29 May 2026

Importance of the Certificate of Free Sale and notary services

Does your business make and export products? Then you should know about how important the Certificate of Free Sale is for your business to operate overseas, as well as why you will need the help of a notary such as ourselves.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

What is the Certificate of Free Sale?

At its core, the Certificate of Free Sale is an important document that proves your products meet the requirements of UK regulations and can be freely sold without restrictions.

They are used for goods made in certain industries, particularly those that are made for human consumption or medical use, such as:

Cosmetics
Drinks
Food
Medicine
Medical equipment
Other biologic goods

You will usually be informed if you need to apply for a Certificate of Free Sale to export your goods.

Need a

Notary Public?

We can then book your appointment at one of our convenient offices in London, Manchester or Sheffield, or you can take advantage of our mobile notary service at a time and place that suits you.

Which countries require a Certificate of Free Sale?

Not all countries will require a Certificate of Free Sale for you to export your goods to them, which can be a result of the UK’s trade deals with other countries. Existing trade deals can also impact specific industries, as they may make it so you do not need a certificate for, say, exporting cosmetics to certain countries.

For example, due to the UK acceding to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the following countries no longer need a Certificate of Free Sale for British companies to distribute, market or sell cosmetic products:

Australia
Brunei
Chile
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Peru
Singapore
Vietnam

Canada and Mexico are also a part of the trade agreement, but have yet to ratify the UK’s accession. Once they have, the list will be updated with both countries.

Any country not mentioned will likely require a Certificate of Free Sale for any aforementioned industry.

How do I get a Certificate of Free Sale?

As the Certificate of Free Sale is an official government document, you must apply for one through a governmental organisation.

The body from whom you request a Certificate of Free Sale will vary depending on what sector you operate in and what goods you wish to export. In addition, each organisation will require you to fill out different types of applications to get a certificate.

For example, if you plan on exporting medicine, you will need to apply for a certificate from the Department of Health and Social Care.

A full list of bodies for each sector and goods is as follows:

Biocides – Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Food, drinks and supplements – Rural Payments Agency (RPA)
Medicine – Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
Medical equipment – Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHPRA)
Pesticides – HSE for agricultural goods: asg@hse.gov.uk and HSE for non-agricultural goods: biocidesenquiries@hse.gov.uk
Veterinary medicine and other goods for animals – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Steps for your Certificate of Free Sale application can be found on all of the above links, as well as the email addresses for pesticide products.

Getting a notarised Certificate of Free Sale

It is crucial that you get your certificate notarised if you plan to use it abroad; this is a service that can only be carried out by a registered Notary Public, which is done to ensure that your document is legitimate.

As a Notary Public firm ourselves, we can assist you with every step of the notary process and get you on your way to carrying out business overseas.

Our process is quick, efficient and tailored to the needs of your business, right down to the location that your appointment takes place at. This means that you can either come to one of our conveniently located offices, or our notary can visit your company’s premises through our mobile notary service.

During your appointment, our notary will go through a few steps:

Check your ID and proof of address to confirm your identity
Make a copy of your Certificate of Free Sale
Witness you signing the copy of the certificate if necessary
Provide the copy with their stamp, seal and signature

Once this quick and simple process has been completed, you will then need to get your document legalised, which we can help you with too.

Legalising a Certificate of Free Sale

Along with notarisation, legalisation is a requirement for you to be able to use your Certificate of Free Sale in another country.

Whilst notarisation verifies a document is real, legalisation verifies that a notary’s details are real according to records kept by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO are also the ones through whom legalisation is carried out in the UK, and who we work closely with to get your documents ready.

Depending on where you plan on going, you will need to use different forms of legalisation.

Apostilles

The most common form of legalisation is the apostille, which is accepted by a majority of countries. It was originally introduced by the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention to be a quicker form of legalisation for signatory countries. Since then, more countries have become signatories.

Basically, an apostille is a certificate that is attached to a document as proof it has been legalised. We offer several packages for apostilles that fit different needs.

Embassy or consulate legalisation

For countries that do not accept apostilles, your Certificate of Free Sale will need to go through the lengthier embassy or consulate legalisation process. As it is a stressful and time-consuming process, we can manage it all for you.

It should be noted that countries using embassy or consulate legalisation will have their own specific steps, as there is no set version of this form of legalisation.

Contact us for our helpful notary services

Now you know all about the Certificate of Free Sale and our important services, you can start thinking about booking a notary appointment with us.

To do so, you can get in touch by phone, email, website chatbox, or contact form. Then, you will be able to discuss your needs with a helpful member of our team.

We have offices in London, Manchester and Sheffield with great travel links, at which you can have your appointment. However, you can also make use of our aforementioned mobile notary service, which is perfect for those who cannot travel to us.

Still unsure about contacting us? Then visit our Trustpilot profile, read reviews and see all the ways in which we have helped many happy clients in the past.