Legalisation is the process through which foreign governments authenticate documents. If you wish to use a document outside of the country, local authorities will require it to be legalised before it can be accepted. Each jurisdiction has different legalisation standards based on the type of document being legalised and its intended purpose.
The following are examples of common papers that may require legalisation:
- Invoices
- Business Contracts
- Export Document
- Certificates of Origin.
- Adoption paperwork with a power of attorney
- Certificates of marriage/birth
- Certificates of Education
- Medical records
- Free Sale Certificate
The process of legalisation is a multi-step one. To be recognised as real and legitimate, your document may need to be legalised by a local government, the UK government, and the destination country’s Embassy.
The Legalisation Office will check the document, including if the signature, stamp, or seal is authentic. They will certify the document by affixing a stamped official certificate (an ‘apostille’) to it.
What is Embassy Attestation?
Many of the nations mentioned above will issue their own attestation stamps and certifications to a document. This attestation is often made to certify the legitimacy of an apostille issued to a document, ensuring that the document is legally recognised in the corresponding nation.
The processing time and complexity for this differ per nation. The UAE embassy, for example, requires merely the document with the apostille to give its stamp, but the Chinese embassy requests a copy of the passport for the individual identified on the paper and insists on the apostille being no more than three months old.
You cannot use this service to have papers issued outside the UK legalised; instead, have them legalised in the nation where they were issued.
What You’ll Need to Bring:
- You will need the following to utilise the service:
- the papers to be legalised a credit or debit card for payment the address to which your documents should be returned access to a printer
- How long does it take
- The basic service might take up to ten working days to process your papers, plus courier or mailing time.
If your application is urgent, please contact the Legalisation Office.
If You Want to Avail of a Premium Same-Day Business Service:
The premium same-day business service is exclusively available to registered businesses and costs £75 per document.
You must deliver your documents to the premium office in central London between the hours of 9 am and 12:30 pm. You will be given a time slot between 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm to pick up your belongings.’
How Much Does it Cost to Legalise a Document
The standard service costs £30 per document, plus any courier or shipping fees.
Conclusion
The apostille is a type of authentication that makes certificates and documents used internationally acceptable. It is recognised by many countries and has been used to ensure documents are authentic. The process of getting an apostille is relatively straightforward, but the standard document can be rejected if you fail to follow the proper steps. You can save yourself time and money by ensuring you know what you are getting before the process.
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