Once a document has been authenticated by the notary applying their signature and seal, the notarial act is complete. Often the document will then be immediately acceptable in the receiving country. This is usually the case, for example, with Commonwealth and former Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada and India.
Many countries, however, require a further step before a notarised document will be accepted. This step is known as legalisation.
The apostille
For countries that are party to the Hague Convention of 1961, legalisation takes the form of an apostille: a certificate attached to the document by the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirming that the notary’s signature and seal are genuine. Most European countries, including Spain, Portugal, Germany, France and Italy, as well as the United States, accept an apostilled document without further formality.
Applications to the Legalisation Office are made by post or through a registered business service; there is no public counter. For most clients this is inconvenient, and the notary will arrange the apostille as part of the service, using the expedited business channel where speed is important.
Consular legalisation
Some countries are not party to the Hague Convention and require the document, after the apostille, to be legalised again by their embassy or consulate in London. This applies, for example, to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China and a number of other countries. The notary can organise this too, and will advise on the requirements of the particular embassy, which vary and change frequently.
Costs and timing
The Legalisation Office fee, any consular fee and courier costs are payable in addition to the notarial fee. Timing depends on the route: an e-Apostille takes up to two working days, and a paper apostille approximately five working days when we obtain it through the FCDO’s business-only courier channel (up to 25 working days by post), while consular legalisation may take one to three weeks depending on the embassy. We tell you the expected cost and timescale before we start. See our notarial fees page.