If your council documents have not yet been certified by an FCDO-registered solicitor or notary, we can organise this for you.
Our solicitors will request proof that your documents are genuine. An email from the council to our solicitors will often be enough to prove your document’s authenticity.
How the process works:
Step one:
Check that your council document is still valid (it was issued within the last 3 months).
Step two:
Contact our office.
- In which country will your council document be used?
- How soon do you need the apostille?
- Do you also require embassy legalisation?
- How will the document be delivered and returned?
When we have all the information, the team will assess your enquiry and give you a detailed quotation.
If you accept the quotation, we will send an invoice to be paid, and the process of getting an apostille starts.
Step three:
We will email you a scanned copy once your council document has been apostilled.
If you are not collecting your apostilled document from our London office – we will provide you with the tracking number the courier gave.
Note that we return documents by DHL or Royal Mail only. If you want to make other arrangements, please let us know.
How much does it cost?
The price includes admin, solicitor, FCDO, and VAT. Business documents incur an additional processing fee.
There could be additional costs, depending on your chosen service and how many documents you wish to apostille. Additional cost examples are:
- Translations start from £30
- Notarisation by notary public (+ £96)
- Return delivery costs (+ £12)
- Embassy legalisation (from + £75)
How long does it take to get an apostille?
There are 4 options for getting an apostille.
Option one: 10-12 days:
Your documents are “posted” to the FCDO in Milton Keynes and then posted back to our office – or your address. This process usually takes about 10 business days. (currently unavailable)
Option two: 3 to 4 days:
- If documents arrive by 10:30 am, it will take 3 days
- If documents arrive after 10:30 am, then it will take 4 days
- Documents are submitted and collected in person
Option three: 1 day (next business day)
- Documents must arrive before 10:00 am for the next-day service.
- Documents can be collected around 3:30 pm the next day.
- Documents are submitted and collected in person
Option four: e-Apostille 1 to 2 days
Electronic apostilles are usually completed within 24 hours but can take two working days, depending on the FCDO’s workload.
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.
