Getting the apostille should be the easiest step in your client’s transaction—unless the certification is wrong.
Below is the practical checklist we give new and newly registered solicitors so their documents sail straight through the FCDO.
Register your specimen signatures before you send anything
- Wet-ink: Email a specimen of your hand-signed signature (on firm letterhead) to the Legalisation Office.
- Electronic: If you plan to use Advanced or Qualified Electronic Signatures (AES/QES) for e-apostilles, you must register that e-signature separately—it’s an extra step, not a replacement for the wet-ink specimen.
Originals vs certified copies – what the FCDO will (and will not) accept
| Document type | Send the original | Accepts a solicitor-certified copy* |
|---|---|---|
| Vital-records certificates (GRO birth, death, marriage, civil partnership, adoption) |
Required | ❌ Rejected – Photocopies, even if certified, are not apostilled |
| Police and vetting reports (ACRO, DBS, Scottish/N NI disclosure, fingerprint certificates) |
Required | ❌ Rejected – Photocopies, even if certified, are not apostilled |
| Court documents with a wet-ink seal | Required | Accepted, but not required to be certified (only copies must be certified) |
| Anything else (passports, academic awards, Companies House docs, contracts, translations, bank letters, etc.) |
Optional | Accepted if correctly certified by an FCDO-registered solicitor/notary |
* “Certified copy” here means you have seen the original, taken a photocopy and applied a full certification.
Your certification block – leave nothing out
The Legalisation Office checks each item manually against its specimen-signature database, so leave nothing out:
- Certification statement
Copy: “I certify that this is a true copy of the original document seen by me.”
Original: “I certify that this is the original document signed/witnessed/presented.”
Optional alternative for originals: “I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of this document” - Wet-ink signature (no scans or ‘pp’ signatures).
- Printed name of the signatory.
- Practising certificate or SRA number (or Notary No.).
- Firm’s address + contact details.
- Date (DD Month YYYY).
- Firm stamp or seal (strongly advised).
These points come straight from the FCDO’s public guidance on certifying documents.
Bundles: when one apostille can cover many pages
| Bundle when… | Don’t bundle when… |
|---|---|
| Several related company papers (e.g. incorporation + minutes + accounts). | Vital records, police checks, or any document that the destination country insists must have its own apostille. |
| A multi-page contract or report that only needs one apostille. | When the recipient needs to separate the pages later, |
| A translation + the translator’s certificate, + your certification. | If any page is laminated or on security paper thicker than 160 gsm. |
How to build a bundle the FCDO likes
- Keep it to one entity. Every document in the bundle must relate to the same person or the same business.
- Add a coversheet on firm letterhead:
- Identify the person/company.
- List or describe every enclosed document.
- Include one certification block that covers the whole bundle.
Example wording
“I certify that this bundle comprises 25 documents relating to Mr John Smith, namely:
• Bachelor of Science degree, 1 page (true copy)
• Power of Attorney, 4 pages (original witnessed by me)
• … [list continues] …
and I further certify that each document is as described above.”
- Bind it permanently – metal eyelet/rivet, ribbon & seal, or legal-corner tape. Ordinary staples can work, but are risky; comb/slide binders are rejected.
- Number the pages if it’s thick (1 of 25, 2 of 25 …).
- The apostille goes on the coversheet; remove that sheet, and the apostille becomes void.
Electronic documents and e-Apostilles (PDF only)
- You’ll get an e-Apostille only if the PDF carries an AES/QES that you have separately registered with the FCDO.
- Paper originals only for birth, death, marriage, ACRO, ACCA and DBS certificates—those can’t be e-apostilled.
