Yes, absolutely. The determining factor is whether the destination country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention at the time you need your UK document legalised.

The date your document was originally issued or the date the country joined the Convention does not change the current requirement.

The main purpose of the Hague Apostille Convention is to provide an ongoing, simplified system for authenticating documents between member countries.

Once a country officially joins and the Convention enters into force, the rules apply immediately to relevant documents exchanged with other member states like the UK.

We’ve seen this happen with important partners recently:

  • Saudi Arabia: Joined the Convention with effect from early 2023. Before that, UK documents required full, multi-step embassy legalisation. Now, the more straightforward apostille process is used.
  • China: It was joined in late 2023. Again, this replaced the more complex embassy legalisation process with the more straightforward apostille requirement for UK documents used in mainland China. 

It’s always crucial to check the current status, as the Hague Convention members list changes. Recent additions like China (late 2023) and Bangladesh (with the Convention entering into force on March 30, 2025) highlight this.

For these countries, the requirement for authenticating relevant UK documents has shifted from the older, more complex embassy legalisation route to the more streamlined apostille process.

So, if you have a UK document, regardless of its original issue date, and you need it legalised today for use in a country that is currently a member of the Hague Convention (like Saudi Arabia or China), the apostille process applies.

The Convention essentially simplified document legalisation for that country from its date of entry into force onwards.

As a specialist agency in London, we are constantly updated on the official list of Hague Convention members maintained by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).

This ensures we always provide the correct advice on whether you need just an apostille or full embassy legalisation.

When countries join the Convention, it’s generally excellent news for our clients.

It usually means a more efficient process and enables us to offer fast-track apostille options where previously only longer embassy procedures were available, significantly helping those needing an urgent apostille.