Legalisation & Apostilles
Legalisation service
Supporting our clients around the world
Contents
Overview
This service is for people who need to have documents legalised. Legalisation is government confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a public document is genuine. Documents can be legalised by a Foreign Embassy or the British Government.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the department responsible for legalisation on behalf of the British Government. The FCO will legalise a document by attaching a stamped certificate (known as an ‘apostille’) to it.
Fee structure
The charges listed below are indicative professional fees for standard notarial matters, using the proplus rate structure.
Legalisation – Foreign
| Review | Free |
| Notary fees | Free |
| Embassy charges | TBC * |
| NPO arrangement fee | £105.00 |
| Total | £105.00 + Embassy fees |
| Dispatch service (upon request) | + £90.00 |
| fees include VAT where appropriate |
Legalisation – FCO (Standard service)
| Review | Free |
| Notary fees | Free |
| Govt. (FCDO) charges | £35.00 |
| NPO arrangement fee | £60.00 |
| Postal costs | £10.00 |
| Total | £105.00 |
| fees include VAT where appropriate |
Legalisation – FCO (Premium service)
| Review | Free |
| Notary fees | Free |
| Govt. (FCDO) charges | £100.00 |
| NPO arrangement fee | £60.00 |
| Total | £160.00 |
| Dispatch service (upon request) | + £90.00 |
| fees include VAT where appropriate |
* Embassy fees not included, costs vary according to jurisdiction.
The vast majority of notarial matters can be completed in less than 30 minutes.
Appointments
Before booking, make sure you have the correct documentation and that the legalised document will be accepted by the relevant authority.
What to bring
What you will need to bring with you:
- proof of identity
- proof of address
- the correct fee
- supporting documents
For all appointments for notarial services you will need to bring acceptable proof of your identity and address.
Contact
If you cannot find the service you are looking for on this page, please contact us for more information.
Same day service
We are based in the City of London and have a satellite office in the financial district at Canary Wharf.
Appointments available at your office.