Dealing with an overseas inheritance after a loved one has passed can be difficult and requires a lot of legal paperwork.
In most cases, documents like a death certificate/coroner’s certificate, a grant of probate and a last will and testament are required to be legalised for overseas authorities.
Legalising documents can get further complicated if the person has passed away overseas and documents have not been issued by UK authorities.
What it is:
If correctly drafted, a last will and testament is a legally binding document that outlines the distribution of wealth on death. [1]
Frequently used for:
If the deceased held assets overseas, a last will and testament is used to enable an executor to manage how the assets will be distributed.
Original or copy:
Both the original and a solicitor-certified photocopy can be legalised
Replacement documents:
The solicitor of the deceased person can provide a replacement of the last will and testament.
How much does it cost?
A standard FCDO apostille for a last will and testament starts from £110. (includes solicitor fees, FCDO fees, our fees & VAT).
Other costs will depend on your chosen service, and other UK documents you need apostilling, such as death certificates, probate, notary or solicitor service, embassy fees, etc., will be charged separately.
Do a will and testament need an apostille?
The last will and testament only need an apostille if overseas authorities have requested for the documents to be government legalised. Some countries that are not part of the Hague treaty may further request that your will and testament be legalised via their Embassy in London.
Does a last will and testament have to be notarised?
The last will and testament must be witnessed when signed to ensure that it is a valid legal and enforceable document. Often a solicitor or notary public is involved in writing the will, so your will would already be ‘notarised’.
However, anyone over 18 and not related to you can witness the will, so if no solicitor or notary has witnessed your testament, or if the probate office has not stamped the will and you need to use the document abroad, you would need to notarise the will. [2]
I have several documents that need to be apostilled – can you help?
We can help with getting all your documents certified and apostilled. The last will and testament can be ‘bundled’ with other documents such as a death certificate, coroners certificate, grant probate and affidavit.
Check with the requesting authorities that bundling documents is allowed. Sometimes documents must be legalised individually.
The same is true if embassy legalisation is required. Not all embassies and consulates allow for documents to be bundled. [3]
Last will and testament apostille service (UK GOV approved)
We offer an all-in-one service to legalise your documents with the UK government apostille.
Everyone’s circumstances are different, so please contact our office to discuss your requirements.
Here is an example of what is included in our all-in-one service:
