Offering Our Efficient Apostille Next-day and Standard Services
An apostille is certification issued under the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (also known as the Hague Apostille Convention).
It is an internationally recognised certification confirming the signature and/or seal of the public official who issued or certified the document.
We currently offer three apostille services in the UK. On our Next-day Service, if we receive your document by 10:30 it will be ready the following day at 15:30. With our Standard Service, it takes a little bit longer but will be completed within 5 working days. Our e-Apostille Service is available for e-notarisations only but can be completed within 2 working days.
If you need your document apostilled on the same day, we may still be able to help. Although the Legalisation Office of the FCDO no longer operates a Premium Service in London, in exceptional cases they will process documents on the same day in Milton Keynes on their Restricted Urgent Service. To use this service, you must let us know why you need the document completed on the same day so that we can get prior approval to submit.
Start by checking your document. It may need notarisation first.
NOTARISATION REQUIRED
Most documents will need to be notarised before they can be apostilled;
Common types include affidavits, declarations, powers of attorney, board resolutions, Companies House documentation, passports, proofs of address, degree and educational certificates;
Documents issued by a UK government department or agency (eg. HMRC, ACRO, Companies House) which have a wet-ink signature;
Original documents apostilled in a British overseas territory (Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctica Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands)
Original documents apostilled in a Crown dependency (Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man)
Check your document
We notarise many types of documents and can provide different types of certification to meet your needs.
The most popular documents we see are powers of attorney, passports, educational certificates and Companies House documentation. However, there are many other types we see regularly and are familiar with.
If your document is not listed and you are unsure if we can help, email us at info@notary.co.uk and we will be happy to confirm.
Note: not all documents need an apostille
Check with whoever is requesting the document
Commonwealth countries, such as Australia, Canada and South Africa recognise UK notarised documents without an apostille.
Document complete on the third working day by 15:30
Document submitted to Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes.
Standard service
Completed within 5 working days
Document submitted to Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes.
Get Your Documents Apostilled Wherever You Are in the UK
With our e-Apostille services, you can now easily obtain the necessary apostille for your documents without the need to meet in person. This is a swift alternative to traditional apostille services, making the process more cost-effective and completed within 2 working days.
The apostille itself is a printed certificate. It is attached to the notarial certificate or document itself. The text “Apostille” is written at the top of the printed certificate, followed by the text ”Convention de La Haye du 5 October 1961”. According to Article 4 of the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille is not valid if not written in French.
The FCDO can reject documents for many reasons. Some common examples include if the document has not been certified correctly, the person signing it is not registered at the FCDO, the certification and document don’t match, the name of the person signing is illegible and there’s no signature on the passport.
Delays can occur if the FCDO has to query your document. For example, if they don’t have the signature of the public official who issued the document on file and they need to contact them to obtain it.