Vietnam joins the Hague Apostille Convention: Changes for UK documents

From 11 September 2026, UK documents bound for Vietnam need only an FCDO apostille. The Vietnamese Embassy legalisation step is no longer required.

Vietnam acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 31 December 2025. The Convention entered into force for Vietnam on 11 September 2026, together with Decree 293/2026/ND-CP, the domestic law that implements it.

Before that date, a UK document needed an FCDO apostille and then a second stamp from the Vietnamese Embassy in London. Now the apostille alone is enough.

This guide covers what changed, which UK documents are affected, what happens to documents already processed under the old system, and how London Apostille Services Ltd handles Vietnam-bound documents under the new rules.

The Hague Apostille Convention replaces multi-step consular legalisation with a single certificate. That certificate is the apostille. The issuing country issues it, and every other member country must accept it.

With Vietnam’s accession, the Convention has 129 Contracting Parties. Vietnam now appears on our Hague Convention countries list.

For UK senders, the practical effect is simple. Before 11 September 2026, a degree certificate for a Vietnamese work permit went to a solicitor, then the FCDO, then the Vietnamese Embassy in London. Each stage added fees, courier legs and waiting time, and the embassy stage was the slowest of the three. That final stage no longer exists.

Vietnam now sits alongside the other member countries the UK deals with most often. If you have apostilled a document for Spain, Italy or Australia, the process for Vietnam is now the same.

The categories below cover the UK documents our Vietnam legalisation service handles most often. All of them now need only an FCDO apostille.

Birth, marriage and death certificates, ACRO police certificates, and certificates of no impediment for marriage in Vietnam. These already bear an official signature or seal. Most go straight to the FCDO with no certification step first.

Typical uses: marriage to a Vietnamese national, dependent visas, and the criminal record check for a work permit.

Degree certificates, diplomas, transcripts and TEFL certificates. Universities and awarding bodies are private institutions, so the FCDO cannot apostille their signatures directly. A UK solicitor or notary certifies the document first. The FCDO then apostilles the solicitor’s or notary’s signature.

Typical use: the qualification requirement for a Vietnamese work permit, which applies to almost every foreign employee, including English teachers.

Companies House issues certificates of incorporation and certificates of good standing. Companies House also files memoranda and articles of association, and you can usually download a copy directly from the register.

We certify the downloaded copy before apostille, or order a certified copy from Companies House if the Vietnamese authority asks for one. Board resolutions, powers of attorney and audited accounts are signed privately and are not on the public record. A solicitor or notary certifies these first, then the FCDO apostilles the certification.

Typical uses include opening a representative office or subsidiary in Vietnam, appointing a local legal representative, and registering products with Vietnamese ministries.

Vietnam’s entry into the Hague Convention doesn’t invalidate work already done under the old system. Here are 2 scenarios that cover most document holders:

A UK document legalised by the Vietnamese Embassy before 11 September 2026 remains valid for use in Vietnam.

Decree 293 doesn’t require you to redo that work under the apostille route.

Was your document already mid-legalisation when the Convention kicked in? The receiving Vietnamese authority decides whether to accept it once the old process wraps up, or asks you for a fresh apostille instead.

Send us the receiving authority’s exact requirements, and we’ll confirm the right route for your document.

At London Apostille Services Ltd, we are a duly registered document legalisation business. We coordinate certification, the FCDO apostille, and any Vietnam-specific requirements end to end.

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Here are answers to the questions UK document holders ask often about what Vietnam’s entry into the Hague Apostille Convention means for them: