When moving overseas, authorities, employers or other bodies from that country might ask for proof of address, like a council tax bill, amongst other documents to prove your residency in the UK.
If a council tax statement has been requested, an official apostille is needed to verify the information.
Before an apostille can be attached, the council tax letter (bill or statement) needs to be authenticated and verified as genuine by a UK solicitor.
What it is:
A council tax letter is a bill or statement from your local council that outlines how much council tax you owe and pay the local authorities.
Frequently used for:
An apostilled council tax letter is often used to provide proof of your UK residential address.
It could also be requested when:
- Opening bank accounts overseas
- Buying a property overseas
- Starting a new business overseas
- Starting a new job overseas
Original or copy:
We can apostille either the original or a solicitor-certified copy of the original.
Replacement documents:
You can get a replacement by logging into your online account and printing the document, or you could request it from the local council office.
How much does it cost?
An apostille for a certified council tax letter starts from £79 (including FCDO fees, our fees & VAT).
If the letter requires solicitor certification, the cost is £110. (This includes all fees)
Other costs will depend on what service you choose. For example, same-day service. The price will also depend on whether you need a notary or embassy attestation and what return delivery method you choose.
Note that the same day is not available if embassy attestation is also required.
What if you are exempt from council tax and don’t have a letter?
If you are exempt from paying council tax, you won’t be able to produce a council tax letter for the requesting authorities. You should contact them and inform them that you could get other proof of residence documents apostilled.
Documents like – a certificate of residence, an apostilled letter from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), or an apostilled confirmation letter from the electoral register search.
What does a council tax letter or bill look like?
Is a council tax letter different from a council tax bill or council tax statement?
The council tax letter and council tax bill are the same documents. Both documents are issued monthly if you do not pay annually. The council tax statement is the document issued at the beginning of the council tax year, itemising how much you owe and a monthly payment plan.
Please remember to pay the correct postage if you send your documents with Royal Mail. Unfortunately, we cannot pay any additional postage costs, and your documents may not be returned.
If you collecting your apostilled council tax letter from our central London office, please be aware we operate an appointment-only service between 10 am and 4 pm, Monday – Friday. To see us between these times, you will need to make an appointment by calling +44 (0) 207 0500 692
As soon as we receive your application, we will check it to ensure everything is in order. We will contact you if we need any further information.
