Flag of IraqIraq is not a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, so most UK documents need two UK stages before they’ll be accepted in Iraq:

  • 1
    UK FCDO apostille (after solicitor/notary certification where needed)
  • 2

    Iraqi Consulate legalisation in London

Commercial paperwork is different: it must also be approved by the London Chamber of Commerce and the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) before the Consulate will legalise it.

Certificates of Origin and invoices are handled differently again: they follow an ABCC and Iraqi Commercial Attaché route (no apostille).

We’re an FCDO-registered legalisation agent and make daily trips to the Apostille Office in Milton Keynes. We also handle Chamber and Consulate/Attaché lodgements end-to-end.

Legalisation workflow for Iraq — at a glance

Personal/private documents:

  • (If needed) certify with a UK solicitor or notary
  • Apostille at the FCDO
  • Iraqi Consulate legalisation (typically 1–2 working days at the Consulate)

Commercial/company documents:

  • Notarise (commercials generally need a notary)
  • Apostille at the FCDO
  • London Chamber + ABCC authentication
  • Iraqi Consulate legalisation (typically 10–15 working days for the Chamber/Consulate route)

Certificates of Origin + invoices:

  • Certificate of Origin must be in the ABCC format
  • ABCC stamp
  • Iraqi Embassy Commercial Attaché final attestation (typically 1–2 working days)
  • No FCDO apostille is required on this route

Educational documents (degrees, diplomas, transcripts):

  • Must go via the Iraqi Cultural Attaché (verification directly with the UK institution)
  • No solicitor/notary certification and no FCDO apostille on the education route
  • After stamping, the document proceeds to the final Iraqi legalisation step as required

Your documents are valid for use in Iraq once they carry the correct combination of Iraqi stamps for the route above (and an apostille where applicable).

Key routes & lead-time guidance

(Working-day estimates once each stage receives the file.)

Educational documents (degrees, diplomas, transcripts):

Route: Notary/solicitor (if required) → FCDO apostille → Iraqi Consulate
Consulate processing: typically 1–2 working days
(Overall timeline depends on apostille speed.)

Commercial/company documents:

Route: Notary → FCDO apostille → London Chamber → ABCC → Iraqi Consulate
Chamber/Consulate processing: typically 10–15 working days
(Overall timeline depends on apostille speed.)

Certificates of Origin + invoice documents:

Route: ABCC-format Certificate of Origin → ABCC stamp → Iraqi Commercial Attaché
Processing: typically 1–2 working days
Important: the Iraqi Consular Section will not accept these papers, and no apostille is required.

Educational documents:

Route: Iraqi Cultural Attaché verification & stamp (no apostille) → onward Iraqi legalisation as required
Lead-time: typically 20+ working days (verification time depends on the university response)

Prices (Iraqi fees)

Consular / attaché fees (paid to Iraqi authorities):

  • Private/personal document legalisation: £15 per document
  • Certificate of Origin + invoice document: US$100 per document (equivalent) — collected by the Iraqi Commercial Attaché
  • Educational document legalisation: varies — set by the Iraqi Cultural Attaché (we’ll confirm the current tariff when you lodge)

Note: ABCC/London Chamber charges and any UK certification/apostille costs are separate and depend on the document type and route

Consular rules & submission pack

Copies:

  • Personal/private: original + 1 photocopy of the document
  • Commercial: original + 3 photocopies of each document (for Chambers + Consulate)

Passports:

  • The Consulate requires copies of the document holder’s passport and the agent’s passport.

Typed/printed only (ABCC requirement)

  • Documents with handwritten amendments/insertions are not accepted for legalisation.
  • Everything must be typed/printed (except the actual signature(s)), including internal references.

Commercial documents — mandatory identifiers

  • Commercial documents (including Powers of Attorney / Authorisations) must include:

    • the UK registration number and UK address of any company mentioned, and
    • the passport/ID number of any individuals named in the text.

Director’s authorisation letter

  • For commercial legalisation, a UK company director must sign an authorisation letter permitting ABCC to obtain Iraqi legalisation.

  • For commercial Powers of Attorney/authorisation letters, the director must also provide an authenticity statement and include (as per the template we provide):

    • issuing company name and address
    • director name(s)
    • director email address(es) and telephone number(s)

Private Powers of Attorney

  • The applicant must attend the Consulate in person with their original passport for identification.
  • We can attend with the executant if needed and collect the document when it’s ready.

Non-UK / foreign documents

  • The Consulate does not accept foreign documents, including company papers, from companies that are not incorporated in the UK.

Payment & opening hours:

  • Iraqi Consulate: cash only
  • Chamber route (LCCI/ABCC): card/bank transfer
  • Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Price examples for legalisation for Iraq:

Legalisation type Cost per document
Personal documents + solicitor + apostille + Iraq legalisation £150
Business documents + Arab & London Chamber of Commerce + Iraq legalisation £460

Prices include all fees and VAT

Need assistance?

If you find the legalisation process overwhelming or time-consuming, consider seeking assistance from a professional document legalisation service like us. We can handle the entire process on your behalf, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and peace of mind.

Included in our embassy attestation service:

  • We advise and check that your documents meet attestation criteria
  • If documents need to be certified, we get a solicitor
  • We submit your documents to the FCDO for the apostille
  • We arrange and complete embassy attestation
  • Documents are returned by your preferred chosen method
  • You’ll also get a digital copy of your attested documents
  • We are competitively priced with no hidden fees
  • We have a service guarantee! If we can’t get your documents attested, we refund our fee.

Embassy attestation service.

Attestation can be a complicated process. We are here to help. Get a free, no-obligation quote today.

Embassy attestation service.

Attestation can be a complicated process. We are here to help. Get a free, no-obligation quote today.