Some UK documents must first be certified by an FCDO-registered solicitor or notary public and then legalised to ensure they are legally accepted internationally.

Understanding that many clients today primarily hold digital copies and may not easily access in-person UK legal professionals, we offer a simple, remote legalisation process conducted entirely via email.

This guide explains the verification methods we use to confirm the genuineness of your copy documents—including PDFs, scanned documents, and digital versions from online portals—before proceeding with certification and legalisation.

Why verification for copy documents is essential for legalisation

Legalisation confirms that your UK public document is genuine and can be accepted internationally. Certification is usually straightforward for original documents.

However, when working with copies or digital versions verification becomes crucial because:

Solicitors must be confident that the copy is a true original likeness.
A rigorous verification process protects against fraudulent documents.
Ensuring authenticity upholds the quality of the legalisation procedure.

Your remote verification options:

1. Email verification from the issuing body (preferred method)

Verification via email is the most direct way to confirm your document’s authenticity. It involves having the original issuing institution or creator verify your copy via email.

How it works:

Contact the issuing organisation:
Contact the institution that issued your document (e.g., your university, court, bank, government, or individual) directly.
Request confirmation by email:
Ask them to email us directly—or copy us on your email—confirming that the document you’ve provided is a true copy of the original.
Include a digital attachment:
Request that they attach your document’s digital version (preferably in PDF format). This lets us compare it with the copy you’ve supplied.
Forward existing correspondence:
If you already have an email thread with the issuing body that includes the document, forward that email to us.

This method provides direct, reliable confirmation from the source, ensuring a strong basis for verification.

2. Online portal & screen recording (alternative method)

If obtaining an email confirmation is not possible, you can demonstrate authenticity by showing your access to the document online.

How it works:

1
Log in to your online account:
Sign in to the official online portal where your document is stored (e.g., your university’s student portal, government, online court record system, etc.).
2
Record your screen showing:
The login process, the official website URL, and your identifying details as they appear on the portal. The document is displayed on your screen.
3
Send us the recording:
For smaller files, attach the video directly to an email. For larger files, upload the video to a cloud storage service (e.g., Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) and email us a shareable link.

This method offers visual proof of your access to the official record, serving as a reliable alternative to email verification.

3. Additional remote verification options for university degrees

For UK university degrees and other educational documents, we offer a couple of extra remote verification methods:

HEDD verification (Higher Education Degree Datacheck)

Check whether your university is listed in the HEDD database.
If listed, inform us, and we can perform a HEDD verification for an additional fee. https://hedd.ac.uk/search

Gradintelligence Verification

Verify if your university uses the Gradintel platform (information is often available on your university’s website or student portal).
If applicable, you may be able to share a verified digital copy of your degree or transcript via Gradintel or grant us temporary access for verification.

Note: These additional options apply only to educational documents from participating institutions and may incur extra fees.

Also read: Certify a ‘copy’ of a UK degree

4. Proof of address documents (e.g., bank statements, utility bills)

For documents such as bank statements or utility bills, we recommend remote verification methods:

Email confirmation:
Contact your bank or utility company and request that they send a confirmation email (with an attachment, if possible) verifying the document’s authenticity.
Screen recording:
Log in to your online account (banking, utilities, etc.) and record a session showing the document details.

5. Court documents (e.g., divorce decrees, probate documents) & general electronic documents/PDFs

If you are dealing with court documents or other digital files, use one of the following remote methods:

Email confirmation:
Ask the relevant court or issuing body to email confirmation and a digital document attachment. You can also forward any existing email communications.
Online portal & screen recording:
Record your access to the document on the official online portal and send us the video described above.

How to get started

Select your verification method:
Decide whether you can secure an email confirmation from the issuing body or if a screen recording from an online portal is more feasible.
Gather your evidence:
Collect all the necessary emails, digital copies, or screen recordings showing your document’s authenticity.
Send your verification materials:
Please email the evidence gathered to us at hello@apostillelondon.com.
If you have any questions or need guidance, please call us at
+44 (0) 2070 500 692.

Need to legalise copies of UK documents & PDFs remotely? Here’s how.