2 June 2021

How do I attest my degree certificate for use overseas?

Many students from the UK apply for jobs overseas, or want to further their studies abroad. To do so, they need to authenticate their UK educational documents, which validates them for use in the country in which they wish to work or study.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

By Leticia Vorrath, Legal Intern

Degree attestation is a key part of being able to use your educational certificates abroad. As a result, it is important to know what it is and how you do it.

Attestation is the process of authenticating a document from one country, so that the country that you wish to use your qualification in will accept your certificate as genuine. Degree attestation then, is simply the authentication of your degree.

Authentication of a UK degree certificate ensures that the education certificate is recognised outside of the UK. Employers and educational institutions want to know that your qualifications are from a genuine UK institution and are reliable. This is also usually required for visa applications.

Our notary public will examine your degree and confirm with our seal that it is genuine. We will then send it to our legalisation service to process your document(s) and ensure that they will be accepted for use overseas.

Examples of certificates that can be authenticated

Commonly authenticated educational documents include GCSE certificates A-level certificates, degree certificates, postgraduate diploma certificates, masters’ certificates, other diploma certificates, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificates.

The transcripts of your results that you were given alongside your certificates can also be notarised.

All educational documents should be able to be attested, but if you are unsure and want any advice, then do not hesitate to get in touch with us for assistance.

Apostilles and legalisation

Your educational documents must be notarised and then apostilled at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in London. In most cases, this will be enough to prove its authenticity. 125 countries around the world accept apostilles, as they are signatories of the Apostille Convention.

However, some countries, such as the United Arab Emirates do not just accept apostilles. In this case, you will need the document to be recognised at the embassy of the country you wish to use it in. Then, the certificate may be sent to the country itself to be attested a final time before you can then use it there.

We can assist you with both the processes of legalisation, and getting an apostille.

For more information, visit our webpage on the apostille and legalisation processes, and read our guide to apostilles

What is the process of degree attestation?

A Notary Public has three steps to carry out as part of degree attestation.

Verification:

The notary public will contact the records department of your university to confirm that they issued the document.

You will need to sign a consent letter allowing our notaries to access your information saved on the university records. Then, you will need to ask the university office to release your information to a third party. The notary is the third party in this case. This is in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

Notarisation:

The notary will then draft a notarial certificate confirming the authenticity of the original degree certificate. Once the original certificate is notarised, then the notarial certificate will need to be attached to the original copy of the document.

Your document will also be given a stamp by the notary.

Legalisation:

The final part of degree attestation is legalisation. As previously mentioned, legalisation may vary depending on the requirements of the destination country. The FCDO will need to legalise documents for countries that are party to the Hague Convention of 1961, such as India or China.

The FCDO will attach an apostille, which is a certificate affixed to the document with the notary’s certificate and seal.

However, countries that are not party to the Hague Convention, such as the UAE, have a different process. The documents need to be legalised at the relevant Embassy in London, as well as at the FCDO, and sometimes the documents will be sent to the country itself to be attested.

Contact us

Need advice on degree attestation and how to use your certificate overseas? Get in touch with us today. We can assist you with the entire process of attesting your degree, whether that be getting it notarised, or legalised.

You can contact us by email through info@woodcocknotarypublic.com, use our contact form, or contact us by phone at (0)330 133 6480.