Diploma and Degree

Diploma qualifications in the UK refer to the number of credits a student will study and earn in any level course (levels 1-8).

Degrees, on the other hand, are the next level of qualification after someone has studied their A levels or Level 3 diplomas. Bachelor degrees are typically levels 4, 5 & 6.

Following a Bachelor’s degree, the next qualification is a Masters’s degree (level 7), followed by a Doctorate (PhD) which is studied at level 8.

We notarise and legalise various types of diplomas and degrees including:

• Vocational Qualification Diplomas
• Foundational Degree
• International Baccalaureate Diploma
• Bachelor’s Degree 
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Medicine and Science
• Masters Degree
• Doctoral Degree

If you have earned a diploma or degree in the UK and plan to use it for educational or employment purposes in another country, you may need an apostille certificate. An apostille is an internationally recognised certificate that verifies the authenticity of the document and confirms that it can be legally used in another country.

You may require an apostille certificate for your UK diploma or degree for several reasons including:

• Further education: If you plan to pursue further education in another country. When enrolling in a graduate program or a professional course, you may need to provide an apostille-certified copy of your UK diploma or degree.
• Employment: If you plan to work abroad, your potential employer may require an apostille certification to verify your educational qualifications. Some countries have strict requirements for verifying educational documents, and an apostille can help expedite the process.
• Immigration: If you plan to immigrate to another country, you may need to provide an apostille certified copy of your diploma or degree as part of your Visa application.

At Notary.co.uk, we also notarise and legalise original diplomas and degree certificates from other countries. If you require our services, we will need to contact the university directly. This may require an additional charge. Please note that lead times may vary. 

In addition, we can submit foreign-issued certificates to the FCDO. However, we will need to confirm their accreditation as they will not apostille certificates from institutions which aren’t accredited.

Please note certain embassies will not legalise foreign-issued certificates. For example, the UAE and Qatar will only legalise UK-issued certificates.

When applying for an apostille certificate on a diploma or degree certificate, you will need the following:

• Either the original certificate or a copy of the diploma or degree certificate. At Notary.co.uk we only notarise certificates from officially recognised institutions of higher education in the UK or accredited institutions abroad.
• Proof of identity in the form of a passport or driver’s licence
• If we need to verify the authenticity of the diploma/degree certificate with the issuing institution, you may need to sign a third party consent form allowing us to contact the institution on your behalf.

To obtain an apostille, you will need to submit your diploma or degree certificate to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office. 

There are two Legalisation Office counters in London (Premium Service) and Milton Keynes (Standard Service). We offer a premium same-day apostille service for urgent matters and a standard 3-5 working day apostille service if you are not in a rush.

Notary.co.uk can assist you with our fast and cost-effective services while walking you through every step of the process:

1. You will need to complete our Client Registration Form to register as a client and provide forms of identification.
2. We will need to be provided with the original diploma or degree certificate from the awarding institution. We will typically make a copy of the original document and notarise a copy. We can also notarise the original document itself. To notarise the original document, we will need to contact the university to verify that they have, in fact, issued the said certificate. The university may ask for a small fee for this verification.
   You will also need to complete a consent form to allow the Notary.co.uk team to contact the university.
3. If your diploma or degree certificate was only issued electronically we will need to verify the source of the document. This may involve you demonstrating where you log in to download the document, or forwarding any emails from the university attaching the document.
4. We will then have the document certified and apostilled at either of the available FCDO locations.
5. Once this has been completed, we will email a PDF scan of the apostilled document and return the document to you.

If you intend to use your diploma or degree certificate in another country that is not a member of the Hague Convention, then you may need consular legalisation for your certificate.  This is required for countries such as China, Qatar, the UAE and Vietnam. Find out more information about individual countries on our Country Requirements List.