The main difference between an apostille and legalisation is whether the country where you’ll use the document is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention.
- Apostille: A single certificate used for countries that are members of the Hague Convention. It’s a more straightforward process.
- Legalisation is a multi-step process that is more complex and used primarily for countries that are not members of the Hague Convention.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
- Apostille: This is a single-step process. The designated authority in the issuing country (in the UK, the FCDO) attaches an apostille certificate directly to the document (or to a solicitor/notary’s certification).
- Legalisation: A multi-step process. Typically, it involves:
- Certification by a UK solicitor or notary public (often required).
- Authentication by the FCDO (issuing an apostille).
- Authentication by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in the UK.
| Apostille | Legalisation | |
|---|---|---|
| Hague Convention | For member countries only | Primarily for non-member countries (or specific cases within member countries) |
| Steps | Single step (FCDO) | Multi-step (Solicitor/Notary, FCDO, Embassy/Consulate) |
| Issuing Authority | FCDO in the UK | FCDO and the destination country’s embassy/consulate in the UK |
| Complexity | Simple | More complex |
| Time | Faster | Slower (depends on embassy/consulate) |
| Validity | 126 Hague Member Countries | The country the embassy/consulate represents. |
