1. Qualifications from unrecognised education providers
If you hold a degree, diploma, or certificate from a UK-based course provider, the FCDO will only apostille it if the issuing body is registered on an approved UK education register — such as the Office for Students (OfS), the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), or the British Accreditation Council (BAC).
This is where many people get caught. A provider that is affiliated with, franchised by, or validated by a recognised university is not automatically eligible.
The FCDO checks whether the body that issued your certificate is on the register — not whether it has a partnership with one that is. This applies across all qualification types — degrees, diplomas, vocational certificates, and professional development awards alike.
We cover this in full detail in the Educational Documents section below, including how to check whether your provider qualifies.
2. Photocopies of birth, marriage, and death certificates
The FCDO will not apostille a photocopy of a GRO document — even if a solicitor or notary has certified it, and even if it’s attached to a notarial cover sheet. This applies to birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, certificates of no impediment, civil partnership certificates, and adoption certificates.
The reason is straightforward: the General Register Office and local registry offices are the only authorities that can issue certified copies of these documents. If you need a second copy, you’ll need to order one from the GRO or your local registry office.
3. Documents certified by an unregistered solicitor or notary
The FCDO verifies every certifying signature against its own database. If the solicitor or notary who signed your document is not registered with the FCDO, your apostille application will be refused — regardless of whether the solicitor holds a valid practising certificate.
There is currently no public lookup tool to check this in advance. This is one of the reasons we recommend using our service — every solicitor and notary we work with is FCDO-registered and verified before we submit.
4. Passports ID documents
Original passports — whether British or foreign — cannot be apostilled.
However, certified photocopies of the bio-data page can be apostilled, including foreign passports and foreign national ID documents, provided the copy has been certified by an FCDO-registered solicitor or notary public.
The apostille attaches to the solicitor’s or notary’s certification, not to the foreign document itself.
Whether the overseas authority accepts an apostilled copy of a foreign passport or ID is a separate question — that depends on the requirements of the receiving country.
If you’ve been asked for an apostilled copy of a foreign passport or ID, check with us first, and we can confirm whether a UK apostille is the right route for your situation.
5. Documents from Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man
The FCDO cannot legalise documents that originate in the British Crown Dependencies. These must be legalised within the relevant dependency. Once legalised locally, they do not require further FCDO authentication to be accepted in Hague Convention countries. For non-Hague countries, further consular or embassy legalisation may still be required.
Med 3 forms (used for statutory sick pay) and other medical documents issued for social security purposes cannot be apostilled by the FCDO.
Beyond that, all medical letters and certificates must bear the wet-ink signature of the signing doctor or practitioner — the FCDO will not issue an apostille on a medical document without one, even if a solicitor or notary has certified it.
Visa medicals for countries such as Spain and Saudi Arabia must be signed by an FCDO-registered doctor specifically, not an FCDO-registered solicitor or notary. If the doctor’s signature is not in the FCDO’s database, the apostille will be refused.
7. Foreign-language documents and translations
The FCDO will apostille a certified translation of a UK document, provided the certifying signature belongs to a practising UK solicitor, notary public, or consular official.
If the translation is certified only by the translator and the translator does not hold one of those roles, it will be refused.
The FCDO will not apostille a certified copy of a foreign-language document. However, if a foreign-language document is notarised by a UK notary public, the FCDO can apostille the notarial act — because the apostille attaches to the notary’s certification, not to the foreign-language document itself.
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