Notary Public

In some jurisdictions, a notarial act will be accepted without any further authentication. This is most likely to be a jurisdiction that is part of the Commonwealth and a former British colony such as Australia, Canada or South Africa.

 

For other jurisdictions where the document is to be used, further authentication of the notarial act is usually required.

 

An apostille or legalisation of a document serves as official proof that the signature and seal of the Notary on the document is genuine.

 

For many jurisdictions, legalisation through an apostille is sufficient. The Hague Apostille Convention of 1961 abolished the requirement of diplomatic and consular legalisation for public documents between countries who are parties to this convention.

 

In the United Kingdom, the competent authority for issuing apostilles is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

 

For countries that are not party to the Hague Apostille Convention, legalisation by apostille is not sufficient and consular legalisation in addition to the apostille may be required. This will mean that it is necessary for the notarial act to bear a legalisation stamp from the consulate of the country where the documents are to be used. For example, documents for use in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will need to be certified by a Notary Public, apostilled by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and legalised by the Embassy of the UAE in London.

 

I can advise you in respect of the requirements of the receiving jurisdiction and will be happy to obtain the necessary legalisation for you. Where urgent legalisation is required, I can obtain this through experienced agents who will personally attend at the Premium Service Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (for apostilles) and many embassies which are based in London.

 

Legalisation fees

 

Please note that fees are charged by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for apostilles.

 

A fee of £45 per document is currently payable to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office plus return postage or courier costs.

 

The fees for Consular Legalisation will vary depending on the Consulate/ Embassy concerned. I can advise on this if necessary.

 

I do recommend that documents be sent by special delivery or courier.