About this site

Document Legalisation is an independent guide to getting UK documents legalised for use abroad. It explains apostilles, the FCDO Legalisation Office, the e-Apostille and embassy legalisation in plain English.

Independent, not official

This website is not the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Legalisation Office or any part of the UK government, and it is not affiliated with them. You can apply to the Legalisation Office yourself on GOV.UK.

Where our information comes from

Every fee, timescale and rule on this site is taken from official sources: GOV.UK pages published by the FCDO, and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), which runs the Apostille Convention. We link to those sources throughout. Fees and procedures change, so always check the current position on GOV.UK before you apply. Information was last checked in October 2026.

Getting help

If you would like your documents handled for you, including solicitor certification, the apostille and embassy attestation, our recommended service is Apostille Online. We may have a commercial relationship with services we link to.

Document Legalisation is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or the UK government. Fees and timescales are taken from GOV.UK and the HCCH and were checked in October 2026; always confirm the current position on GOV.UK before applying.