Apostille & e-Apostille Service

What is an Apostille?

An apostille is an official authentication certificate issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) — the UK's designated competent authority under the Hague Convention. It confirms that a UK public document is genuine and was issued by an authorised official, making it legally recognised in all member states of the Hague Apostille Convention without any further embassy or consular legalisation.

The legal basis is the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the "Apostille Convention"), adopted under the Hague Conference on Private International Law.

Paper Apostille vs e-Apostille

Paper Apostille

The original document is submitted to the FCDO Legalisation Office (by post or through an agent)
The FCDO affixes a paper apostille certificate to the document and returns it
Accepted by all 129 Hague Convention member states without restriction
Processing: standard service approximately 5–10 working days; priority service available
Suitable for all eligible document types including original certificates and notarised copies
Required where the receiving country or authority does not accept e-Apostilles

e-Apostille (Electronic Apostille)

The document is certified digitally using our solicitor's Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), which is individually registered with the FCDO
Submitted electronically to the FCDO; the legalised PDF is returned digitally — typically within 48 hours
Suitable for documents that can be issued and certified in electronic format
Accepted by an increasing number of Hague Convention member states — we verify acceptance with you before proceeding
Confirmed accepting jurisdictions include most EU member states, Nordic countries, several US states, UAE, and India (post January 2025 accession)
Cannot be used for all document types — some documents (such as original paper certificates with physical security features) must follow the paper route

The e-Apostille format is not universally accepted. We always check acceptance for your specific destination and document type before advising which route to take.

The Hague Apostille Convention — Member States

The Hague Apostille Convention currently has 129 contracting states (as of July 2026). Documents apostilled by the FCDO are accepted in all of these countries without further embassy legalisation. Recent significant accessions include China (including Hong Kong and Macao SARs, November 2023), Canada (January 2024), Bangladesh (March 2025), and India (January 2025).

Key member states

All EU member states (27 countries)

United States

Canada

Australia

New Zealand

China (incl. Hong Kong & Macao)

India

Japan

South Korea

Singapore

UAE

Saudi Arabia

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Israel

Turkey

South Africa

Brazil

Argentina

Mexico

Colombia

Ukraine

Russia

Switzerland

Norway

Iceland

This is a representative selection. The full authoritative list of contracting parties is maintained by the Hague Conference on Private International Law at hcch.net.

Countries Not in the Hague Convention — Embassy Legalisation Required

If your destination country is not a member of the Hague Convention, an apostille alone is not sufficient. The standard legalisation chain for non-Hague countries is: (1) notarisation by a notary public → (2) FCDO stamp → (3) attestation by the destination country's embassy or high commission in London.

Notable non-member countries include Pakistan, Malaysia, and a number of countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and South/Southeast Asia.

Important note for documents destined for Pakistan: Pakistan is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Documents to be used in Pakistan require the full embassy legalisation route — FCDO stamping followed by attestation at the High Commission of Pakistan in London. We handle this process as part of our Legalisation Package service.

Not sure which route applies to your document and destination? Contact us for a free assessment — we will confirm the correct legalisation path before you incur any costs.

Our Process

Send us your documents

Contact us with the document type, destination country and intended use. We will confirm the correct route (paper or e-Apostille) and provide a quote covering our service fee and the applicable FCDO government fee.

Document preparation

For e-Apostille: we certify your document digitally using our solicitor's FCDO-registered QES. For paper apostille: we prepare your documents for submission to the FCDO Legalisation Office.

FCDO submission

We submit to the FCDO on your behalf. Standard e-Apostille processing is typically completed within 48 hours. Paper apostille timescales depend on the FCDO's current workload and the service level selected.

Delivery

Your apostilled document is returned to you — electronically for e-Apostille, or by tracked post for paper apostille. You can then use it directly in the destination country without further legalisation (for Hague member states).