THE INFORMATION REGARDING CERTIFICATION AND LEGALISATION IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY AND SHOULD NOT REPLACE NOR BE QUOTED AS LAW. ALWAYS SEEK ADVICE DIRECTLY FROM THE RELEVANT JURIDICATION AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.

The special stamp certifies the signature, authenticity and capacity of the person who signed the document, and, in proper case, the authenticity of the seal or stamp on the document - by the competent state authority of the country where the document was issued.

Prior to the introduction of apostille certificates there was a considerable burden on international courts and authorities to judge the authenticity of foreign documents. However, on 5 October 1961 the Hague Convention abolished the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents. The Convention reduces all of the formalities of legalisation to the simple delivery of a certificate in a prescribed form, entitled "apostille", by the authorities of the state where the document originates.

In the United Kingdom the awarding body is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London . For further information on the awarding body for your country please click here.

The following states are all members of the Hague Convention. An apostille certificate will be legally recognised in these countries without further legalisation. ( please CLICK HERE)

Virtually any document can be legalised through the apostille process. Follow the link to a list of the most popular documents . If the document that you want legalised for use overseas is not listed here please email us the details.

The practice of a notary has significant differences from that of a s olicitor (although most notaries are also solicitors). Notaries are primarily concerned with the authentication and certification of signatures and documents for use abroad. They are also authorised to conduct general legal practice (excluding the conduct of proceedings) . They may exercise the powers of a Commissioner for Oaths. Many of them speak foreign languages and know about foreign laws, but not all of them do. A n otary identifies himself or herself on documents by the use of an individual seal. Such seals have historical origins and are regarded by most other countries as being of great importance for establishing the genuineness of a document. A n otary's seal will be registered with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and with many foreign embassies and consulates. In the United Kingdom all notaries are regulated by the Master of the Faculties of the Archbishop of Canterbury. See www.facultyoffice.org.uk .

All certified translations must be based on original documents. We would not accept simple photocopies, scanned or email attachments. We may accept photocopies so long as these are original certified copies of the source material. When providing your documents you must ensure that they are in a clear and legible format so as to avoid unnecessary delays.

We operate an expeditious 48-hour dispatch service for legalisation , so long as the document are in our possession before 12:00 AM any days (please refer to table for more details). However please allow at least 5 working days for standard delivery.

We will return to you all the original documents, together with the translated and certified versions, once the job is complete. Unless you inform us in advance that you would like to collect them in person from our office, we will return the work in a sealed envelope by special delivery. We do not keep the original nor do we keep on file the translated version unless you would like us to do so. You should keep a certified copy(s) of the certified translation in case you might need it again in the future. Otherwise we would have to start the process all over again .

You can send us your documents in a sealed envelope by special delivery, with a stamped self-addressed envelope for return by special delivery, or you can come to our office in person and leave them at our reception in a sealed envelope with your details. Should you need to meet one of our advisors in person, please book an appointment in advance since we are often extremely busy.

The costs vary according to the nature and complexity of the documents. Please speak to one of our advisors for more details. As a rule of thumb, our rates start at as little as 75 pounds sterling for a standard one - page document. This includes the cost of translation, certification from translator and authentication by a solicitor. If you have several documents please contact us to work out a plan, since we do grant discounts for bulk purchases.