Most Home Office (HO) documents must be certified before being submitted for an apostille certificate.
Getting an apostille certificate usually takes 2 to 3 days, and costs start from £110 per document. The price includes solicitor fees, FCDO fees, our fees, and VAT.
We can return the legalised documents via DHL courier (next-day service), or you can collect them in person.
Jump to: How much does it cost? ↓ How long does it take?
How the process works:
Step one:
Ensure you have valid Home Office document(s) that is not damaged and can be apostilled.
Step two:
Contact our office.
Please provide the following information:
- What kind of Home Office documents need to be apostilled?
- In which country will your HO document(s) be used?
- How soon do you need the apostille?
- How will the HO document(s) be delivered and returned?
When we have all the information, the team will assess your enquiry and give you a detailed quotation.
If you accept the quotation, the process of getting an apostille starts.
Step three:
Once your disability document has been apostilled, we will email you a scanned copy.
If you are not collecting your apostilled document from our London office – we will provide you with the DHL tracking number the courier gave.
Note that we return documents by DHL courier only. If you want to make other arrangements, please let us know.
Getting an apostille for Home Office (HO) documents starts from £110. (includes solicitor fees, FCDO fees, our fees & VAT).
Other costs will depend on how many documents you have (prices are quoted per document, and a discount for multiple documents is available).
Additional cost examples are:
- Same day or express service (+ £123)
- UK return delivery costs (+ £20)
- Notarisation by notary public (+ £90)
- Embassy attestation (from £75)
How long does it take to get an apostille?
Our standard processing time for getting an apostille is 2-3 days.
Here is what 2 to 3 days mean:
- If your documents arrive by 10 am, it will take 2 days
- If your documents arrive after 10 am, then it will take 3 days
(+ next-day return delivery if required)
We also offer a same-day apostille service.
- Documents must arrive before 10 am for the same-day service.
- Documents can be collected around 3 pm the same day.
- Order the 5-hour emergency apostille service
If a mailing or courier service is utilised, the same day becomes a 24-hour service.
Do I have to come to your office?
No, you don’t need to attend our office in Westminster. Documents can be sent by courier or by post. We recommend using a tracked service if you send your documents by post. We return your documents in the same way.
You are, of course, welcome to drop the documents off in person. However, delivering in person requires that you have an order number. Therefore, please make sure you contact our office first.
How do I pay for an apostille from the Home Office?
If you submit your application for an apostille directly to the FCDO, you can pay online via their website. We can invoice you if you want us to handle your apostille application. You can make an online card payment or pay through PayPal or bank transfer. See other payment options that we accept.
Do I need to have my HO document notarised or certified before getting an apostille?
Most HO documents must be certified. Although the Home Office keeps records of documents such as visas, work permits, and residence permits, these documents are not considered public documents. For this reason, they must either be notarised by a UK notary public or certified by a UK solicitor.
In practice, to preserve the Home Office’s original document intact, most people use a certified or notarised copy to obtain the apostille. The apostille certificate will be physically affixed to the document you submit.
We can arrange to have your UK documents certified or notarised before they are submitted for an apostille.
Home Office-issued documents that can be apostilled:
Can I expedite my HO apostille request?
Yes, you can request an expedited apostille service. Our same-day service takes 5 hours to complete. Note that the expedited service is only available via registered apostille agents like us. You cannot order a same-day service via the FCDO website yourself.
Further reading:
Can I get an electronic apostille for Home Office documents?
Not yet. The Legalisation Office of the FCDO has announced that you will soon be able to get an electronic apostille (called an “e-apostille“) for some Home Office documents that have been issued and signed electronically – but they have not yet given a date.
Although the Home Office can now issue eVisas (electronic visas) and eBRPs (electronic Biometric Residence Permits), these types of electronic signatures are not yet incorporated into the electronic documents issued by the Home Office.
It is also theoretically possible to submit an application for an e-apostille with an electronic copy (e.g., a PDF file) of your physical Home Office document that a UK solicitor or notary public has digitally signed. In reality, however, not many UK solicitors or notaries public are familiar with this procedure.
Before deciding which kind of apostille to get, you must ascertain whether e-apostilles are acceptable in the country where the apostille will be used.
(The personal application waiting time for issuance of an e-apostille by the FCDO can be the same as for a normal, paper-based apostille)
