ACRO police certificate for Ukrainians in the UK: what it is and when you need it

An apostille is a stamped official certificate that the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) attaches to public documents from the UK once the signature or seal has been checked against the office’s records. A document can be legalised when a UK public official issued it, or when such an official has certified it — for instance a notary or a solicitor in the UK. Examples include a contract, a power of attorney, or a qualification certificate copy that a solicitor has certified.

An ACRO police certificate sits inside this system with one hard limit: the electronic route is closed to it.

Two routes, both ordered online

The FCDO offers two types of apostille; applications for each are made online:

• Paper-based: after the online application, the document travels by post to the Legalisation Office; a registered business can also bring it in person.
• e-Apostille: an electronic certificate for a PDF that a UK notary or a solicitor has signed electronically.

Documents the e-Apostille does not cover

The electronic version is not available for every document. It cannot be used for:

• certificates of adoption, birth, death, marriage or civil partnership, and other General Register Office papers;
• an ACRO police certificate covering England and Wales;
• fingerprint certificates;
• DBS certificates covering England and Wales;
• a disclosure certificate issued in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

An ACRO police certificate is named on this list, so for that document the e-Apostille is out of reach and the paper-based apostille is the only option.

What the services cost

Paper-based apostilles attract courier costs in addition to the fee. If a document cannot be legalised, the fee is not refunded.

How long each service takes

What the receiving authority accepts

Check whether the authority that will receive the document accepts an e-Apostille: some want paper-based documents even where an e-Apostille exists. For a certificate from ACRO the question is settled in advance, because only the paper-based service exists for it.