Apostille for Your Certificate of Incorporation

If you’ve been asked to provide your UK certificate of incorporation with an apostille, you’re in the right place.

An apostille is an official certificate issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) — the only UK authority permitted to issue them.

It’s attached to your certificate of incorporation to confirm that the document’s signature, seal, or stamp is genuine, so it will be recognised by authorities in any of the 120+ member countries of the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961.

The apostille doesn’t change or replace your certificate of incorporation — it’s a separate authentication certificate that’s affixed to it, confirming to the overseas organisation receiving it that your company document is legitimate.

At London Apostille Services Ltd, we process a large volume of Companies House documents every month — certificates of incorporation are among the most common we handle. We provide a complete, done-for-you service.

Whether you already have your original certificate, need us to download a copy from Companies House, or need us to order a certified copy on your behalf, we handle every step.

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Whatever your situation, we handle it

Every customer’s situation is different. Here are three pathways — all fully managed by our team. We handle certificates of incorporation for hundreds of businesses each year, so whichever route applies to you, we’ve done it many times before.

Where solicitor certification or notarisation is required, we arrange it for you — there’s no need to find a solicitor or notary yourself. Return delivery is charged separately — see the end of this section.

Select the option that applies to you below:

Option A: You Already Have a Certified Copy from Companies House

If you’ve already purchased a certified copy of your certificate of incorporation from Companies House — the version bearing a wet-ink signature from a Companies House official — send it to us by post, and we’ll handle the apostille.

Because it carries a wet-ink signature, no solicitor certification is needed for a paper apostille.

Service	Fee	Processing Time
Express Paper Apostille	£115	1 working day
Standard Paper Apostille	£112	3–4 working days

Some destination countries require this. Paper apostille + notarisation: £244 (express) or £232 (standard). Not sure which you need? We’ll check and advise.

Need an e-apostille? Option B is the right route — e-apostilles use a digitally downloaded and electronically certified certificate, so a wet-ink copy isn’t needed.

Option B: Digital Download from Companies House

Because digital certificates don’t carry a wet-ink signature, solicitor certification is always required before the FCDO will apostille them. We arrange this for you — it’s included in the price.

When you get in touch, let us know whether you need just the single-page certificate of incorporation or the full incorporation document report (which can run to several pages). Both are available at no extra cost unless the report exceeds 20 pages.

Service	Fee	Processing Time
Express Paper Apostille + Solicitor	£152	1–2 working days
Standard Paper Apostille + Solicitor	£135	3–5 working days
E-Apostille + Solicitor	£143	1–2 working days

Need notarisation instead? Paper apostille + notarisation: £244 (express) or £232 (standard). E-apostille + notarisation: £205.

Option C: We Order a Certified Copy from Companies House and Apostille It

[Complete our order form to get started →] We’ll use the details you provide to order the correct certificate from Companies House on your behalf.

Route	Includes	Total Cost (excl. delivery)	Est. Total Time
Express Paper Apostille	Express CH order + express apostille	£215	~3–4 working days
Standard Paper Apostille	Standard CH order + standard apostille	£169	~15–17 working days

Express orders are dispatched the same day by Royal Mail 1st Class (orders placed before 11 am are dispatched the same day; those after 11 am are dispatched the next working day). Standard orders are dispatched within 10 working days by Royal Mail 2nd Class. These are Companies House’s stated targets — occasional delays can occur outside our control.

Need notarisation? Express paper + notarisation: £344. Standard paper + notarisation: £289.

Need an e-apostille instead? Option B is the right route — e-apostilles use a digitally signed certificate, so a wet-ink-certified copy from Companies House isn’t needed.

Return delivery

Return delivery is charged separately, so you only pay for the service you need.

Delivery Option	Estimated Time	Cost
Royal Mail Special Delivery	1–2 working days	£12
DHL Europe	Next working day	£45
DHL International	2–5 working days (varies by destination)	£65

Add the delivery time to the processing times above to get your total end-to-end timeline.

Not sure which option is right for you?

The best route depends on what you already have, how quickly you need it, and where the document is going. Get in touch, and we’ll advise — free of charge.

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How the process works

1

Get in touch. Contact us by phone or email. Tell us which document you need apostilled, which country it’s for, and any deadline. We confirm the requirements and provide a clear quote.
2

Send your document (or we will obtain it). Email a scan or PDF, post the original, or give us your company number, and we’ll get it from Companies House.
3

We check and prepare your document. We review the format, arrange solicitor certification if needed, and ensure everything meets FCDO requirements. If we spot any issue with your document, we’ll contact you straight away with options rather than proceeding — you’ll never be left in the dark.
4

FCDO apostille. We submit your document to the FCDO Legalisation Office. As a registered service provider, we have access to expedited processing.
5

Embassy attestation (if required). For non-Hague Convention countries, we take the apostilled document to the relevant embassy in London.
6

Returned to you. Your completed, apostilled document is sent by your chosen delivery method to any UK or international address.

You’ll receive updates at every stage.

Paper Apostille or e-Apostille?

The FCDO offers two types. Both are fully legitimate and government-issued.

Paper apostille — A physical certificate attached to your document with an embossed seal. Best when the requesting organisation specifically wants a physical apostille or when you need to present the document in person.

E-Apostille — A digital certificate linked to a digitally signed PDF. Often the fastest option. Best when documents need to be sent electronically, and the destination country accepts them.

Important: Not all countries and institutions accept e-apostilles yet.

We’ll advise which type is right for your destination before we begin.

Country-specific requirements

Requirements vary by destination. Here’s a quick overview of the most commonly requested countries. If yours isn’t listed, get in touch — we handle documents for use in over 120 countries.

Apostille only (Hague Convention Countries)

For Hague Convention member countries, an FCDO apostille is typically all that’s needed:

EU countries (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, etc.) — Apostille sufficient. A certified translation into the local language is often required as well.

India, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Brazil — Apostille accepted.

Apostille + Further attestation or embassy legalisation

For some countries, your document needs additional steps beyond the FCDO apostille. We handle the full process for each.

Saudi Arabia — Once the FCDO apostille is obtained, commercial documents may require further attestation by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) before submitting to the local authorities in Saudi Arabia.

Iraq — Commercial documents must also be attested by the London and Arab Chambers of Commerce before submitting to the Consulate for further legalisation. For commercial documents legalised via the London and Arab Chambers, the processing time is likely to be 10–15 working days.

Iran — Commercial documents can be either apostilled by the UK FCDO or attested by the London Chamber of Commerce only before being submitted to the Consulate for legalisation.

Qatar, Egypt — FCDO apostille followed by attestation at the relevant embassy in London.

We handle the full chain for all of these destinations — solicitor certification, FCDO apostille, Chambers attestation, and embassy legalisation where required.