What is legalisation?

Legislation simply means confirming that a signature, seal or stamp appearing on a document is genuine. It does not mean that the content of a document is accurate or that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office approves of the Content.

Why do documents need to be legalised?

If you are going to use British documents overseas, for business or personal reasons, you will probably be asked to have your documents stamped by us before they can be accepted.

What documents do i need to legalise?

We cannot advise you on which documents you need to legalise. If you are not sure what documents need to be legalised you should contact the authority that requires the documents to obtain this information. Advice can often be found at the relevant embassy in London.

How do we legalise documents?

We check the signature, seal or stamp that appears on the document against our database and then attach an apostille (Certificate) which confirms that it is genuine.

Examples of documents we can legalise are:

• UK birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates
• Certified copies of birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates issued by the GRO.
• Certificates of no impediment
• Death certificate issued by a UK Coroner
• Country Court documents
• Change of Name Deed poll (signed by a UK solicitor or notary public)
• Power of Attorney (signed by UK Solicitor or notary public)
• Notarial Acts
• Certificates of incorporation (signed by an official of Companies House)
• National Identification Certificates – Signed by an official of NIS

Photocopies

Photocopies of UK documents can only be accepted if they have been signed by a practising UK solicitor or notary public. Make sure the solicitor signs the document with their personal signature (not a company signature) with their name printed clearly below.

Educational certificates

We will only legalise academic certificates or documents, which are for qualifications from an accredited UK institution. These must also be signed by a UK solicitor or notary Public.

Foreign documents

We do not legalise foreign documents. If you have a foreign document, which requires legalisation, you should contact the relevant embassy in the UK for advice.

Translations

We can legalise translations of UK documents issued in the UK. These documents need to be signed by a UK solicitor or notary public.

In person

Our Public Counter is open 8.00 am to 11.30 am Monday to Friday. No appointment is necessary. We aim to process your document(s) within 30 minutes once presented to the counter. During busy periods you may have a total waiting time of 2 hours. If you bring 10 or more documents we will agree a time for you to collect them.