Legalisation & Apostilles
Questions & Clarifications
What is an apostille?
An apostille is an official certificate issued by the UK government’s FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office). Apostilles can be attached to important documents issued by the UK to prove their authenticity. Documents that are legalised with an apostille are accepted abroad (in all countries signatory to the Hague Convention).
Where is an apostille needed?
Apostilles can be required for personal, academic or professional purposes where countries or organisations outside the UK require authenticated documents.
What kinds of documents can receive an apostille?
Documents that can be legalised include:
- Birth, marriage, and death certificates
- Business documents (e.g. company certificates, tax registration confirmations)
- Educational certificates issued by registered UK bodies and verified by a notary public
- Legal documents verified by a notary public (e.g. powers of attorney, contracts)
- Copies of passport, driving licence, etc., verified by a notary public
Please confirm with us and we will be able to inform you if your required documents can be legalised.
Do documents need to be notarised before receiving an apostille?
Certain documents do need to be signed by a notary public in order to be eligible for legalisation (i.e. receiving an apostille)
What is the role of a notary public in obtaining an apostille?
Notarisation is a necessary intermediate step to obtaining apostilles for certain documents. A notary public is required to attest the validity of the signatures on these documents.
A notary public can also ensure that the correct documents are presented, no documentation is missing, and everything is in order. Otherwise, there is a chance of the apostille request being rejected by the FCDO.
To streamline the process of obtaining an apostille, our notarial services include the verification (notarisation) of any documents that require it, as well as liasing with the FCDO to obtain the apostilles for all concerned documents.
What is the difference between a paper apostille and an e-apostille?
An electronic apostille (e-apostille) is an electronically verified certificate that will be attached to a digital PDF version of your document that is electronically signed by a notary public. A paper apostille is a physical certificate that will be attached to your document. Both paper apostilles and e-apostilles are issued by the FCDO.
e-apostilles are not issued for certain types of documents. In addition, e-apostilles might not be accepted by the person or organisation that requires legalised documents from you. Please confirm what kind of apostille is required before beginning the legalisation process.
The Legalisation Process
Please contact us regarding the nature of your requirement at gs@notarypublicgs.co.uk, 077 8871 6525, or using the Contact form.
We can provide extensive information on the proper documents required, the steps you need to take, and the time and costs associated with the process.
Contact
Please contact us to set up an appointment for the notarial services you require.
- gs@notarypublicgs.co.uk
- 077 8871 6525
London Office
32 Dover Street, London W1S 4NE
By appointment only less than a 5-minute walk from Green Park Underground station
Ideally placed to be accessible from Mayfair, Soho, St James, and surrounding areas
Woodford Green Office
44 Chiltern Way, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 0RQ
By appointment only in the evenings, weekends or outside of normal working hours