Documents that can have an Apostille
We can apostille most UK documents as long as they
bear
an original
signature, seal or stamp from a UK practising public organisation or
official and it originated or has been executed in the UK. These will
be under our STANDARD service.
We can apostille photocopies of certain types of
document
as long as they
have been certified by a practising UK solicitor
or notary as being true photocopies. If you want to apostille a
certified photocopy of a particular document, and we are able to do
this under our CERTIFIED service, you should also confirm with the
intended recipients of the
document to ensure that a certified photocopy is acceptable to them.
See below for details of what will need to be certified by a
solicitor first.
What can we legalise by apostille?
- UK Educational Certificates etc.
- UK birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates
- UK Certificates of No Impediment (CNIs) or 'No Trace' letters issued by the GRO
- Passports
- Change of name deed poll
- UK court (county court) papers
- Powers of attorney, wills, affidavits, declarations and notarial acts
- Certificates of incorporation and other paperwork issued by Companies House
- Export certificates
- Documents from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
- National identification Certificates, Association of Chief Police Officer certificates and Disclosures
- Foreign language translations
- Foreign documents
- Documents we cannot legalise
UK Educational Certificates etc.
All educational papers, letters or certificates must be signed by a
practising UK solicitor or notary before they can be apostilled.
The solicitor or notary should either confirm that the document is
original if that is the case, or a true photocopy.
Educational papers which are not degrees, diplomas, certificates, qualifications or other awards may be have an apostille if they have been issued by an educational establishment in the UK. This includes school reports and letters concerning enrolling, attendance, fees and grades.
Degrees, diplomas, certificates, qualifications or other awards can be apostilled if they were issued by an educational establishment if it is registered at one of the following websites:
- 'Register of Providers' or the 'Recognised Degrees' sections of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) website
- the Scottish Qualifications Authority website
- the National Database of Accredited Qualifications website
- the British Accreditation Council Website
- the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council
- the Association of British Language Schools
Additionally, qualifications which are or were issued by OCR, Edexcel, Higher National Diploma, City and Guilds, National Open College Network, GNVQ or the American Study Abroad Programme in the UK can also be legalised.
UK birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates
We can only apostille original or certified copies of certificates
issued by the General Registry Office (GRO) or local Registry Offices
in the UK. The apostille stamp will be attached directly to the
certificate.
We can also apostille original death certificates issued by a UK
coroner. Translations of these can also be apostilled if they have been
signed by a practising UK solicitor or notary. Please note that we
are NOT able to apostille photocopies of these, even if they have been
signed by a practising UK solicitor or notary or attached to a notarial
cover sheet.
UK Certificates of No Impediment (CNIs) or 'No Trace' letters issued by the GRO
Original CNIs and GRO issued letters confirming that there is no trace of an individual currently being married can be apostilled. Please note that we are not able to apostille photocopies of these documents, even if they have been signed by a practising UK solicitor or notary public or attached to a notarial cover sheet.
Contact the GRO or your local Registry Office for more information on obtaining certified copies of these types of certificates.
We cannot apostille photocopies of these under any circumstances.
Passports
We cannot apostille original passports of any nationality.
Photocopies of the bio data page of British and foreign passports may
be apostilled if they have been certified by a UK solicitor or notary
public as being true photocopies of the original. We can arrange this
only if the original passport is sent to us.
Change of name deed poll
All change of name deed poll documents (originals as well as copies) must be certified by a practising UK solicitor or notary public as being original, or true photocopies, before they can be apostilled.
UK court (county court) papers
Original papers issued by UK courts can be apostilled. Photocopies of these can also be apostilled if they have been certified by a practising UK solicitor or notary public as being true copies of the original.
Powers of attorney, wills, affidavits, declarations and notarial acts
Originals of these can be apostilled if they have been signed in the UK by the individual(s) concerned and the signature(s) witnessed by a practising UK solicitor or notary public.
The solicitor or notary public should certify this clearly on the document.
Certificates of incorporation and other paperwork issued by Companies House
We can apostille originals of these only if they have been signed by an official of Companies House. If the originals do not bear an original signature of a Companies House official then they must be certified by a practising UK solicitor or notary public as being originals. Photocopies of Companies House paperwork can be apostilled if they have been certified by a UK solicitor or notary public as being true copies of the originals.
Export certificates
We can apostille export certificates only if they have been signed by an official of the relevant UK Government Department. Photocopies of export certificates may be apostilled if a practising UK solicitor or notary public has certified them to confirm that they are true copies of the originals.
Documents from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
Original documents from HMRC can be apostilled if they are signed by an HMRC official, a practising UK solicitor or a notary public.
Photocopies of these can also be apostilled if they have been certified by a practising UK solicitor or notary public as being true copies of the original.
National identification Certificates, Association of Chief Police Officer certificates and Disclosures
Only originals issued by the National Identification Service (NIS)
and signed by an NIS official can be apostilled. We cannot apostille
photocopies of these under any circumstances.
Original disclosures including Disclosure Scotland must be signed by
a member of the Criminal
Records Bureau or a practising UK solicitor or notary public before
they can be apostilled. We cannot apostille photocopies of these under
any circumstances.
Only originals from the Association Of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)
can be apostilled and should be signed in person by an ACPO official. Photocopies
of these cannot be apostilled under any circumstances.
Foreign language translations
We can apostille translations of UK documents issued or executed in the UK. These need to have been certified by a practising UK solicitor or notary public confirming that they are true translations. Please note that we are not able to apostille documents on the signatures of the translators unless they are also a practising UK solicitor or notary public, or a consular official.
Foreign documents
If you have a foreign document which requires legalisation you should contact the relevant Embassy, Consulate or High Commission in the UK for advice.
If you have been advised that your document needs to be appended to a notarial coversheet containing a certification from a practising UK solicitor or notary public, we can only apostille the notarial certificate.
Alternatively photocopies of foreign documents can be apostilled if they have been certified by a practising UK solicitor or notary public as being true copies of the original.
Documents we cannot legalise
Under no circumstances can we legalise photocopies of GRO documents
(Birth Certificates, Death Certificates or Marriage Certificates), even
if they have been signed by a UK notary or solicitor practising in the
UK or if they are attached to a notarial cover sheet. Nor can we
legalise any documents that are attached to, or include, a photocopy of
a GRO issued document.
These must be original certificates that can be ordered from the
General Register Office.
We will not legalise UK educational certificates (originals or
certified photocopies) under any circumstances if the issuing authority
is not registered with one of the UK accredited/regulated bodies.
We cannot legalise original passports of any nationality.
We cannot legalise photocopies of Disclosure Scotland documents.
This list is by no means exhaustive, please contact Apostille Services
if your
document is not listed here.
We do not charge VAT on our services.