Can I apostille a foreign document in the UK?

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can only apostille documents that originate from the UK.

It does not have the authority to verify or apostille original documents issued by another country — regardless of whether a UK solicitor or notary has handled them. This applies to all legalisation providers in the UK, not just us.

Although the original foreign document cannot be apostilled, a UK notary public can certify or notarise a copy of the foreign document. The FCDO can then apostille the notary’s signature on that certified copy.

It is important to understand what is happening here: the apostille is issued against the UK notary’s signature — it does not verify or authenticate the foreign document itself. The notary confirms that the copy is a true copy of the original, and the FCDO confirms that the notary’s signature is genuine.

This is the most important question to answer before proceeding. Just because a certified copy can be apostilled in the UK does not mean the overseas authority requesting the document will accept it.

In many cases, they will — but this must be verified first. There is no point paying for notarisation and an apostille if the receiving country or institution requires the document to be legalised in the country that originally issued it.

The proper way to legalise any document is through the competent authority in the country that issued it. For example, a French birth certificate should ideally be apostilled by the French competent authority, not certified and apostilled in the UK.

The UK certified-copy route is an alternative when the country-of-origin route is not possible or practical — but it is not a substitute, and it does not work in every situation.

Foreign documents we are regularly asked to assist with include copies of foreign passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, degree certificates, transcripts, driving licences and company documents. In each case, we assess whether the UK route is appropriate before any work begins.

Because foreign documents require individual assessment, we strongly recommend contacting our team before placing an order. We need to know what the document is, where it was issued, and who is requesting it before we can confirm whether the UK route is suitable.

If we can assist, we can arrange certification or notarisation through one of our FCDO-registered notaries and handle the FCDO submission on your behalf.

Notarisation is carried out by a notary public and is charged separately from the apostille service fee.

If the UK route is not appropriate for your document, we will tell you — and where possible, advise on the correct alternative.

For a detailed breakdown of what UK notaries can and cannot do with foreign documents, see our full guide: Can a UK Notary Notarise Foreign Documents?