Who can certify documents? UK and international guide

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Whether you are proving your identity to a local bank or submitting papers to an overseas institution, the person you choose to certify the documents can be the difference between them being accepted or flatly rejected.

Therefore, you must pay attention to the rules regarding who can certify documents in the UK for both local and international use.

This post will help you navigate these rules, explaining what certification actually means and breaking down the authorised professionals who can certify or notarise various types of documents.

TL;DR – Who can legally certify documents in the UK?

In the UK, depending on the type of document and the requesting institution, the following professionals can legally certify documents:

Solicitors
Notaries public
Council members
Doctors and dentists
Teachers and lecturers
Chartered accountants
Bank or building society officials

Certifications by solicitors and notaries public are widely accepted, while the rest have a limited scope and are rarely accepted abroad.

What does it mean to certify a document?

Document certification refers to the act of an authorised professional, such as a solicitor or notary, confirming that a document is authentic. It can be done in two ways:

Certifying a copy: The professional confirms that a photocopy, scan, or digital download is a “true copy” of the original document they have inspected.
Certifying an original: The professional confirms that the original document is genuine or that they witnessed its signing in person.

Usually, the person certifying the document will use specific wording. For a copy, they might write: “certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me.” For an original document, they may state: “I confirm this to be a genuine document” or “Signed in my presence.”

They’ll also sign and date the certification, print their name, and provide their occupation, address, and contact details.

It is vital to remember that document certification is not the same as:

Legalisation
An apostille

The two are separate formal processes that may require a document to be certified before they can be finalised/issued.

Professionals who can certify documents

When documents are for domestic use, and the process is not strictly legal, you can have the following professionals certify your documents:

Financial documents: A chartered accountant can certify the documents.
Public service: Depending on the nature of the document, you can use a council member, doctor/dentist, teacher/lecturer, or a relevant public official who is in “good standing.”

However, if it is a legal process, the bar for certification is higher. In that case, you must use either a solicitor or a notary public.

Who can certify documents for use abroad?

To ensure overseas institutions accept your documents, you should legalise them for international use. Document legalisation requires getting an apostille certificate, which is issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Private documents and copies of the original intended for an apostille must first be certified. Specifically, the FCDO requires you to use a solicitor or a notary public whose signature is in their database.

Therefore, for use abroad, you should get your documents certified by an FCDO-registered solicitor or notary public.

Approved professionals for certifying documents for overseas use

Notaries vs. solicitors – what’s the difference?

Solicitors and notaries are both legal professionals, but they have different primary functions:

Solicitor: A solicitor is a qualified legal professional who provides legal support or advice to clients. The individual must be approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Notary public: A notary is an internationally recognised legal professional whose primary role is to authenticate and certify documents for use abroad. They are regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Specifically, here are the key differences to keep in mind:

Focus: Solicitors focus on UK law, while notaries focus on international law.
Duty: A solicitor’s duty is to the client. A notary’s duty is to the transaction to ensure its validity.
Recognition: A solicitor’s stamp and signature are recognised domestically. A notary’s stamp and signature are recognised internationally.

That said, where a document is certified by a solicitor, and their signature and stamp receive the FCDO’s approval through an apostille certificate, the document will generally be recognised abroad if the destination country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention.

Who cannot certify your documents?

People falling in the following categories cannot certify your documents:

Friends
Employers
Colleagues
Family members
Partners and housemates

Besides preventing a lack of professional accountability, these rules exist to avoid conflicts of interest. Therefore, any person who has a personal interest or financial stake in the document is disqualified from certifying it.

Moreover, professional status cannot override personal ties. In other words, even if your parent or business partner is a registered and licensed solicitor, they cannot certify your documents.

How to get your documents certified

You want to get your document certified correctly the first time to avoid rejections and delays. Here’s how to go about the process:

Confirm requirements: Does the requesting authority have any specific requirements? For instance, do they need physical copies with a wet-ink signature? Do they have a preference for notaries over solicitors?
Choose the correct certifier: Decide which authorised professional will certify your document.
Arrange certification: Prepare copies and original documents, then contact your chosen professional.

If you intend to use the document abroad, you must also get it apostilled by the FCDO. Further, if the destination country is not party to the Hague Apostille Convention, you’ll need embassy attestation in addition to the FCDO apostille.

The FCDO has registered apostille agents/facilitators to help you process apostilles. Our company, London Apostille Services Ltd., is one such registered apostille facilitator.

We do more than facilitate apostilles, though. Here’s what you get when you work with us:

Ability to leverage the reliable London solicitors and notaries in our network to get your document certified quickly and correctly. We’ll coordinate the document certification.
An expedited apostille process that ensures you can get the apostille certificate as soon as the next business day.
Where embassy attestation is required, we’ll manage that process as well. It ensures you receive a fully-legalised document for your specific destination country.

Contact us today to start the process of legalising your documents for use abroad. If we receive your documents by 9 AM, they will be apostilled by the next working day.

PRO TIP: If your document is a UK government-issued original (such as a birth or marriage certificate), it won’t require prior solicitor certification. The FCDO can independently verify its authenticity, and we’ll just submit it as is for an apostille.

Close-up of a fountain pen applying a wet-ink signature to a certified true copy document next to Notary Public stamp.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Here are answers to some of the commonly asked questions about who can legally certify documents in the UK:

Can I certify my own documents?

No, you cannot certify your own documents.

The goal of certification is to independently verify that a document is a “true copy” of the original. For this reason, only neutral third parties are authorised to act as the certifier.

Can documents be certified digitally or by email?

Simply emailing a copy of a document for it to be certified isn’t allowed.

However, remote certification facilitated by email is permissible. Here’s how it works:

Where a “wet ink” is required: For some documents, e.g., for critical financial transactions, the certifier must sign the physical copy in wet ink. In that case, you’ll post the copy to their office and get on a video call to show them the original. They’ll sign the copy by hand and post it back to you.
Digital-only documents: Applies when your document was never in physical form. In that case, you can either forward the original email from the issuing body to the certifier or log into the relevant account/portal while they watch (screen share/recording).

Does the certifier need to keep a copy of my document?

Notaries public are required by practice rules to keep a copy of their notarial acts for at least 12 years.

However, a solicitor and other certifiers are not obligated to keep a copy of your document, but may choose to if it’s their internal policy. (Exception: a solicitor certifying your ID for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) purposes will keep a copy of that ID for at least five years.)

Do I need a notary public for documents used overseas?

It depends on the destination country, the type of document, and the requesting institution.

If properly legalised for international use (apostilled or apostilled + embassy attestation), either a notary’s or a solicitor’s certification should be sufficient.