Ensure your documents are recognised abroad with our comprehensive Notarisation and Legalisation Services, designed to meet the needs of individuals, businesses, and legal professionals across the UK, including Letchworth Garden City and surrounding areas. Whether you need a document notarised, legalised, or both, we guide you through each step, ensuring compliance with international standards.
What is Notarisation?
Notarisation is the first step in authenticating documents, typically required for use outside the UK. Our professional notaries verify the authenticity of your documents, confirm your identity, and witness signatures, providing you with an official notary seal or stamp. Notarisation is essential for documents such as:
- Powers of Attorney – Enabling an individual to grant legal authority to a representative abroad, often used for property transactions, legal representation, or dealing with official matters in another country.
- Certified Copies of Documents – We assist with certified copies of essential records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates, passport pages, academic qualifications, and documents for international adoption processes.
- Confirmation of Personal Status – For declarations like eligibility for marriage abroad or continued eligibility for foreign pension benefits, we can prepare and authenticate statements to meet international requirements.
- Qualification Verification – Official verification of professional or academic qualifications for use abroad, ensuring recognition of formal certifications in foreign jurisdictions.
- Sworn Statements and Declarations – Preparation and notarisation of statutory declarations, affidavits, and statements for a variety of official purposes, based on your needs.
- Execution of Foreign Wills – Assisting with the formal execution of wills that pertain to assets located in other countries, following the requirements necessary for international recognition.
- Asset Transfers – Support for the notarisation and legalisation of documents required for the transfer of assets, such as shares and other financial holdings, in compliance with foreign legal requirements.
Our expert team will guide you through each step, ensuring your documents are accurately notarised and legalised for smooth acceptance abroad. Whether you’re located in Letchworth Garden City, surrounding areas, or anywhere in the UK, we’re here to help facilitate your international legal and personal matters.
What is Legalisation?
Once notarised, documents may also require legalisation to be officially recognised abroad. Legalisation, often carried out through the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), verifies the notary’s seal or signature, making the document valid for international use.
The Apostille Certificate is normally issued by the state from which the document originates. The Apostille is attached to your original document to verify it is legitimate and to confirm the authenticity of signatures and seals. Once a document has been “apostilled”, it can be presented in any country which recognises the Apostille. The authority receiving the document should then accept the seals or signatures as true and valid without requesting further evidence or proof.
Apostille Certificates in the UK issued by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are accepted in the other countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention. Even countries not listed may still accept the Apostille but, in some cases, documents may require a further Embassy Legalisation from their respective embassies.. You should contact the Embassy of the corresponding country to find out what the requirements are.
We handle the entire legalisation process on your behalf, ensuring your document meets all necessary requirements for its intended destination.
What documents can be legalised
All apostilles are similar but not all documents are processed the same way. Therefore, it is important that they are prepared properly, and the correct version is submitted for legalisation.
Below is the type of documents that are usually legalised, followed by a list of documents:
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STANDARD DOCUMENTS: the following official government documents and other certificates from recognised authorities can be issued with the apostille with no further certification. They should bear a stamp or signature from a government employee.
Birth Certificate
Power of Attorney*
Business Documents (already certified)*
Court documents & Probates
Marriage Certificate
Affidavits*
Academic Certificates (already certified)*
Certificates of Good Standing
Death certificates
Authorisation Letters*
Deed Poll*
HM Revenue and Customs letters
Adoption Certificates
Statutory Declarations*
Deeds and Wills*
Certificate of Residence documents
Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage
Other documents signed by your Solicitor or Notary
Decree Absolute or Decree Nisi
ACPO, ACRO, Police letters, CRB's, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), Disclosure Scotland, Enhanced Disclosure
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COMPANY DOCUMENTS: most company documents need to be certified by a solicitor before the apostille can be issued. We will arrange for your document to be checked, certified by one of our solicitors and then attach the apostille to your document. This is a fully inclusive service.
Certificate of incorporation
Certificate of Good Standing
Appointing Agent Letters
AR01 Annual Return
Certificate of Name Change
Certificate of Incumbency
Bank Letters
Company letters
Memorandum of Association
Company Accounts
IN01 Incorporation Form
LLP Incorporation Forms
Articles of Association
Tax Returns
AD01 Address Form
Partnership agreements and Partnership Documents
Share Certificates
Authorisation Letters
CH01 Director Form, AP01 Director Form, M01 Director Form
Other company papers
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ACADEMIC & PERSONAL DOCUMENTS*: usually, these must be certified by a solicitor after they have been checked.
Diplomas & Transcripts: Degrees, Masters, PGCE & QTS, GCSE, A-Level, NVQ
Membership Certificates, Training Certificates, Apprenticeship & Awards
Professional Qualifications: City & Guilds, TEFL/CELTA/TESOL certificate
Identity documents: Passport, Driving Licence, Bank Statements, Utility Bills or Proof of Address, Police Clearance Certificates
Family and Personal Status Documents: Divorce Certificates, Custody Agreements, Change of Name Deeds, Parental Consent Forms
Financial & Property Documents: Tax Records, Indenture Certificates, Vehicle Registration Documents, Property Deeds, Mortgage Agreements
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BOUND SETS OF DOCUMENTS: if the following documents relate to one person or company, they can be bound together in one bundle:
Company documents
Academic certificates
School reports
The documents marked with an asterisk (*) above may need to be correctly certified by a solicitor or Notary Public before they can be legalised. In most cases we can arrange this on your behalf, if you have not had it done already. If the document explicitly states it must be witnessed by a solicitor or notary then you will need to do this before sending the document to us.
Collating documents into a ‘bound set’ is a great way of reducing the cost of legalising documents, as just one apostille will be issued. This is common with the documents mentioned in group 4 above.
Legalisation of Certified Translations
If your certified translation will be used outside the United Kingdom, the signature of the certified translator or representative of the translation company may need to be legalised. This will depend on the recipient of the translation and their requirements. It may be the case that a Notarisation is enough, but in other cases, the translation may require to be legalised with the Apostille as well. You should find out what the requirements are before requesting a certified translation.
In case the official translation has to be apostilled, we will send it to the FCDO for you, where the Legalisation Office will check the document to verify whether the signature, stamp or seal is genuine. They will then legalise the document by attaching the Apostille to it.
Apostille Prices
Legalisation fees are charged per document. The total price of your order will depend on the services you select and the number of documents. The FCDO's standard service costs £45 per document and the current turnaround time is approximately 10 working days. We can also arrange the use of consular agents, who can speed up this process considerably for a modest additional fee - please ask about this option. The fees detailed below are inclusive of the FCDO Government fees.
1. Standard Documents
£79
PER DOCUMENT
for example,
Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates
HMRC letters
ACPO, ACRO, Police Letters, DBS
No Impediment Certificate
Court Documents
Solicitor Signed Papers
2. Company Documents
£99
PER DOCUMENT
for example,
Incorporation Certificate
Appointment Reports
Memorandum & Articles
Company Letters
Companies House Certs
Minutes & Resolutions
3. Personal Documents
£79
PER DOCUMENT
for example,
Degree, Masters, Diploma
GCSE, CSE, O Level
Professional Qualifications
Training Certificates
Transcripts & Reports
School Letter
4. Bound Document Package
£99
PER DOCUMENT
for example,
Bound Company Documents
Bound Academic Documents
Bound Professional Documents
Bound Employment Documents
Bound Personal Documents
Ask for more information
Courier Prices
Delivery Options
Cost
Description
Return Postage – Royal Mail Special Delivery (UK Mainland)
£10
Deliver your documents back to your address via Royal Mail next day Special Delivery (1pm)
Return Postage – Same Day Courier to Central London
Upon Request
Deliver your documents back to your address via Same Day courier. Address in Central London should cost between £15 and £35, price quote upon request.
Return Postage – Same/ Next Day Courier Outside London (UK Mainland)
Upon Request
Deliver your documents back to your address via Next Day National / International courier. Price quote upon request.
DHL – UK Mainland
£15
Return Postage – Royal Mail Special Delivery (International)
£20
DHL – International
£60
How long does it take?
It can take up to 10 working days to process your documents using the FCDO's standard service, plus courier or postage time. We can also speed up the process through the use of consular agents. This premium service attracts an additional fee and it can take up to 3 working days.