Spanish word

legalizar

Pronunciation

IPA/leɣaliˈθaɾ/

Meaning

  • verblegalize

Example

Antes de viajar, recuerda legalizar tus documentos.

Before you travel, remember to legalize your documents.

Illustration for legalizar (legalize)

More examples

Decidieron legalizar la residencia para poder trabajar.

They decided to legalize residency so they could work.

Core concept

A notary stamping and signing a document.

Common phrases

  • legalizar documentos

    legalize documents

  • legalizar una empresa

    legalize a company

  • legalizar la residencia

    legalize residency

Similar words

validar: Confirms a document's validity and recognizes it for official use.
certificar: Issues a formal certificate attesting to a fact or a document's authenticity.
autorizar: Grants permission or authority for someone to perform a specific act.
registrar: Enters names or items into an official record to preserve them.

Definition in Spanish

Hacer que algo tenga fuerza jurídica mediante actos administrativos o notariales.

Word origin

The verb derives from Spanish legal (from Latin lex/leg 'law') plus the suffix -izar, which forms verbs meaning 'to cause to have', thus denoting conferring legal force.

Usage tips

  • English 'legalize' often means to change or permit by law, while Spanish legalizar most commonly means giving a document formal legal effect, as in legalizar documentos before travel.

Other meanings

  • authenticateverb

Opposites

  • prohibirprohibitverb
  • ilegalizarillegalizeverb

Related words

  • legalizaciónlegalizationnoun
  • legalizadolegalizedadjective
  • legalmentelegallyadverb

Word lists with this word