GOV.UK
Get your document legalised
You can get certain official UK documents ‘legalised’ by asking the Legalisation Office to confirm that the signature, stamp or seal is from a UK public official.
You might need to do this if an official in another country has asked you to provide a UK document and they’ve said it must be legalised.
The Legalisation Office will check the signature, stamp or seal. If it’s genuine, they’ll legalise the document by attaching a stamped official certificate (an ‘apostille’) to it.
You can’t get documents issued outside the UK legalised using this service - get them legalised in the country they were issued.
What you’ll need
To use the service you’ll need:
- the documents you want to legalise
- a credit or debit card for payment
- the address you want your documents returned to
- access to a printer
If you don’t enter any information for more than 30 minutes, your application will time out and you’ll have to start again.
What you need to know
What it costs
The standard service costs £30 per document, plus courier fees or postage.
Your documents will be returned by courier.
If you’re in the UK and don’t want your documents returned by courier, include an A4-sized stamped addressed envelope.
Courier costs
| Country | Price |
|---|---|
| UK (including British Forces Post Office) | £5.50 |
| European countries (not including Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Liechtenstein, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine) | £14.50 per 500g |
| Rest of the world | £25 per 500g |
How long it takes
It normally takes 2 working days to process your documents using the standard service, plus courier or postage time. It currently takes up to 10 working days because of the high number of applications.
Premium same-day business service
The premium same-day business service costs £75 per document. Documents must be taken to and collected from the premium office in central London.
You need an account to use the premium service. Sign in if you’re an existing user or create an account.
Contact the Legalisation Office
Contact the Legalisation Office if you need help with your application.
Legalisation Office
legalisationenquiries@fco.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 03700 00 22 44
Monday to Friday, midday to 4pm
Find out about call charges