Legalisation

Legalisation is the process by which a stamp is applied to a document by the UK based consular offices of foreign embassies to confirm that I am a Notary. It is quite separate from the Apostille and is a process that can be required additionally by some countries.

For more information about the Apostille go here.

How does legalisation work?

• A number of countries require documents to be legalised at their own embassies. This is either in place of or additional to the process of legalisation based on the application of an Apostille (see more about the Apostille here)
• These embassies have their own procedures to confirm that either or both the Notary’s signature and seal and the Apostille are authentic. They do this by applying the seal of their UK embassy or consulate to the document. This is counter-signed by an embassy official
• The embassies charge a fee for this service and this fee varies from country to country. I use an agent to obtain embassy certificates for my clients. You can attend the embassies as a private individual, but this may involve some waiting time
• I can advise you on whether the country you have in mind is likely to require legalisation and the nature of the legalisation they will need. Contact me here