Apostille
Apostille is from the French word for certification/annotation. See below for a fuller explanation. Some countries require additional certification for notarised documents. So, after I’ve notarised your document, you may have to legalise it. Legalisation means the Notary Public’s (my) signature and seal is authenticated by the:
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, by apostille; and/or
- Foreign Embassy/Consulate of the country where you’ll use the document,
This step is not always necessary, so first check with whoever wants your document.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Apostille and/or Consular Legalisation
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and/or the relevant High Commission, Embassy or Consulate may certify your documents. Countries which seldom require legalisation of documents include:
- Countries which are, or have been part of the British Commonwealth;
- Most parts of the United States;
Countries that signed the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents accept documents for legal use that:
- Have been notarised by a Notary Public, and certain other documents, which are then certified by a conformant apostille.
Obtaining an Apostille
I can obtain an apostille or the consular stamp for an additional charge. Usually I recommend clients manage the legalisation themselves, by post. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development office charges £45 for each document it legalises. This FCDO website “get document legalised” is helpful. Note:
- It is no longer possible to personally take documents yourself to the FCDO and wait while the apostille is attached.
- Consular legalisation fees vary depending on the country concerned.
Register of Apostilles
The UK Government E-Register of Apostilles is now live. Through this Register anyone with the date of issue and the offical number of an Apostille can check a document’s authenticity.
If legalisation is required
If your document requires legalisation, for the proof of documents to be sent outside the United Kingdom, then this table explains:
Where the name of a country appears in capital letters, the Hague Convention of 5th October 1961 is in force there.
Country | Form of Authentication |
---|---|
Afghanistan | Consular legalisation required. |
ALBANIA | Apostille. |
ANDORRA | Apostille. |
Angola | Consular legalisation required. Documents not in Portuguese must be submitted with a translation. |
ANGUILLA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
ARGENTINA | Apostille. |
ARMENIA | Apostille. |
AUSTRALIA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
AUSTRIA | Apostille. |
AZERBAIJAN | Apostille. |
BAHAMAS | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Bahrain | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
Bangladesh | Consular legalisation required. |
BARBADOS | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
BELARUS | Apostille. |
BELGIUM | Apostille. |
BELIZE | Apostille. |
Benin | Consular legalisation required. |
BERMUDA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Bhutan | Consular legalisation required. |
Bolivia | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA | Apostille. |
BOTSWANA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
BRAZIL | Apostille. |
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS | See Virgin Islands – British |
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
BULGARIA | Apostille. |
Burkina | Faso Consular legalisation required. |
Burma | See Myanmar |
Burundi | Consular legalisation required. |
Cambodia | Consular legalisation required. |
Cameroon | Consular legalisation required. |
Canada | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Cape Verde | Consular legalisation required. |
CAYMAN ISLANDS | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Central African Republic | Consular legalisation required. |
Chad | Consular legalisation required. |
CHANNEL ISLANDS | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
CHILE | Apostille. |
China | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
COLOMBIA | Apostille. |
Comoros | Consular legalisation required. |
Congo, Republic of the | Consular legalisation required. |
Costa Rica | Consular legalisation required. |
Cote d’Ivoire | Consular legalisation required. |
CROATIA | Apostille. |
Cuba | Consular legalisation required. Documents not in the Spanish language must be accompanied by a notarised translation into Spanish. |
CYPRUS | Apostille. |
Cyprus (North) | Legalisation by North Cyprus representative office required. |
CZECH REPUBLIC | Apostille. |
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | Consular legalisation required. |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Consular legalisation required. |
DENMARK | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Djibouti | Consular legalisation required. |
DOMINICA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
ECUADOR | Apostille. |
Egypt | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
EL SALVADOR | Apostille. |
Equatorial Guinea | Consular legalisation required. |
Eritrea | Consular legalisation required. |
ESTONIA | Apostille. |
Ethiopia | Consular legalisation required. |
FALKLAND ISLANDS | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
FIJI | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
FINLAND | Apostille. |
FRANCE | Apostille. |
FRENCH GUYANA | See France |
FRENCH POLYNESIA | See France |
Gabon | Consular legalisation required. |
The Gambia | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
GEORGIA | Apostille. |
GERMANY | Apostille. |
Ghana | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
GIBRALTAR | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
GREECE | Apostille |
GRENADA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
GUADALOUPE | See France |
GUAM | See the United States of America |
Guatemala | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. The Consulate’s fee is £10 per document. |
GUERNSEY | See Channel Islands |
Guinea | Consular legalisation required. |
Guinea-Bissau | Consular legalisation required. |
Guyana | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Haiti | Consular legalisation required. |
HONDURAS | Apostille. |
HONG KONG (SAR) | Apostille. |
HUNGARY | Apostille. |
ICELAND | Apostille. |
INDIA | Apostille. |
Indonesia | Consular legalisation required. |
Iran, Islamic Republic of | Consular legalisation required. |
Iraq | Consular legalisation required. |
IRELAND | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Isle of Man: See Man, Isle of | Apostille. |
ISRAEL | Apostille. |
ITALY | Apostille. |
Ivory Coast | See Cote d’Ivoire |
Jamaica | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
JAPAN | Apostille. |
JERSEY | See Channel Islands |
Jordan | Consular legalisation required. |
KAZAKHSTAN | Apostille. |
Kenya | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Kiribati | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Korea (North) | See Democratic People’s Republic of Korea |
KOREA (SOUTH) | See Republic of Korea |
Jordan | Consular legalisation required. |
Kuwait | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
Kyrgystan | Consular legalisation required. |
Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) | Consular legalisation required. |
LATVIA | Apostille. |
Lebanon | Consular legalisation required. |
LESOTHO | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
LIBERIA | Apostille. |
Libya Arab Jamahiriya | Consular legalisation required. |
LIECHTENSTEIN | Apostille. |
LITHUANIA | Apostille. |
LUXEMBOURG | Apostille. |
MACAU (SAR) | Apostille. |
MACEDONIA, THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF | Apostille. |
Madagascar | Apostille. |
MADEIRA | Apostille. |
MALAWI | Apostille. |
Malaysia | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Maldives | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Mali | Consular legalisation required. |
MALTA | Apostille. |
MAN, ISLE OF | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
MARSHALL ISLANDS | Apostille. |
MARTINIQUE | See France |
Mauritania | Consular legalisation required. |
MAURITIUS | Apostille. |
MAYOTTE | See France |
MEXICO | Apostille. |
Micronesia, Federated States of Consular | legalisation required. |
MOLDOVA | See Republic of Moldova |
MONACO | Apostille. |
MONGOLIA | Apostille. |
MONTENEGRO | Apostille. |
MONTSERRAT | Legalisaion of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Morocco | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
Mozambique | Consular legalisation required. |
Myanmar | Consular legalisation required. |
NAMIBIA | Apostille. |
Nauru | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Nepal | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
NETHERLANDS | Apostille. |
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES | See Netherlands |
NEW CALEDONIA | See France |
NEW ZEALAND | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Nicaragua | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
Niger | Consular legalisation required. |
Nigeria | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
NORWA | Consular legalisation required. |
OMAN | Apostille. |
Pakistan | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
Palau | Consular legalisation required. |
Palestine | Legalisation by Palestine General Delegation in London recommended. |
PANAMA | Apostille. |
Papua New Guinea | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Paraguay | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
PERU | Apostille. |
PHILIPPINES | Apostille. |
Pitcairn Island | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
POLAND | Apostille. |
PORTUGAL | Apostille. |
PUERTO | RICO Apostille. |
Qatar | Consular legalisation required. |
REPUBLIC OF KOREA | Apostille. |
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA | Apostille. |
REUNION | See France |
ROMANIA | Apostille |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | Apostille. |
Rwanda | consular legalisation required. |
ST. BARTHELEMY | See France |
SAINT HELENA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
SAINT LUVIA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
ST. MARTIN | See France |
ST-PIERRE-ET-MIQUELON | See France |
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
SAMOA(formerly Western Samoa) | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Samoa (AMERICAN) | See United States of America |
SAN MARINO | Apostille. |
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE | Apostille. |
Saudi Arabia | Apostille + Consular legalisation required. |
Senegal | Consular legalisation required. |
SERBIA | Apostille. |
SEYCHELLES | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Sierra Leone | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Singapore | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
SLOVAKIA | Apostille. |
SLOVENIA | Apostille. |
Solomon Islands | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Somalia | Consular legalisation required. |
SOUTH AFRICA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
SOUTHERN AND ANTARCTIC TERRITORIES (FRENCH) | See France |
SPAIN | Apostille. |
Sri Lanka | Legalisation of hte acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Sudan | Consular legalisation required. |
SURINAME | Apostille. |
SWAZILAND | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
SWEDEN | Apostille. |
SWITZERLAND | Apostille. |
Syrian Arab Republic | Consular legalisation required. |
Taiwan | Legalisation by Taipei Representative Office, London. |
Tajikistan | Consular legalisation required. |
Timor-Leste | Consular legalisation required. |
Togo | Consular legalisation required. |
TONGA | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Tunisia | Consular legalisation required. |
TURKEY | Apostille. |
Turkmenistan | Consular legalisation required. |
TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Tuvalu | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Uganda | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
UKRAINE | Apostille. |
United Arab Emirates | Apostille + Consular legalisation required.The Consulate’s fee for each commercial document is approx. £400. |
United Republic of Tanzania | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | Apostille (not required in all States). |
Uruguay | Consular legalisation required. |
Uzbekisstan | Consular legalisation required. |
VANUATU | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
VENEZUELA, BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF | Apostille. |
Vietnam | Consular legalisation required. |
VIRGIN ISLANDS – AMERICAN | See United States of America |
VIRGIN ISLANDS – BRITISH | Apostille advisable. |
WALLIS-ET-FUTUNA | See France |
Western Samoa | See Samoa |
Yemen | Consular legalisation required. |
Zambia | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
Zimbabwe | Legalisation of the acts of an English or Welsh notary public unnecessary in most cases. |
The requirements set out above are intended as a guide only and are not intended to replace advice from practitioners qualified in the relevant jurisdictions. Where consular legalisation is required, the particular requirements of the relevant consulate should be ascertained.
The word “Apostille” is of French origin. It comes from the French verb “apostiller” which derives from the old French word postille meaning “annotation”, and before it to the Latin word postilla a variation of the word postea, which means “thereafter, afterwards, next”. Usage of the word “apostille” dates back to the end of hte 16th century in France. The first edition of the Deictionary of the Academie francaise in 1694, provied the following definition of apostille:
An addition in the margin of a written document or at the bottom of a letter.
So an Apostille consisited of an annotation in the margin of a document or at the end of a letter.
During the negotiations on the Convention, the term “apostille” was preferrred because of its novelty. The other suggestion having been attestation.
These notes are not exhaustive but are a preliminary guideline only. They interrelate with the accompanying notes: