Apostille for a Divorce Certificate: FCDO Legalisation Guide

When a divorce needs to be shown abroad — for remarriage, civil-status matters or court proceedings in another country — the receiving authority first asks whether the document is authentic in the UK. That assurance comes from the FCDO Legalisation Office, which verifies UK public documents and, if they match its records, attaches an apostille. This article describes what document proves a UK divorce, what the Legalisation Office can attest, and what the process and costs are.

What document proves a divorce in the UK

The formal proof of a divorce is the court-issued document that ends the proceedings. A marriage or civil partnership in England or Wales ends with a final order or decree absolute, which shows your marital status — so this is the document that will typically have to be apostilled overseas. If you have lost your original, you can apply for a copy: an official copy of the final order or decree absolute is supplied by post, usually within 45 days after the court receives your payment, together with a certificate of the search.

What the FCDO can apostille

The FCDO Legalisation Office checks UK documents before attaching an apostille, and its list of eligible documents includes documents from a court: documents issued by a court and sealed with a wet ink court seal can be legalised. This applies to documents confirming the end of proceedings based on the applicant’s own information — registered UK court documents, such as a court-issued copy of a final order or decree absolute, can be checked against the office’s records and apostilled if they match.

Documents issued outside the United Kingdom cannot be legalised by this service: if your divorce took place abroad, the document must be legalised in the country that issued it.

The process step by step

1. Obtain the court-issued document that proves the divorce — the final order or decree absolute, or an official copy with a wet ink court seal.
2. Apply online for a paper-based apostille through GOV.UK.
3. Send the document by post or courier to the Legalisation Office as instructed.
4. The office checks the document against its records; if the signatures, stamps or seals match, it attaches the apostille and returns the document.
5. The receiving organisation can independently confirm that the apostille was issued — official guidance lets a recipient verify an apostille against the office’s records online.

What it costs

FCDO fees are charged per document. The main official rates: the standard paper-based service is £45, plus postage or return courier costs. An e-Apostille costs £35 per document, while the ‘Next-Day’ (£40) and ‘Restricted Urgent’ (£100) express options are available to registered businesses only. If the office cannot legalise a document, the fee is not refunded, so it is worth making sure the document is a UK court-issued, verifiable copy before you apply and pay.

What to confirm before applying

Before you send the document, check three things. First, ask the receiving organisation which document it requires — the original decree document or an official court copy — and whether a certified translation should follow the apostille. Second, make sure the document is issued in the UK with the court seal, because that is what the office verifies. Third, plan for the return postal time, since a paper apostille physically travels by post or courier.

Summary

A UK divorce is proved with a final order or decree absolute, and a UK court-issued document with a wet ink court seal can be legalised by the FCDO Legalisation Office, which verifies it against its records and attaches an apostille. The standard paper-based service costs £45 per document plus postage, express routes are open only to registered businesses, and a fee is charged for a document that cannot be legalised. A divorce that took place outside the UK must be legalised in the country that issued the document.

Редакция apostilla.uk · проверено 2026-10-30