Apostille UK Service London - Fast, reliable and efficient

A UK Apostille is an official certificate from the UK Government. It confirms the signatures and seals of a notary or public official.

The Hague Apostille Convention is the international treaty which sets out the rules in relation to Apostilles. This explains why you might hear the term 'Hague Apostille' or 'Apostille of the Hague'.

Use our Apostille Service London for Faster Results

Based on our experience, this postal process can take several days to a few weeks, depending on their workload.

You can trust us with your documents as we are a registered business user with the FCDO's Legalisation Office.

We take documents to their Milton Keynes office every day for our clients and can get quicker and guaranteed turnarounds.

We Offer 3 Apostille Services

Urgent Next-Day Service

If we receive the document by 10.30am it will be ready for collection the following day from 15.30pm.

You can drop off your document and pick up from our office in Central London.

Standard Service

Using this service, the turnaround time is 5 working days.

You can drop off your document and pick up from our office in Central London.

E-Apostille

FCDO - two day turnaround. Electronic Apostilles are usually turned around the same day.

This service is only for E-Notarisations with a Qualified or Advanced Electronic Signature, not for other paper documents.

Can I get a same-day service?

The Legalisation Office stopped its same day London service in December 2023.

We can try to get a same day service under their Restricted Urgent Service.

You must show exceptional circumstances to use this.

To avail of this please let us know why you need a same day service and we will seek pre-approval from the FCDO.

Get in touch now and we'll explain what you need to do

We are familiar with the processes of the FCDO and have a good working relationship with them. We ensure you get your business or personal document processed in a smooth and efficient manner.

Do I need to notarise my document?

You will need to notarise most documents with a Notary Public before they can receive an Apostille.

Here are some examples of documents requiring notarisation:

• Affidavits
• Statutory Declarations
• Powers of Attorney
• Certified copy of documents including passports and proof of address
• Certified copy of education certificates
• Company resolutions
• Companies House documents

Types of Documents that don't require notarisation

• Birth Certificates (get an Apostille on Birth Certificate)
• Marriage Certificates
• Death Certificates
• Official documents issued by a UK Government Department or Agency. These are usually original documents such as ones signed in 'wet-ink' by ACRO, HMRC or Companies House.
• Documents Apostilled already by a British Overseas Territory. For example, BVI and the Cayman Islands or by Crown Dependency such as Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.

Do I need embassy or consulate legalisation?

Not all countries have signed the Apostille Treaty.

In this situation, the country's United Kingdom embassy or consulate may also need to stamp and seal the documents.

In these cases, a Notary signs and seals the document and obtains an Apostille Stamp. Then, the Consulate stamps and seals the documents issued. This shows how the Hague Convention abolish the requirement for consular legalisation for member states.

Visit our Country Guide for further details. Here we set out our legalisation service.

If you have any questions, please contact us by phone or email.

Apostille FAQs

Who can issue an Apostille in the UK?

The Apostille Convention stipulates that a competent authority must issue an Apostille and this is the FCDO Legalisation office in the UK. The FCDO Legalisation office is located at Hanslope Park, Hanslope. Milton Keynes. MK19 7BH

Can I get one myself?

You can get an Apostille from the FCDO yourself, you need to pay for the service online https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised and use their postal service. Or you can use a service provider like Edward Young Notaries & Lawyers for a guaranteed turnaround time.

How long do the FCDO take?

For registered business users like Edward Young Notaries & Lawyers, the FCDO turnaround time is 1 day. For non-business users, the FCDO operate a postal service. Please note that this is subject to delays depending on many issues including how busy the FCDO are at a particular time. If your document is time sensitive, you may wish to consider using a registered business user for a guaranteed turnaround time.

Can an Apostille be done online?

Yes, visit our E-Apostille page for further details. E-Apostille can only be issued in respect to Notaries or other signatories who have a Qualified Electronic Signature or an Advanced Electronic Signature. For documents that don't meet this requirement, you will have to rely on a paper based Apostille.

Can the FCDO reject a submission?

Yes, they can reject a submission for lot of reasons. Some of the more common reasons is that the signatory has not provided a correct certification. The signatory may not have lodged their signature with the FCDO. If it is a certified copy passport, no signature on the passport. They may also reject foreign language documents.

Why is an Apostille required?

An Apostille is required for a number of reasons:

• It validates a public document as being genuine
• It avoids consular office legalisation for Member States of The Hague Convention
• It helps prevent fraud. The receiving party can be sure that a Notary has actually signed a Notarial Certificate.
• It meets the requirements of overseas jurisdictions and international law.

Can I verify an Apostille?

You can verify each FCO Apostille or e-Apostille by using the FCDO verification service.

Give us a call on +442074992605 to get your Apostille today.