Many employers will request a ‘doctor’s letter’ or ‘sick note’ when you take time off work for health reasons.
When a sick note is requested by overseas employers and institutions, notarisation confirms the authenticity of the document. A notarised sick note can also be used in legal proceedings.
When you are unable to work for more than 7 calendar days due to illness, you must supply your employer with a letter from a healthcare professional. After assessing your condition, the doctor or therapist will confirm whether you are ‘fit to work’ or ‘unfit to work’.
As of 6th April 2010, the sick note is referred to as a ‘Fit Note’ in legal and healthcare settings. For more information, view our Fit Note page.
A notary public can verify the authenticity of a Fit Note or Doctor’s Letter by reaching out to the healthcare professional who supplied it. We will then attach a certificate of notarisation.
If you need the Sick Note apostilled by the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the original Sick Note can be apostilled directly without notarisation, as long as it has the original wet ink signature of the doctor and their GMC number. Additionally, the signature of the doctor must be registered with the FCDO. If it is not, the doctor will need to register it with them. We can provide more details on how to do this if needed.
If the doctor doesn’t wish to register their signature, we can still notarise the original Sick Note prior to submitting it to the FCDO. This will involve us contacting the doctor to confirm the document is authentic.
We can notarise either the original or a photocopy of the original. If the Sick Note was issued electronically, we can also notarise a copy once we have verified the authenticity of the Sick Note.
Notarisation and an apostille give the document an additional level of credibility, helping you to build trust with employers, international organisations, and legal entities.
Get in touch with us today to find out how our notary and apostille services can help you receive the time off you need and the pay you’re entitled to.