What is an Apostille?

An Apostille is a form of certification by the UK Government  (Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office) confirming the validity of a Public Official's signature or seal.



The term "legalisation" is sometimes used interchangeably with the work apostille but it can also refer to the additional process whereby the validity of an Apostille is certified by the diplomatic or consular representative of the jurisdiction where the Notarial Act is to be used. 



Do my documents require an Apostille or Legalisation?

The requirements depend on the country your documents are being sent to. When you contact us for a quote we will ask where your documents are going so that we can inform you of the official requirements for that jurisdiction.

Some countries are satisfied with a notarisation (eg Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand). However, a number of countries require an apostille stamp on international documents for them to be used within their jurisdiction (eg Spain, Italy and Bulgaria)

Some places, such as India, the USA and Canada can ask for an apostille but do not always require one.

Countries that require consular legalisation in addition to the apostille include UAE, Vietnam, and Qatar.

The Apostille and Legalisation Process

If your recipient only requires notarisation then you will usually be abe to take the documents away with you after your appointment.

If an apostille/ legalisation is required then the document will need to be sent the the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office for apostille.

If consular legalisation is required then the document will go to the relevant embassy after apostille.

You should be aware that certain embassies have very particular requirements about what their will accept and you may be required to complete an authorisation form to enable our legalisation agent to obtain the legalisation stamps on your documents.

You do not need a notary to arrange the apostille and legalisation but we are happy to arrange everything for you if you wish. In some cases we outsource to legalisation agents either for speed or because certain embassies require personal attendance.

Direct Apostilles

This is how we describe apostilles done directly onto the document without the need for notarisation. The main examples are GRO documents such as birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates and certificates of no impediments, ACRO police checks and certain Companies’ House certificates.

In these instances the apostille is certifying the signatory on the document, eg the Companies House / GRO Registrar or the ACRO official.

In the vast majority of cases this is not a problem and most will go through without problem. However, if the “Official” who signed your document is not registered with the Apostille Office at the FCDO then the document will be rejected.

This is most common where a marriage certificate was signed by a priest or was issued a number of years ago.

Where a document is rejected you should contact the Official or the person who issued you with the document and ask them to get their signature registered at the FCDO. They would do this by contacting the FCDO at LegalisationVerify@fcdo.gov.uk . They will need to provide a sample of their signature, and confirmation of their position and tenure.

If a GRO certificate is rejected then you might choose to obtain an additional certificate from the Registry Office. A recently issued certificate is very likely to be signed by someone already registered with the FCDO.

At the time of writing Liverpool registry office will replace a certificate like for like with a certificate signed by an FCDO registered Registrar they ask that you send your rejected certificate in with a cover letter explaining what you want and they will exchange like for like.

Where we arrange direct apostilles are charges are the same as for apostilles on notarised documents. Please be aware that we will not complete the above steps in case of rejection and that if documents are rejected there may be additional resubmission  / post charges.

How much will it cost?

Apostilles

The cost depends on your needs, both in terms of speed and destination.

For apostilles we presently offer three speed options:- standard, next day, and same day (express). Standard speed varies. Please contact us for details of the current standard speeds. Timings do not include post / courier times and no timings are guaranteed.

As a guide (all in £GBP)

[January 2024 figures]

Standard / Next Day

1 doc   75               110               

2          120              155

3          170              200               

Extras +50             +60           

We can arrange to have your documents couriered internationally after apostille if required. The price depends on the service used. Additional charges may apply for particularly large bundles of documents

  Standard / Next day

EU         25                35                 

World   35                45                 

E-Apostilles

E-apostilles are £15 more than standard apostilles (but no additional courier charges will apply). If you are considering e-apostilles we suggest having a look here for more information.

At the moment e-apostilles are quite fast and are usually processed same or next day. As will all methods, we cannot guarantee timings.

Consular legalisation

charges depend on the destination country. Please contact us if you require pricing for a particular country.