Legalization, also called consular legalization, is a consular service requested by a natural person, a legal entity or an organization, to certify the authenticity of the last seal or signature affixed to a notarial act or other documents. The purpose of consular legalization is to ensure that notarial deeds issued in one country have due legal effect and can be acknowledged by the relevant authorities in another country with no question as to their authenticity. There are two consular legalization categories: civil affairs legalization and commercial affairs legalization.