To get an apostille, the original degree certificate must have been issued by a recognised UK university or institute where you completed the educational course.
Some online ‘only’ university degrees may now be apostilled in the UK. Check with our office if your online-only degree qualifies for an apostille.
How the order process works:
Step one:
Check with the requesting authority if the original or the official copy (the PDF you receive from the university) can be apostilled.
Step two:
Both the original and electronic versions of the degree certificates must be certified by a solicitor or notary public before they can be apostilled.
If you don’t want to organise your own certification, we can provide this service for you.
Step three:
Contact our office by phone or email and let them know you need your degree certificate(s) apostilled.
When emailing, please provide the following information:
- Do you also need your transcripts apostilled?
- Are your degrees already certified?
- Is the apostille for the original – or copy?
- In which country will your documents be used?
- Do you require a translation of your degree?
- How soon do you need the apostille?
You do not need to send the originals to our office if you use an official copy.
Most customers choose to apostille the official copy as this option saves time and keeps the original degrees intact. Just send the copy via email, and we will certify the electronic version (PDF).
Once we have all the information, the team will assess your enquiry and give you a detailed quotation.
If you accept the quotation, we will take care of everything.
Step four:
When your degree certificate has been apostilled, we will send you a scanned copy via email to confirm the process has been completed successfully.
Your documents are on their way or ready for collection.
If you are not collecting your apostilled degree from our London office – we’ll provide you with the DHL tracking number as soon as they’ve been given to the courier.
Note that we return documents with DHL (only).
How much does it cost?
A standard FCDO apostille for a degree certificate costs £110. (includes solicitor fees, FCDO fees, & VAT).
Other costs will depend on what service you choose (express or same-day service), if you need a notary, embassy attestation fees, and what return delivery method has been chosen.
Additional cost examples are:
- Same day or express service (+ £123)
- UK return delivery costs (+ £20)
- Notarisation by notary public (+ £90)
- Embassy authentication (from £75)
- Translations (from £60)
How long does it take to get an apostille for a degree certificate?
Our standard processing time for getting an apostille is 2-3 days.
Here is what 2 to 3 days mean:
- If your documents arrive by 10 am, it will take 2 day to process your documents + next-day return delivery.
- If your documents arrive after 10 am, then it would take 3 days to apostille your documents + next day return delivery.
We also offer a same-day apostille service.
- Documents must arrive before 10 am for the same-day service.
- Documents can be collected around 4 pm the same day.
Same-day service assumes you can drop off and collect your documents on the same day at our London office.
If a mailing or courier service is utilised, the same day becomes a 24-hour service.
Read the full same-day apostille service explanation.
Do I have to come to your office?
No, you don’t need to attend our office in Westminster. Documents can be sent by courier, post, or email. We recommend using a tracked service if you send your documents by post. We return your documents in the same way.
You are of course welcome to drop documents off and collect in person. Delivering in person requires that you have an order number. Please make sure you contact our office first.
Regardless of what service type you choose, the following is always included:
How does the notarisation of UK university degrees work?
To get your university degree notarised you need to follow the following steps:
- 1Make an appointment with the notary (we can organise this for you)
- 2Before meeting with the notary, you need to prepare all documents and send a scanned version to the notary’s office.
- 3
You must bring your passport and proof of address for the appointment.
- 4You must sign your degree in the presence of the notary and swear that your degree is genuine.
- 5The notary will attach their official seal and signature to your degree.
- 6Once notarised, you can submit your degree to get an apostille.
If you need notarisation, don’t hesitate to contact our office to arrange a notary appointment.
What information should the solicitor certification include?
The solicitor should include the following when certifying your degree certificate for the apostille service.
Please note that some authorities abroad will not accept copies of certain documents, even though they can be legalised. If you want to ensure your degree certificate copy will be accepted, contact the concerned foreign authority.
What authentication options are there for UK degree certificates?
Examples of types of degree certificates that can be legalised:
If your degree is not listed above, contact us, we can legalise all UK degrees.
What is the UK degree attestation process?
The degree attestation process is a service provided on top of the apostille certificate. Some countries may require the apostilled degree certificate to be legalised further by the consulate of the country you wish to use it.
We provide degree certificates legalised and apostille certificates for international use when needed.
Can I get an apostille for my degree certificate if I am not in the UK?
Yes, you can get an apostille for your UK degree even if you are not in the UK.
You can also check if the British Embassy in the country you are in can authenticate your degree.
If the local embassy does not authenticate your degree, you will have to send us the original or a certified copy.
A copy of your degree is preferred as you can email it, and we can certify that digital copy for you. Before sending us the electronic copy, ensure that the requesting authority accepts a certified copy. Some countries will only accept the original.
Also, your degree might require embassy attestation if the country is not part of the Hague Convention. Again, please check with the requesting authority.
If you have several degree documents or want to include your transcript, we can bind documents into sets to save you money.