What is an Apostille Certificate?

You can get documents legalised if they’ve been issued by a:

• Court and sealed with a wet ink court seal
• Public registry (e.g., birth, marriage, death certificates, or Companies House certificates)
• Government department and signed by an official (e.g., tax registration confirmation)
• Registered doctor (e.g., medical certificate)

Other documents certified by a UK notary or solicitor can also be legalised, such as:

• Power of attorney, contracts, or qualification certificates
• Copies of passports or driving licences

This is not an exhaustive list of all the documents you can get legalised. Use tool to check

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Contact the person requesting legalised documents to confirm if they need to be:

• The original documents or certified copies
• Signed by any particular person, like a UK notary or solicitor

There are two types of apostille:

• Paper-based: You will need to send documents by post or submit in person.
• Electronic (known as an "e-Apostille"): You must upload PDF documents that are electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor.
  "Electronically signed" means the document must bear a QES (Qualified Electronic Signature) or AES (Advanced Electronic Signature) from a UK notary or solicitor.

You cannot get an e-Apostille for:

• Birth, death, marriage, civil partnership, or adoption certificates
• ACRO police certificates, DBS certificates, or disclosure certificates
• Fingerprint or ACCA membership certificates

You can apply for both types of apostilles online.

You may choose which one to get, but a paper-based apostille may be required if either of the following applies:

• The person requesting the document specifically asks for a paper-based apostille.
• The type of document is not eligible for an e-Apostille.

Contact the person requesting the legalised documents to confirm whether they require:

• A single apostille for a group of documents, or
• A separate apostille for each individual document.