You can get certain official UK documents ‘legalised’ by submitting them to the Legalisation Office. This is now commonly known as ‘Apostille’

You might need to do this if an official in another country has asked you to provide a UK document and they’ve said it must be legalised.

The Legalisation Office in the UK will check the document and see if any signatures, stamps or seals match their own records. If they do match, they’ll legalise the document by attaching an ‘apostille’ (stamped official certificate).

You can get documents legalised if they’ve been issued by a:

• Court and sealed with a wet ink court seal

• Public registry, such as a birth, marriage or death certificate, or a company certificate issued by Companies House

• Government department and signed by an official, such as a letter of confirmation of tax registration

• Registered doctor, such as a medical certificate signed by a doctor

You can also get other documents legalised, as long as they’ve been certified by a UK ‘public official’, such as a UK notary or solicitor. For example:

• Documents such as a power of attorney, a contract or a qualification certificate

• Copies of documents such as a passport or a driving licence

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This is not an exhaustive list of all the documents you can get legalised.

Check Requirements for The Documents

Contact the person asking for legalised documents. Check if they need to be:

• The original documents or certified copies

• Signed by any particular person, like a UK notary or solicitor

Check Requirements for The Apostille
There are 2 types of apostille. They can either be:

• Paper-based - you’ll need to send your documents by post (or submit them in person, if you’re a registered business)

• Electronic - known as an ‘e-Apostille’, you’ll need to upload your documents as PDF files that have been electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor

You can choose which one to get, but you may need to get a paper-based apostille if either:

• The person who has asked you for the document wants a paper-based apostille

• The type of document they need is not eligible for an e-Apostille

You cannot get an e-Apostille for:

• Birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates, or any other document from the General Register Office

• ACRO police certificates for England and Wales

• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) certificates for England and Wales

• Disclosure certificates for Scotland and Northern Ireland

• Fingerprint certificates

• Membership certificates for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Contact the person asking for legalised documents. Check if they need:

• A paper-based apostille, or whether it can be an e-Apostille (if this is available for your document)

• A single apostille for a group of documents, or a separate apostille for each document

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Estimated Processing times
Standard (paper-based): Up to 20 working days, plus courier or postage time
e-Apostille: Up to 20 working days

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Costings

• The official fees are:

Standard (paper-based): £30, plus courier or postage 
e-Apostille: £30

• Our administration fees are £50 per document