UK documents for India: apostille and police clearance

An apostille is an official certificate carrying a stamp. The FCDO Legalisation Office attaches it to UK public documents after checking the signature or seal against the records it holds.

Which documents can be legalised

A document qualifies when a UK public official issued it, or when such an official — for instance a notary or a solicitor in the UK — has certified it. The examples given on gov.uk are a power of attorney or a contract, and a qualification certificate that a solicitor has certified. This is what applies to UK-side paperwork such as a police certificate that needs to be accepted abroad: the apostille system covers UK public documents.

Two kinds, both applied for online

• Paper-based: you apply online, then send the document by post, or hand it in if you are a registered business.
• e-Apostille: an electronic certificate for a PDF that a notary or solicitor based in the UK has signed electronically.

Ask the receiving authority what it accepts first, because some of them insist on paper even if an e-Apostille is available.

Documents that cannot get an e-Apostille

• Certificates of birth, death, marriage, civil partnership or adoption, plus anything else the General Register Office issues (the register offices guidance on gov.uk covers these);
• ACRO police certificates issued in England and Wales;
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates issued in England and Wales;
• disclosure certificates issued in Scotland or in Northern Ireland;
• certificates relating to fingerprints.

So for a UK police clearance or fingerprint document meant for use overseas, the paper-based route is the one that remains.

Fees per document

Paper-based apostilles attract courier charges, and if a document turns out to be impossible to legalise, no refund is given.

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