What is an apostille?

An apostille is an internationally recognised certification of a document's authenticity, issued in one country for use in another. It was introduced by the 1961 Hague Convention, which simplifies the legalisation of documents between signatory countries (including the UK, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and most of the world). Instead of complex consular legalisation, a single apostille stamp from the competent British authority is all that is needed.

When you need a British document with an apostille

• You are presenting a Companies House extract (Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Association) to a foreign bank
• You need to prove the existence of a UK company to a court, notary or authority in another country
• You are presenting a power of attorney executed in the UK for use abroad
• You need to certify a signature or seal on a British document for use overseas
• Commercial contracts, guarantees or corporate declarations issued in the UK need to be recognised by a foreign party

How the apostille works in the UK

In England and Wales, apostilles are issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). In Scotland they are issued by the Court of Session (for court documents) or the competent authority depending on the type of document. The apostille is attached directly to the document and certifies the authenticity of the signature or stamp of the authority that issued it.

Documents issued by Companies House (register extracts, Certificate of Incorporation, etc.) can be apostilled through the FCDO after a certified copy is obtained from the register.

How we help

• We identify which document and which type of apostille you need
• We obtain the document from Companies House or the other competent authority
• We coordinate the apostille application with the FCDO or the competent authority
• We send the apostilled document by post or courier as agreed

The standard FCDO processing time for an apostille is approximately 3–5 working days. Express processing (1 working day) is available for an additional fee.