What You Need To Know About Apostille Services In The UK
We are very proud here at Documents and Visas to provide widely respected and popular Apostille Services In The UK – but what is the purpose of such services, and what else should you know about them?
An Apostille Certificate is an official certificate issued to documents that enables them to be recognised in member states without the need for further legalisation.
So if you are a British resident and wish to legalise a document for use in another country, you mayenquire about our Apostille Services UK.
What does ‘apostille’ mean?
The word ‘apostille’ is French for certify, authenticate or complete.
With regard to the apostille process, the term derives from The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. Also known as the Apostille Convention or the Apostille Treaty, it is an international treaty drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
The Apostille Convention was signed on 5th October 1961, and took effect from 14th January 1965.
How do apostille services work in practice?
The Apostille Certificate takes the form of a small square certificate attached to another document, confirming that a government form, signature, seal or stamp on that document is genuine.
Examples of documents that may be issued with an apostille range from government-issued birth certificates and documents signed by a solicitor to court-stamped documents and documents issued with a notary seal.
While the Apostille Certificate is typically issued by the state from which the document originates, in some cases, it may be another state that issues the apostille.
A document with an Apostille Certificate attached to it confirming that the signature and seals are authentic should then be accepted by any country that recognises the apostille. There should be no requirement for any further evidence or proof to be provided.
What form does the Apostille Certificate take?
There is certain information that must be included on an Apostille Certificate, which is required to comply with a prescribed format.
Such information ranges from the country of issue, the identity of the person signing the document and the capacity in which that person signed the document, to the place of issue, the date of issue and the stamp of the issuing authority.
Trust Documents and Visas for the complete apostille services in the UK
We are apostilled by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), so are well-placed to serve your needs with regard to apostille services in the UK.
Please remember that apostille documents can only be used in a foreign country after being authenticated by the consulate of the foreign country representative in the UK – otherwise, it will not be accepted. This is a service that Documents and Visas can provide for you on request.
We also have an excellent online calculator system that will let you know the cost of your requested service on the spot.
Explore our full range of fast, dependable and secure services on our website today, call +44 (0) 20 7723 7260 or +44 (0) 20 7078 4062 or send us an email to legislation@docsandvisas.comfor answers to any of your questions related to the apostille process.