Apostille for Portugal from the UK

What an apostille is and who issues it

An apostille is an official certificate that the FCDO Legalisation Office stamps onto UK public documents. It goes on only after the office has checked the signature or seal against the records it holds. If your document is destined for Portugal, the body that will receive it there sets its own requirements, so it helps to know exactly what the FCDO offers and what each option costs.

Which documents can be legalised

A document can be legalised when a UK public official issued it, or when a notary or solicitor in the UK has certified it. The examples that gov.uk gives are a contract, a power of attorney, or a qualification certificate supplied as a certified copy.

Two formats, both applied for online

You apply online for either type. With the paper-based option, documents travel by post, and a registered business can instead bring them in person. The e-Apostille is a PDF that carries the electronic signature of a notary or solicitor in the UK.

What an e-Apostille cannot cover

An e-Apostille is not available for:

• certificates of birth, marriage, death, adoption or civil partnership, and every other document the General Register Office issues;
• ACRO police certificates covering England and Wales;
• DBS certificates (the Disclosure and Barring Service) from England and Wales;
• disclosure certificates from Scotland and Northern Ireland;
• fingerprint certificates.

For anything on this list, the paper-based service is the route that remains.

Fees per document

Paper-based applications also attract courier or postage charges, and nothing is refunded when a document cannot be legalised.

Times for each service

Paper or digital? Ask in Portugal first

Before ordering an e-Apostille, ask the authority in Portugal that will receive the document what it accepts: some of them insist on paper even though an electronic version exists.