Apostille for a Diploma Supplement: FCDO Legalisation Guide

A diploma supplement is the document a UK university issues to describe a qualification in detail — the award, the modules, the grading system and the status of the holder. When it must be used abroad, the receiving authority normally asks for an apostille confirming that the document comes from the UK and that its signatures or seals are verifiable. The FCDO Legalisation Office provides this confirmation. This article describes how the process works for a UK diploma supplement, and what it costs.

Why a supplement needs certification

Diploma supplements differ from register-office certificates: the FCDO Legalisation Office checks such certificates against its own state records, but a university is not a state register. Official guidance gives the route for private documents: a qualification document can be legalised once it has been certified by a UK public official such as a UK notary or solicitor. For a diploma supplement the sequence is the same: the supplement is certified by a UK solicitor or notary (the certification usually covers the signature on the original or a confirmed copy of the supplement), and it is that certification the office verifies before attaching the apostille.

The official guidance recommends contacting the recipient before you start: check whether it wants the original or a certified copy, and whether it requires a particular signatory, such as a UK notary or solicitor. For a supplement this is particularly useful, because some foreign authorities want the supplement in the same certified pack as the degree certificate.

Two apostille routes

• Paper-based apostille: the certified supplement travels by post or courier to the Legalisation Office, which verifies the notary’s or solicitor’s certification against its records, attaches a stamped apostille certificate and returns the document. The standard service usually takes up to 25 working days, plus courier or postage time.
• e-Apostille: the supplement is uploaded as a PDF electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor, and the certificate is delivered by email — this takes up to 2 working days. A scanned page does not qualify; the PDF’s signature must be a genuine electronic signature applied by the notary or solicitor.

Expenses

The office charges separately for each document. The official rates are £45 per document for the standard paper-based apostille, plus courier or postage costs, and £35 per document for an e-Apostille. Where a degree certificate and the supplement travel together, each is a separate paid document. If the document cannot be legalised, the fee is not refunded — so confirm the certification is correct before you apply. Courier return costs are additional on the paper route.

The process, step by step

1. Request the diploma supplement from your university’s registry (degree certificate holders often order the supplement and the certificate together).
2. Have the supplement certified by a UK notary or solicitor — or obtain the electronically signed PDF for the e-Apostille.
3. Ask the receiving authority whether it accepts an e-Apostille or requires the paper original.
4. Apply online for the chosen apostille type and pay the per-document fee.
5. On the paper route, post or courier the document to the office and wait for the apostilled return; on the electronic route, upload the PDF and receive the result by email.
6. The recipient can verify the apostille online to confirm it was issued by the Legalisation Office.

What to confirm before applying

• Whether the receiving country is in the Hague Convention (the categories of documents the apostille covers) or operates its own consular legalisation.
• Whether a certified translation must accompany the apostilled supplement.
• Whether the recipient expects the supplement with the degree certificate together as one pack — and how many separate fees that implies.

Summary

A UK diploma supplement is apostilled after certification by a UK notary or solicitor, which is what the FCDO Legalisation Office verifies before attaching the apostille. The standard paper route costs £45 per document plus courier costs and usually takes up to 25 working days plus postage; the e-Apostille takes up to 2 working days and costs £35 for an electronically signed PDF. Check the recipient’s requirements — including whether the degree certificate is also required — before you apply.

Редакция apostilla.uk · проверено 2026-10-30