Frequently Asked Questions

An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature, seal or stamp that appears in the document.

The apostille certificate must contain the following information:

Country of issue
Name of the person who signed the document
The capacity in which the person signed the document.
Details of any seals or stamps in the document
Place of issue
Date of issue
Issuing authority
Certificate number
Stamp or seal of the issuing authority
Signature of the representative of the issuing authority

This is what an apostille looks like:

If you are going to use British documents overseas, for business or personal reasons, you may be asked to have your documents legalised before they can be accepted by the foreign authorities concerned.

This is because foreign authorities do not know how a British document should look like. An apostille is an assurance from the British Government, that the document is genuine.

If you are not sure what documents need to be legalised you should contact the foreign authority or organisation which require the documents.

The Legalisation Office of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) can legalise most UK documents as long as they bear an original signature, seal or stamp from a UK public organisation or official. These include registrars of births, deaths and marriages, solicitors or notaries public registered with the Law or Notaries Societies, doctors registered with the General Medical Council, veterinary surgeons, coroners, and members of the diplomatic corps (foreign diplomats) accredited to the UK.

In summary, the Legalisation Office will legalise UK educational documents; UK birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates; UK Certificates of No Impediment (CNIs) or ‘No Trace’ letters issued by the GRO; Deed Poll, some types of religious documents; UK court documents; Powers of Attorney, wills, affidavits, declarations and notarial acts; certificates of incorporation and other documents issued by Companies House; export certificates; documents from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); national identification certificates and disclosure documents; medical documents; foreign language translations of UK documents. For more detailed information on the documents that can be legalised, visit the Legalisation Office website.

If you have a foreign document that requires legalisation you should contact the relevant Embassy, High Commission or Consulate in London.

The Legalisation Office official will check the signature, seal or stamp that appears on the document against those on their records, and if they are similar the apostille (legalisation certificate) is then attached to the document, confirming it is genuine.

Simply fill in our order form and send the documents to:

Amanara UK Limited
Technology House
151 Silbury Boulevard
Milton Keynes
Mk9 1LH

Once the document arrives in our office, the service is processed within 1-2 days, so you will receive the legalised documents very quickly.

You can also bring the document to us in person. You must bring the document here by 1pm, and the document will be ready for collection within 1-2 days.

For more information, please visit our legalisation page.

We charge £59 per document

If you have multiple documents, contact us as we can offer discounts for large volumes.