All medical certificates requiring an apostille must have been issued and signed by a doctor registered with the General Medical Council (GMC).
Note that not all GMC-registered doctors are registered with the FCDO.
Therefore, medical certificates signed by doctors not registered with the FCDO must be certified before applying for an apostille certificate.
What it is:
Your medical report is the report written by your GB, Hospital, or medical examiner. With an official signature, it is an official medical report recognised by authorities, including the FCDO.
Frequently used for:
A few examples of when you would need an apostille attached to your medical report:
- Overseas injury compensation claim
- You need to prove you are fit & healthy to overseas authorities
- Requests for medical information from overseas insurers
Original or copy:
Usually, the apostille certificate is attached to the original medical report.
A photocopy can also be used, but the photocopy must be certified by a UK solicitor first. Please note if using certified copies, you MUST first check with the requesting authority if certified copies are accepted.
Considerations:
We can only apostille your personal UK medical records, not someone else’s medical report.
Your doctor must be registered with the UK GMC, including if their qualifications come from outside the UK, EEA, or Switzerland.
Replacement documents:
You can order a replacement of any lost medical documents from your local GB, Hospital, or medical examiner. [2]
How much does it cost?
Standard apostille service for a medical report starts from £79 (Includes FCDO fees, our fees & VAT).
If the medical document needs solicitor certification the cost is £110.
Other costs will depend on what service you choose (same-day service) if you need a notary or solicitor service, embassy fees or translation if required and what return delivery method is chosen.
How to order:
Straightforward apostille service for all UK documents can be ordered on our website. You can choose additional options on the order page. If you are unsure, please call our office and speak to one of our trained experts.
How long does it take the FCDO to legalise medical records?
This depends on whether or not the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has a copy of your doctor’s signature in their database. Since the FCDO only verifies the signature on your medical report, your medical professional’s signature must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC).
If the signature on your medical report is not recognised, you will have to ask your medical professional to register their signature with the FCDO.
My doctor’s signature is not registered with the FCDO
If the signature of your medical professional is not recognised, the medical report will be rejected by the FCDO until the signature is registered with their database.
To avoid any unnecessary delays, you can help expedite the apostille service process by requesting your doctor to contact the FCDO with their information.
The doctor can send a copy of their signature on headed paper (the doctor’s official stationery with contact information) to the signature verification team. They should also include their registered name, registration number, capability, and permission to preserve the signature in their system.
Any steps to speed up signature inspections will aid in the medical report’s apostille certificate and service.
When is an apostille required for my medical report?
You only require an apostille on your UK medical report if an overseas authority has requested it. Overseas authorities request an apostille when they need to verify that your medical report has been issued by an officially registered UK medical professional.
UK authorities would not request an apostille for a UK medical report. Therefore, you do not need an apostille for a UK medical report if you only use it in the UK.
Related medical documents that can be apostilled for overseas use:
Can I send my medical documents to be legalised from abroad?
You can send your UK medical documents for legalisation directly to the FCDO or an apostille agency. They will get the document apostilled and then send it back to you.
The same rules mentioned above apply. In addition, the signature on your UK medical records must be recognised by the UK FCDO.
You may want to check with the requesting authority if your medical documents need to be legalised via an Embassy or if you need a certified translation.
Can I apostille my NHS UK COVID-19 passport?
No, you cannot get an apostille for your digital NHS COVID-19 pass. Even if you would print the electronically issued COVID-19 pass. The printout would not bear an official signature that the FCDO could verify; therefore, no apostille can be issued.
Untested and unproven theory:
Although your COVID status is issued electronically, you could print the results and try to have the printed copy certified by a UK solicitor.
We’ve not had a request for this service yet, but there might be circumstances you might want a paper copy of your COVID status should a foreign authority request it.
If required, please make sure that you call our office first so that we can check on this service with the relevant authorities. (Including the requesting authorities).
The official NHS website states that the digitally issued NHS COVID Pass is accepted in over 60 countries. [3]
