APOSTILLE AND
LEGALISATION

An apostille is an internationally-recognised certificate, attached to the back of a notarised or official public document, used to authenticate documents for use abroad.

In the UK, an apostille is an official certificate issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). It is attached to your document to verify that the signature, stamp, or seal on it is genuine. This allows the document to be recognised as legal and valid in other countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

Legalisation is the overall process of authenticating a UK document so that it will be accepted by authorities in another country. While “apostille” refers specifically to the FCDO certificate, “legalisation” is a broader term. For countries that are not part of the Hague Convention, legalisation may also involve a further step: “Consular” or “Embassy” legalisation, where the document is also stamped by the embassy of the country where it will be used.

“Legalisation” is the umbrella term for making a document valid for use abroad. For many countries, this is just an apostille. For some countries, you may also need embassy or consular legalisation after the apostille.

Apostilles are accepted by all countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention. This includes over 120 countries, such as:

• Europe: All EU countries, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK.
• Americas: USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Chile.
• Other notable members: Australia, India, Japan, South Africa, and South Korea.

Note: If your destination country is not a member (e.g., UAE, or Qatar), you will likely require Embassy Legalisation.

If a document is not correctly legalised, it will likely be rejected by the foreign authority.
This can lead to:

• Delays: Significant setbacks in your legal, business, or personal matters (such as property sales or visa applications).
• Increased costs: You may have to pay for the document to be re-issued, re-notarised, and re-posted.
• Legal risks: In some cases, failing to provide legalised documents can result in the loss of legal rights, the expiration of deadlines, or the invalidation of contracts.

Choose the Express service (3-6 business days) if you have an urgent deadline, or our Standard (8-10 business days) or Economy service (20-25 business days) if time is less critical.

If your document needs to be notarised first, our Apostille & Notary package is the best choice to ensure all requirements are met. Contact us for a quote today.