Legalisation

Many countries, especially those outside of the Commonwealth, wish to be sure that I am properly authorised in England and Wales to act as a notary. This is done by a procedure called legalisation. For most countries this means applying to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Legalisation department in Milton Keynes for an apostille. An apostille is a small certificate that will be attached to your document confirming my status as a Notary Public and confirming my signature and seal.

Some countries have additional requirements. For example most Middle Eastern countries require the document to be legalised also by their consulate or embassy. India causes further problems as different states in the country have different requirements and so for India I always advise the client to check with their contacts over there as to what they require in that particular area or state.

I can arrange for legalisation if you require. The Foreign Office are currently taking around a week to process and return documents with the apostille. If you require a faster service or additional legalisation through embassy or consulate then I can arrange for that via couriers.

I am able to e-notarise documents and apply for e-apostilles on behalf of clients but it is important that you check first with the receiving party whether such documents will be acceptable as most receiving states still require physical documents with ink signatures and embossed seal.