Apostille for a UK Marriage Certificate

For a UK marriage certificate, only one kind of apostille is available: the paper-based one. Marriage certificates are among the documents excluded from the e-Apostille, so the electronic route is not open here.

What an apostille is

An apostille is an official certificate in stamped form. It comes from the FCDO Legalisation Office, which checks the signature or seal of the document against its records and then attaches the certificate.

Which documents can be legalised

Legalisation applies to a document that a UK public official has issued, or that such an official — a notary or solicitor, for example — has certified. The gov.uk examples are a power of attorney, contracts and copies of qualification certificates. A marriage certificate falls among these registry documents, and one restriction applies to the whole group.

Why only the paper-based type fits a marriage certificate

Both kinds of apostille are requested through an online application. The paper-based kind is handled by post, though a registered business may also bring documents in person. The e-Apostille is a PDF that carries the electronic signature of a UK-based notary or solicitor. It is not offered for certificates of birth, death, marriage or civil partnership, for adoption certificates, or for other papers of the General Register Office. The same exclusion applies to fingerprint certificates, to ACRO police certificates and DBS certificates in England and Wales, and to disclosure certificates in Scotland and Northern Ireland. A marriage certificate sits in this excluded group, so the paper-based apostille is the only possibility.

Fees

Each type has its own charge:

Courier charges are part of the paper-based route. If a document cannot be legalised, there is no refund.

Timelines

What the receiving authority accepts

Even where an e-Apostille exists, some receiving authorities ask for the paper version instead. For a marriage certificate the question is already settled, because the paper-based apostille is the only kind on offer — but anyone legalising other documents at the same time should still check what the receiving authority wants.