What is document legalisation and when is it needed?

Document legalisation is the official process of making a UK document valid for use in another country.

It’s needed when the destination country is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, or when a Hague country has specific additional requirements for certain document types.

Unlike the simpler apostille process (a single certificate), full legalisation usually involves multiple steps, including verification by the UK’s FCDO and the foreign country’s embassy or consulate in the UK.

• Non-Hague Convention countries: If the country where you’ll use the document isn’t part of the Hague Apostille Convention, you’ll almost certainly need full legalisation. The apostille is only valid between member countries.
• Specific document types (even for Hague Countries): Some Hague Convention countries have extra requirements for certain documents, even though they generally accept apostilles. Always check the specific rules of the destination country and the receiving authority.

Saudi Arabia (a Hague member) often requires additional attestation steps for commercial and educational documents, even with an FCDO apostille.

Commercial documents: After obtaining the FCDO apostille, commercial documents may need attestation by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Arab British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) before being accepted in Saudi Arabia. This depends on the specific purpose of the document, so confirmation with the requesting party in Saudi Arabia is essential.

Educational Documents: UK educational documents, even with an FCDO apostille, usually require further attestation by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education to be accepted by Saudi authorities. This attestation process can often be initiated electronically by the document holder through the website www.mosadaqa.sa.

Legalisation for countries not part of the Hague Convention typically involves these steps:

1. Solicitor/notary certification (often required): Many documents, especially copies or those without an existing official government seal, need to be certified by a UK-registered solicitor or notary public first.
2. FCDO apostille: The document (or the solicitor/notary’s certification) is then sent to the FCDO Legalisation Office. They add an apostille, verifying the UK official’s signature/seal. Even for full legalisation, the apostille is usually still required.
3. Consular legalisation (embassy/consulate): This is the final and defining step. The document, with the FCDO apostille, is submitted to the destination country’s embassy or consulate in the UK. They add their own authentication, confirming the document’s validity for use in their country. Each embassy has its own procedures, fees, and processing times.

Key differences from apostille:

• Apostille: A single certificate from the FCDO, valid only for Hague Convention countries (with some exceptions, like the Saudi Arabia example).
• Legalisation: A multi-step process involving the FCDO and the destination country’s embassy/consulate, required for non-Hague countries, or in specific cases even for Hague countries.