1 November 2024

Notary services for studying abroad

If you are a student interested in studying abroad, then you will need to get your important documents notarised and legalised. Keep reading to find out more.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Making the choice to either go to university or return to education is a big step, with it being a key way for many people to have a secure future. Studying abroad is an even bigger step, as not only do you have the worries of starting a new course, but you also have to make preparations to move to a completely different country.

To even be able to go study abroad, you will first need to get your important documents notarised. These documents can vary from your personal ID documents, to ones that prove, for example, you have achieved results in other academic studies which show you are capable of beginning your new course abroad.

Luckily, we are here to make some of the steps easier for you. We can notarise your documents for you, and even get them legalised. Read on to find out about our notary services for studying abroad, as well as the other ways in which we can help you.

Notary services for studying abroad

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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.

As we have previously mentioned, before you can begin studying abroad, you will first need to get your important documents notarised by a Notary Public.

Examples of documents that will require notarisation include:

Academic transcripts, such as for past degrees or other studies
Degree certificates
Driving licence
Enrolment letter
Passport
Professional qualifications
Statutory declarations (if required)

There could be many other documents that are related to either your move to a new country, or to your studies specifically, that you may need to get notarised as well. It is a good idea to check what you need to take with you before you plan on getting anything notarised.

We offer expert notarisation services, so you do not need to look any further if you need to get any documents notarised so you can study abroad. Contact us if you are interested in learning more.

Legalising documents to study abroad

Once your documents have been notarised, they will then need to undergo legalisation. There are two main ways of getting your documents legalised, with the process you need to go through depending on what country you plan on going to.

Legalisation essentially proves that the seal and signature of the notary is legitimate, and gives your document equal legal weight to documents in your destination country.

Visit our apostille and legalisation packages page to choose what service is best for you.

Apostilles

Most countries accept the apostille, which is a certificate used to legalise documents. It was created as a faster way of legalising documents, and a majority of countries use it. To see what countries currently accept apostilles, please read our blog on who accepts apostilles.

To get an apostille in the UK to study abroad, your documents will need to be sent to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). We have a working relationship with the FCDO, and so, we can manage the apostille application process for you.

Embassy and consulate legalisation

The other way of legalising documents is through embassy and consulate legalisation. This is a longer process, and countries such as the UAE use it. As it is not a globally standardised process, each country will differ with what they do. For example, the UAE uses apostilles as part of their embassy legalisation process.

So that you spend less time doing it yourself and have less stress, we can also manage the embassy legalisation process for you.

Getting a visa to study abroad

One of the most important things when it comes to studying abroad is making sure that you apply for the correct visa.

Depending on what country you are going to study in, we may be able to assist you with your visa application. For example, we can assist you with applications for Spain or Cyprus.

Our sister company, Spanish Visa Specialists, is a trading name of Woodcock Notary Public. There, you will find all the advice you need to apply for a Spanish Study Visa.

How to contact us and book an appointment

To book an appointment to get your documents notarised, you can either contact us by phone, email, or our website chatbot. Then, you can discuss your needs with a member of our team. Once you have spoken to a member of our team, you can then book an appointment with our expert Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock.

For your appointment, you can choose to have it in one of our offices in London, Manchester or Sheffield. Alternatively, you can make use of our convenient mobile notary service to have your appointment at an appropriate time and place that suits you.