Apostille & Embassy Legislation Services

Often, your documents will need further authentication in the form of an Apostille from the UK Foreign Development and Commonwealth Office (FCDO), by the embassy of the country where the documents will be used, or frequently by both. For some countries, a confirmation from a chamber of commerce might also be necessary for commercial documents or invoices.

What is an Apostille?

An Apostille is ‘the authentication of a document for use in another country’. The apostille certificate confirms the signature, seal or stamp on a UK document to be genuine so that it will be accepted when presented in another country outside of the UK. We regularly process Apostilles for our clients. We offer a standard 3 to 4 working day service . Your final documents can be sent directly to you or the country of destination.           

What is an E-Apostille?

An electronic Apostille, or e-Apostille, means that the document legalisation will be carried out electronically rather than in paper form. 

Just as with a paper based Apostille, the notary will sign, date and stamp your digital  document, using a digital signature, date and seal stamp. 

The final legalised document will be in the form of PDF. The document will contain a cover letter with instructions for the receiving authority on how to view the document and a link to verify the authenticity of the Apostille. The Apostille and the original document it relates to, are  then issued as attachments to the PDF.

Before you apply

It is up to the receiving authority to determine the requirements, therefore we always ask that you check with the organisation or individual that has requested the Apostille before deciding on a paper or an electronic document.  Not every country that is a party to the Apostille (Hague) Convention has chosen to introduce the e-Apostille, Many countries do not yet accept digital legalised documents.

Please note that a small number of documents will continue to require a paper-based Apostille for specific security reasons:

• Any General Register Office (GRO) documents, such as birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates
• ACRO police certificates
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates
• Fingerprint certificates
• Membership certificates for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Embassy Legalisation
We can organise for your documents to be further processed, if you require, via any Embassy, Consulate or Chamber of Commerce. We know their different requirements, prices and turnaround times. We can either return the documents to you or we can forward them directly to the country of destination on your behalf. When couriering directly to the receiving authority, we will email you tracking numbers and scanned copies of the documents.

If you have any doubts, you should ask the intended recipient of your document whether an Apostille and/ or Embassy stamp is necessary in your particular case. For a consultation or a quote, get in touch with us by email at info@chapmannotary.co.uk, give us a call on 07799 890 480 or fill in the short enquiry form on the Contact page.

It’s a good idea to send us a copy of any documents you need legalised and along with your enquiry so we can give you an accurate quote.

We also offer notarisation, certification and translation services.