What is an apostille? Meaning, Hague Convention and when you need one

An apostille is a stamped official certificate that the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) attaches to a UK public document. Before issuing it, the FCDO checks the signature or seal on the document against its records. Once the certificate is attached, the document is legalised.

What can be legalised

A document can be legalised when it was issued by a UK public official, or when it has been certified by one — for example, a UK notary or solicitor. Examples given on GOV.UK include a power of attorney, a contract, and a copy of a qualification certificate.

This page only covers what GOV.UK confirms about the apostille itself. Details about specific document categories, certification requirements beyond those listed above, or rules of other countries are not confirmed here and would need to be checked separately.

The two types of apostille

There are two types of apostille, and both are applied for online:

• Paper-based — applied for online, then handled by post, or in person for registered businesses.
• e-Apostille — for a PDF that has been signed electronically by a UK notary or solicitor.

What an e-Apostille cannot be used for

An e-Apostille is not available for some documents. You cannot get one for:

• birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates, or other General Register Office documents
• ACRO police certificates (England and Wales)
• DBS certificates (England and Wales)
• disclosure certificates (Scotland and Northern Ireland)
• fingerprint certificates

Fees

The fee per document is:

Courier costs apply to paper-based apostilles. There is no refund if the document cannot be legalised.

How long it takes

Paper or electronic?

Before choosing an e-Apostille, check whether the receiving authority will accept it: some authorities want the paper-based version even when an e-Apostille exists.

In short

An apostille is a stamped FCDO certificate attached to a UK public document after the FCDO has checked its signature or seal against its records. There are two application types — paper-based and e-Apostille — both applied for online, each with its own fee and processing time as listed above. Anything beyond these points, such as the rules of the country receiving your document, is not covered by the confirmed facts on this page and should be verified with that authority or on GOV.UK.