What is an Apostille?

You may be asked to obtain an Apostille on your document for use abroad.  It may be referred to as legalisation.  Unless you regularly deal with documents being used overseas, these will be unfamiliar terms, so let me explain.

The Apostille is the stamp of a designated body in each of the signatory states to the Hague Convention of 1961.  In the UK this is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office whose legalisation team are based in Milton Keynes.  The Hague Convention states that if a document is signed by an official person, such as a court, Notary Public or a government registrar, and then approved by the designated body in that state, it can be recognised in any other member state.  The Apostille is therefore the official stamp in the UK to approve the signatures of such official persons.

Your Notary can arrange to obtain the Apostille on your document once it has been notarised or signed by an official person.   The process usually takes between five and seven days from your meeting with the notary.  Some countries also require the document to be stamped by their own Embassy or Consulate in the UK and this can take longer, depending on the individual embassies or consulates.

Always ask your Notary to help with legalisation or getting the Apostille as they will be able to advise.