Legislation and Apostille Services
In simple terms, apostille services validate your documents and make them legally recognised in foreign countries by attaching a special certificate called an apostille.
An apostille is normally required for documents heading to countries which have signed up to the Hague Convention. A full list of member countries that are signed up to the Hague Convention can be found here .
The apostille stamps are issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), essentially it confirms that the document has been correctly and authentically certified by an official that is recognised by the UK Government. (Such as a Registrar or Notary Public)
This is particularly useful when a document is being sent to another country and the receiver has no sure-fire way of knowing if the document or the Notary’s signature is authentic or not, but once they see the apostille stamp which has the HM Royal Seal they can be satisfied about it’s authenticity.
When Would I Need An Apostille Stamp?
There are many situations in which an apostille stamp would be needed; all of which are when a document is being sent abroad to a Hague convention member country. Listed below are some examples of where an apostille certificate may be necessary:
- Birth/Death certificate
- Educational certificates issued in the UK
- Powers Of Attorney documents
- Marriage certificates
- Statutory Declarations
In most situations a document will need to go through this two step verification process of being notarised by a Notary Public and then apostilled by the FCDO; before it would be accepted in a Foreign Jurisdiction.
Express and Next Day Apostille Service
South London Notaries are a “one stop shop” when it comes to the document verification and legalisation procedure and we excel in terms of speed, convenience and most importantly price. We are able to offer both notary certification as well as apostille services in a package deal. We also have a range of packages that offer fast processing times.
We can get the apostille done in approximately 4 working days and in some cases; provided we get the document early enough; we can have them ready the next working day.
Still Unsure?
Feel free to give us a call to find out more information.