the genuineness of the signature and the official position of (a) the person who executed the writing or (b) any foreign official who has certified either the genuineness of the signature and official position of the person executing the writing or the genuineness of the signature and official position of another foreign official who has executed a similar cetificate in a chain of such certificates beginning with a certificate of the genuineness of the signature and official position of the person executing the writing. The final statement may be made only by a secretary of an embassy or legation, consul general, consul, vice consul, consular agent, or other officer in the foreign service of the United States stationed in the nation, authenticated by the seal of his office. (Enacted by Stats. 1965, Ch. 299.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

signaturegenuine and authorizedfinal statementforeign service of the United Statesseal of his office

Related Statutes

  • § 1453 Public Signature Presumption
  • § 1450 Evidence Burden Presumptions
  • § 1451 Acknowledgment Certificate Evidence
  • § 1452 Presumed Genuine Seals
  • § 870 Witness Testimony On Sanity

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Evidence Code. Section 1454.
View Official Source