Legalisation & Apostilles
In order to be accepted abroad, documents often need to be ‘legalised’ or ‘apostilled’ after they have been notarised. This requirement often appears complicated and confusing, but it is a relatively straightforward process once you understand what is going on.
I can deal with all your legalisation requirements, either directly or by instructing specialist legalisation agents. Turnaround times and costs vary considerably depending on the service chosen and the country concerned, but even very short deadlines can usually be met.
Apostilles
The most common method of legalisation is the ‘apostille’, which is a certificate issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) at their offices in Milton Keynes.
Apostilles were introduced in the 1960s after the coming into force of an international convention (often called ‘the Hague Convention’ or ‘the Apostille Convention’) designed to make it more straightforward for official public documents issued in one country to be recognised internationally. Over 125 countries are currently contracting parties to the Convention (a full list is available on the Hague Convention’s website here).
What is an apostille?
In simple terms, it is a certificate which provides official confirmation of the signature and/or seal of a ‘public official’. Notaries are classed as public officials for these purposes.
Can my document be apostilled?
If a notary has certified or notarised a document in some way, then yes (provided that the certification has been carried out correctly).
Some documents can be apostilled directly if they have been issued by a court, public registry or government department and they contain an appropriate seal or signature. Examples include court orders, birth/marriage/death certificates and company certificates issued by Companies House.
How much does it cost?
This varies, depending on the service used. Although all apostilles are issued by the FCDO in Milton Keynes, there are different services available with different processing times and different costs (faster usually means more expensive). I can advise on the most appropriate service for you.
How long does it take?
This also varies depending on the service used, but if time is pressing it is possible to send a document to the FCDO, have it apostilled and then returned to you in as little as 2-3 working days. If things are not quite so urgent, then a slower, cheaper option is available.
Consular Legalisation
Some countries that are not party to the Apostille Convention may require documents to be legalised by their embassy or consulate in addition to, or instead of, getting them apostilled. In these cases, the document will need to be sent to the relevant embassy in order to be stamped. The stamp will usually confirm the authenticity of the apostille or the notary’s signature.
The fees, processing times and procedures at embassies and consulates vary considerably from country to country – for example, it is often more expensive to legalise commercial documents than personal documents and some countries have very specific procedural requirements that must be complied with. It is impossible to cover all the different possibilities here, but I will be glad to guide you through the process for your document.