CERTIFIED TRANSLATION - LEGALISATION (APOSTILLE)
LEGALISATION (APOSTILLE) OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENT
The Legalisation Department of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the only competent authority in the UK to issue legalisation certificates (Apostilles).Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a UK public document (such as a UK birth, marriage, death certificate) or a document signed by a public official (such as a solicitor or a Notary Public) is genuine. It does not authenticate the content of the document. Legalisation is usually required by foreign authorities and some consulates in the UK before they will allow a UK document to be used for official purposes in their country.
You can get your original document legalised yourself at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) or we can do it for you.
See 'Examples' for a sample of a legalised translation which original document was also legalised.
LEGALISATION (APOSTILLE) OF CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
If the document is to be submitted abroad, you may also need to have your Sworn Certified Translation legalised at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO).Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a UK public document is genuine. It does not authenticate the content of the document. Please check with whoever you are sending the documents to whether legalisation of your Sworn Certified Translation is required. You can legalise the Sworn Certified Translation yourself at the FCO or we can do it on your behalf in two ways:
- Postal Service (The FCO can take up to 10 days): We post the Sworn Certified Translation to the FCO in Milton Keynes (50 Miles north of London) for legalisation.
- Premium Service (one day): We go to the FCO direct on your behalf.
Please check that the destination country where you are presenting your legalised translation is on the list of Member Countries of the Hague Convention (See 'Useful Links'). If not, after legalisation you may also need one last step, which is to present the legalised translation to the relevant foreign consulate in the UK for further legalisation. (We do not offer Consular Legalisation).
Usually, when a Sworn Certified Translation is legalised (Apostille), the Original Document may also need to be legalised. Please check with whoever you are submitting your document to. In which case, you will need to supply us with your already Legalised Original Document or request from us to have your Original Document Legalised which we can do at the same time with your Sworn Certified Translation Legalisation.
Which documents can you legalise?
Our service will allow you to legalise (Apostille), any UK-Issued document for use outside the UK. This includes the following document types:
Birth, Marriage, Death or Adoption Certificates
Decree Absolute or Divorce Documents
Probate, Wills, Affidavits and Letters of Administration
Education Certificates including Degree Qualifications, GCSE, A-Level and O-Level Certificates
Certificate of No-Impediment (CNI) or Single-Status Declarations
Criminal Records Bureau or Disclosure Scotland Certificates
Notarised Power of Attorney
British Passport (Certified Copy of the photo page)
Companies House Documents
Export Certificates
Translations (Signed by a Solicitor or Notary Public)
Medical Documents
Court Documents
