Apostille for a UK Birth Certificate

An apostille is a stamped official certificate that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office attaches to a UK public document after checking the signature or seal against its records. A document is legalised when it was issued by a UK public official or certified by one, such as a UK notary or solicitor — the gov.uk guidance gives a power of attorney, a contract and a qualification certificate copy as examples.

Two types of apostille, both applied for online

There are two types of apostille, and both are applied for online:

• Paper-based — handled by post, or in person for registered businesses.
• e-Apostille — a PDF signed electronically by a UK notary or solicitor.

Birth certificates cannot get an e-Apostille

You cannot get an e-Apostille for birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates or other General Register Office (GRO) documents. The same exclusion covers ACRO police certificates (England and Wales), DBS certificates (England and Wales), disclosure certificates (Scotland and Northern Ireland) and fingerprint certificates. For a UK birth certificate, the paper-based process is therefore the route that applies.

Fees per document

Courier costs apply to paper-based apostilles. If a document cannot be legalised, there is no refund.

How long each service takes

Check what the receiving authority accepts

Even when an e-Apostille exists for a document, some receiving authorities want a paper-based apostille, so check the requirement with the authority that will receive the document. For a birth certificate this choice does not arise, because only the paper-based type is available.

Related official guidance

• Birth certificates are General Register Office documents; the gov.uk section on certificates, register offices and changes of name or gender covers the register-office side of certificates.
• Apostilles are attached by the FCDO Legalisation Office; the department page covers the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office itself.

What this page does not cover

Only the points above are taken from the official guidance and stated here. Anything else — such as how to order a birth certificate, destination-country requirements, or translation needs — is not confirmed on this page and should be checked with the receiving authority or on gov.uk before applying.