Skip links
Instant Quote
Instant Quote

What is Document Legalisation?

Legalisation is the process of attaching an apostille certificate to a document issued in the UK. This confirms the original ink signature of the UK public official, Solicitor Certification or Notary Public, and/or the original embossed seal/ink stamp of a UK public office, on the document is genuine.

The UK document legalisation service at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the sole government entity responsible for issuing a UK apostille, in turn having your document legalised. For other countries it will vary, depending on their rules and regulations.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was previously called Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The merger was announced by the Prime Minister of the UK Government in 2020, announcing the FCO and Department for International Development (DFID) to be one.

It is often a requirement by foreign authorities that documents are legalised before they can be used for official purposes in their country. Legalisation does not certify the authenticity of a document or give FCDO approval of its content.

The legalisation office is the only competent authority in the UK to provide an apostille service according to the requirements of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, and to deliver a legalisation service to those countries not party to the Hague Convention.

  • In order for us to submit a document for attestation purposes, we will require the whole document. This includes all pages and ensuring the page bears the signature/certification. If the document has page numbers, and some pages are missing, before rejecting the document as incomplete, check to see if the text/sections of the pages are continuous. If they are, it could be that the missing pages are blank or are just guidance notes etc. and are therefore not required.
  • If the FCDO receives a document which bears an embossed or ink seal which is borderline illegible, the processing officer will use their individual judgement to determine if there is enough of the seal present for it to be verified against the image they hold. If the seal cannot be verified, the document will be rejected.
  • If a document refers to annexed/attached/enclosed documents, then the referenced documents must be included.
  • If the document received already has an apostille attached to it, which has previously been issued by this office, but you now require a more up to date apostille, they can attach another apostille to the document. The old apostille should not be removed.
  • Documents that include photocopies of apostilles previously issued by the office can only be legalised, if the photocopy does not contain a reproduction of the signature or seal/stamp, and we can see no clear evidence of tampering or alterations. If the photocopied apostille has been issued overseas, the signature or seal/stamp can be reproduced as the FCDO has no knowledge of overseas copyright rules.
  • If a document for legalisation has an overseas original apostille attached, they can only issue an apostille, if the date of the additional action carried out in the UK is after the date on the overseas apostille
  • An apostille cannot be attached to a laminated document. However, the FCDO can however legalise a notarial/solicitor cover sheet securely attached to a laminated document.
  • The majority of UK public documents will be signed by a government official. This may also include a seal or stamp from the relevant authorities.
  • Documents must be signed by an official within their rightful capacity, e.g. A doctor should only be signing a medical report and not an educational document.
    • If a document has two or more certifications e.g. A solicitor and a notary public signature, the FCDO will use the highest authority signed and the most recent.
  • Aspire Attestation provides service for all UK documents. Send your documents to us, and we will ensure the FCDO will recognise your document. The apostille is issued and is a form of legalisation. In order for another country privy to the Hague convention to recognise the apostille, it must be either the paper-based apostille or an e-apostille (digital apostille - only accepted in some countries)
  • Original – A physical document generated by the issuing authority and handed or posted to an individual. This is because the document will include features that can only be produced by the issuing authority e.g. an embossed seal, an embedded hologram, or printed on watermarked paper. The document may also bear an original wet ink signature or seal.
  • Photocopy (of an original)
  • Scan (of an original – printed from an email)
  • PDF/E Document – Received by the applicant via email directly from the issuing authority and printed, or downloaded by the applicant from the website of the issuing authority and printed. The document may contain an electronic/digital signature or seal. The source document is only held as an electronic image.
  • All printouts of PDF and E-documents which do not contain an original wet ink signature and/or an original wet ink or embossed seal of the issuing authority/document originator must be signed by a Solicitor or UK Notary Public
  • Some business documents can be certified by an official from the chamber of commerce.
    If the documents are presented under a cover sheet from a notary in England and Wales, the underlying documents must be securely bound to the cover sheet as follows:
    • Book bound
    • Metal rivets
    • Metal rivets with a legal corner
    • Metal rivets with ribbon/string
    • Ribbon/string with a notarial stamp or seal attached
    • Staple with the notarial seal over/under both sides of the staple
  •  

The following are not acceptable:

  • Staples with or without a legal corner
  • Paper clips
  • Ribbon/string through a hole punch

SELECT YOUR SERVICE

PUBLIC

Solicitor certification not required

  • ACRO Police Clearance
  • Adoption Certificates
  • Birth Certificates
  • Certificate of No Impediment (CNI)
  • Court Documents
  • Death/Coroner Certificates
  • Divorce Letters
  • HMRC Letters
  • Home Office Documents
  • Marriage Certificates
  • Medical Documents: Member of GMC
  • Pet Export document from DEFRA

PERSONAL

Solicitor certification included

  • AS and A Levels
  • Certificate/Award/Diploma
  • DBS - Criminal Records Check
  • Degrees: Associate, Bachelors, Masters & Doctoral
  • Experience Letter
  • Financial Report/Document
  • GCSEs, O-Levels, National 5s
  • Higher National Diploma/Certificates
  • International Baccalaureate
  • Medical Report/Document
  • Membership Certificate
  • Passport & Power of Attorney
  • PGCE & Teaching certificates

COMMERCIAL

Solicitor certification included

  • Articles of Association
  • Board Resolution
  • Certificate of Incorporation
  • Certificate of Good Standing
  • Certificate of Incumbency
  • Contracts, Reports, and Accounts
  • Guarantee Agreement
  • Memorandum of Association
  • Other Business Documents
  • Power of Attorney
  • Shareholder Agreement
  • Shareholder Register

Documents issued from UK Crown Dependencies and UK Overseas territories:
UK Crown Dependencies (Documents issued from UK Crown Dependencies and UK Overseas territories: UK Crown Dependencies (CD) includes Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey UK Overseas territories (OT) includes Anguilla, Bermuda​, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena and Dependencies, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands.

If your document is from one of the UK Crown Dependencies or British Overseas territories mentioned above, we will notarise your document by a UK Notary Public, which will incur an additional fee. The Hague Convention extends to Crown Dependencies (CD) and Overseas Territories (OT). Each CD or OT can issue their own apostilles. Documents with apostilles affixed from UK Crown Dependencies or Overseas Territories will still require a UK FCDO Apostille stamp to be accepted for embassy legalisation.

Same day service* - In order to proceed with the express service for the same day, documents must be at our office by 10:00. If documents are brought to us at a later time, you may have to wait until the following day to complete the full legalisation process. If you are still unsure of the legalisation process, you can email us at info@aspireattestation.com and a member of the team will be in contact to assist you.

what our
customers say

50,000+

Documents Processed

5/5
5/5

document legalisation simplified

SEND US YOUR DOCUMENTS

Documents can be dropped off at our office, posted or emailed over to us

SEND US YOUR DOCUMENTS

DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION

Your documents will be certified by a UK Solicitor/Notary Public. (Not all documents require certification. See List of documents)

DOCUMENT CERTIFICATION

APOSTILLE STAMP

Presented to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to obtain the Apostille stamp

APOSTILLE STAMP

EMBASSY SUBMISSION

If you require further embassy legalisation, your documents will be submitted to the relevant Embassy/Consulate or High Commission*

EMBASSY SUBMISSION

SCANS & DELIVERY

Documents will be scanned prior to dispatch. Guaranteed Special Delivery to a UK address. For all international deliveries, we use DHL.

SCANS & DELIVERY

Document Legalisation. FCDO Office.

Apostille Stamp. E-Apostille.

consular services.

embassy legalisation.

attestation.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT document LEGALISATION

Legalisation is the process of attaching an apostille certificate to a UK document, to confirm that the original ink signature of the UK public official, and/or the original embossed seal/ink stamp of a UK public office, on the document are genuine. In the UK, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is the sole government entity responsible for issuing apostilles. For other countries it will vary, depending on their rules and regulations.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office was previously called Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The merger was announced by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2020, announcing the FCO and Department for International Development (DFID) to be one.
It is often a requirement by foreign authorities that documents are legalised before they can be used for official purposes in their country.
Legalisation does not certify the authenticity of a document or give foreign and commonwealth office approval of its content.
The legalisation office is the only competent authority in the UK to provide an apostille service according to the requirements of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, and to deliver a legalisation service to those countries not party to the Hague Convention.

You can submit your documents by posting directly to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Please note, the premium service is only available for registered businesses. The standard service may take from 10-15 working days. You will need to make payment online for the standard service (£30), include a return envelope and print the cover letter. We advise sending your documents via special delivery if you wish to do this service yourself.

Obtaining the apostille stamp is a form of document legalisation. Countries not within the Hague Convention will require further embassy legalisation in order for your document to be used in that country.

We work closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in order to obtain the Hague apostille. There are some documents that require solicitor certification. Public documents such as Birth, Marriage and Death certificates do not require certification as they are signed by Public Registrars.

View More

WE OFFER A F.A.S.T SERVICE

Free UK Delivery

Free UK Delivery

Special delivery for all embassy legalised documents back to your UK address. For international deliveries, we use DHL.

Attest True Copies

Attest True Copies

We can attest your documents as true copies without compromising your original documents.

Secure Documents

Secure Documents

Strict protocols are followed to ensure your original documents are handled safely and securely.

Track Documents

Track Documents

We can update you throughout the process, either via email, WhatsApp or both.