What documents can be legalised?.

The legalisation office (the FCDO) legalises all UK documents with traditional paper or electronic apostilles.

Electronic apostilles can not be applied to documents with an original seal, stamp, or signature from a UK official or public organisation, which do not require prior certification.

A UK document is considered as one originating or executed in the UK. The FCDO’s e-apostille service facilitates the legalisation of both physical and electronic documents.

For photocopies, legalisation, including e-apostilles, is available if a UK notary public or solicitor certifies their authenticity.

All UK educational documents must be solicitor-certified by an FCDO-registered solicitor that documents are either original or true photocopies.

In some cases, an FCDO-registered UK notary must notarise the educational document.

For educational documents originating overseas, or if you live outside the UK, the British Council in your country can also certify documents.

Documents can be apostilled traditionally with a physical paper apostille – or – an electronic apostille (e-apostille), where e-apostilles are accepted.

Educational document examples are: 

All original documents, and official copies, from the General Register Office (GRO) or local registry office can be apostilled by the FCDO with the traditional paper apostille. 

GRO documents do not qualify for an electronic apostille. 

Photocopies of GRO documents can not be legalised, even if it is attached to a notarial cover sheet or a UK solicitor or notary public has signed them.

Here are some GRO-issued document examples:

There are hundreds of document examples that we could mention. However, the critical part is that each document is prepared correctly before submitting it to the FCDO.

The majority of company documents and personal documents must be notarised or solicitor certified before legalisation.

Check with our office first which documents can be processed electronically and which documents we need to receive the original.

Here is a mixture of document examples:

Background checks, disclosures of all kinds, ID cards (police, armed forces, PASS cards, etc.), identity cards, and criminal record checks like ACRO are all documents that the FCDO can legalise.

We must receive the original document to get an apostille for DBS, ACRO, passport, driver’s license, etc.

Here are a few document examples:

The FCDO can legalise all UK government documents. Some examples of government documents are:

The FCDO can legalise certain religious documents if they have originated from the UK and have been certified by a notary public or UK solicitor.

Documents include:

• Islamic Marriage and divorce certificates issued by UK mosques
• Baptismal certificates of any denomination.
• Jewish divorce certificates issued by a Jewish court.

Hajj or Umrah

Before Hajj or Umrah documents can be legalised, an Arabic-speaking solicitor in the UK or an Arab British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) official must certify documents.

Original documents issued by UK courts and photocopies can be legalised if a notary public or UK solicitor has certified them as original documents or true photocopies.

UK court document examples are: 

The originals of these documents can be legalised if an official from Companies House has signed them.

If this isn’t the case, then a notary public or UK solicitor must certify them as original documents. Photocopies can also be legalised if a UK solicitor or notary public has certified them as true photocopies.

Companies House document examples are: 

The FCDO can legalise export certificates if an official of the concerned UK Government Department has signed them. Photocopies may also be legalised if a UK solicitor or notary public has certified them as true photocopies.

The FCDO can legalise medical reports and letters that have been issued by the NHS Trusts and UK hospitals if a UK doctor registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) has signed them.

The FCDO can also legalise letters about non-medical issues, such as letters of offer of employment and job references if a UK solicitor or notary public has certified them as genuine.

Other medical documents issued by doctors, such as Form 3 for social security purposes or statutory sick pay, cannot be legalised.

Documents to export pets abroad can be legalised. However, the documents must be original, and a qualified veterinary surgeon must have signed them. Note that we are unable to legalise other pet-related documents.

• Pet export document
• Pet Travel Scheme

The FCDO cannot legalise documents that have been executed or originating in British Crown Dependencies, including Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.

The Legalisation Office does not need to further legalise these kinds of documents, once legalised in that dependency, to be recognised by foreign authorities.

The FCDO can only legalise documents that have been executed or originate in a British overseas territory if a government official has previously legalised them.

British territories include:

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• British Antarctic Territory
• The British Virgin Islands
• Caicos Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Falkland Islands
• Gibraltar
• Montserrat
• St Helena
• South Georgia
• South Sandwich Islands
• Turks

List of overseas territories offices and contact details

Translations of UK documents that have been issued or executed in the UK can be legalised. A UK solicitor or notary public must certify that these documents are true translations.

However, the FCDO cannot legalise documents on the translator’s signatures except when they are a consular official, practising UK solicitor, or notary public.

Although certified copies of documents in a foreign language cannot be legalised.

Contact the High Commission, consulate, or the relevant embassy for advice on proceeding if you need a foreign document legalised.

If your document needs to be attached to a notarial cover sheet with certification from a UK solicitor or notary public, make sure that the cover sheet refers expressly to that document.

Also, make sure that the document and the cover sheet are properly bounded, otherwise they may be rejected.