Legalisation is the process of authenticating a signature, seal or stamp that appears in a document. The apostille is a legalisation certificate that authenticates a British document for use in another country. The apostille is valid in all countries who signed the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (5 October 1961).
Consular Legalisation is required when the foreign country is not party to the Hague Convention, therefore documents will need to be legalised by the relevant consulate. Please note that many consulates will ask for the apostille to be attached to the document before they provide the final legalisation.
Some documents will need to be certified by a UK practicing solicitor or notary public, before they can be legalised.
If you are not sure if your document needs prior certification (we know exactly how confusing this can be!), contact us and we will be able to help.
Apostille
Consular Legalisation
Memberships
