How do you apostille documents in the United Kingdom in 2026?

Ask the overseas office what it needs: paper apostille or e-Apostille, one certificate for a bundle or one per document, and any prior notary or solicitor certification. Apply online through GOV.UK, pay per document, then post originals for a paper apostille or upload electronically signed PDFs for an e-Apostille.

Standard FCDO fees are £45 for a paper apostille and £35 for an e-Apostille, with higher business urgent options listed on the consular fees page. Birth, death, marriage, civil partnership, and adoption certificates from the General Register Office, plus ACRO and DBS style disclosure certificates, need paper apostilles; they are not eligible for e-Apostille.

If the destination country is not in the Hague Apostille Convention, FCDO guidance describes a longer chain: apostille in the UK, then further stamps at that country’s embassy in London and its foreign ministry abroad. Confirm the chain with the requesting office before you post irreplaceable originals.

The Legalisation Office will not apostille documents issued outside the UK. Birth certificates, marriage records, police certificates, and degree diplomas from another country must be legalised under that country’s rules, often with a local apostille or embassy authentication. English or Welsh translations may also be required when a UK body cannot read the original.

Before you apply for a UK residence route, read the document list for that visa. Some supporting papers need legalisation and translation; others only need clear scans. Do not assume every foreign certificate needs an FCDO stamp in London.

School admissions teams and local authorities sometimes ask for apostilled or legalised birth certificates and previous school records when you enrol in a public school. Ask the school which format it accepts before you pay for rush legalisation. Long-term settlement evidence for permanent residence or indefinite leave can also rely on civil-status papers that were legalised years earlier, so keep certified copies in your move file.

Track apostille deadlines inside the wider paperwork after moving list so originals are not stuck in the post during a visa biometrics window.