22 June 2021

A brief guide to apostilles and the FCDO’s services

For countries which are a party to the Hague Convention, the notary’s certificate and seal will require legalisation by the UK government via the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

For countries which are party to the Hague Convention, the notary’s certificate and seal will require legalisation by the UK government via the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

In the UK, the FCDO are the only official body authorised to issue apostilles. Anyone can apply for a stamp, though the public are only able to do so via their postal service.

If you would like this turned around urgently, you will need to use an Apostille Service through an agent like Woodcock Notary Public who are registered to attend the FCDO in person for same-day processing.

What does ‘apostille’ mean?

An apostille is a certificate that essentially verifies that a notary’s signature and stamp is valid, and signifies to the country you want to go to that your documents are authenticate and can be accepted.

However, some countries still do not accept apostilles just by themselves; instead, they want your documents to go through embassy or consular legalisation.

Each country has its own legalisation requirements. The costs of legislation can also vary widely depending on whether an apostille is enough or whether full legalisation at the country’s embassy is also required.

For a full list of the member countries, please click here.

Which documents need an apostille?

Any documents issued in the UK, being presented overseas, will require an apostille stamp if being used for official purposes.

This could include:

Marriage Certificate Apostille
Birth Certificate Apostille
Leaving Certificate
Police Clearance
Registration Certificate
Power of Attorney
Bona-fide Certificate
Medical Certificate
Educational Documents.

Some document types must be legalised on the originals such as birth, marriage and death certificates. Other documents such as education documents can usually be processed on a certified copy made by a solicitor.

What is the process to get your documents legalised (apostilled)?

What is the process to get your documents legalised (apostilled)?

We guarantee the apostille on any UK document by our proven tracking and expert advice.

Our Process

Once a document has been notarised, it is usually necessary for the notary’s signature and seal to be certified as genuine by governmental authorities before it can be used overseas. This process is called legalisation.
We can offer you either a standard next day service or for the more urgent time sensitive requirements we can provide a same day service.
Upon completion by the FCDO, we can further process the documents if required via any Chamber of Commerce, Embassy or Consulate and either return the documents to you or we can forward them directly to the client on your behalf. Scanned copies and tracking numbers will be emailed.

How we can help you

Before your documents can be given an apostille, they will need to be notarised. Our Notary Public of England and Wales, Nathan Woodcock, can do this for you.

You can book your appointment to take place at one of our offices, or at another suitable time and place of your choosing.

After this, you can use our apostille services. We work closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, so we can manage the whole apostille process for you. You can either use our standard apostille service, or our fast-track service.

Get in touch with us today if you need assistance with apostilles.