Guidance

Notarial and documentary services guide for Zimbabwe

Documents, certificates, letters and notes available at the British Embassy Harare.

Overview

There is no specific formal requirement for a notarial service or certificate to be provided by the British consular section in Zimbabwe. Local notaries or lawyers can sometimes provide these services more conveniently, quickly and cheaply than the British embassy.

Services we provide

We offer the administration of the Oath of Allegiance and issue Emergency Travel Documents. You will be contacted to book an appointment for your Oath of Allegiance once your citizenship certificate has been received at the Embassy from the Home Office.

Payment

Our preferred method of payment for consular services is by credit or debit card. You may wish to give prior notice to your bank to temporarily lift any restrictions on your card in order to facilitate a payment with us.

Fees

Consular fees are paid in US Dollars at the Consular Section on the day of the appointment and are not refundable.

Services offered elsewhere

Certify documents for UK banks

Consular Section at the Embassy does not certify documents for UK banks. UK banks have been notified and they are aware. Please use alternative options suggested in the customer letter provided by your bank.

Legalise a document

Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on an official public document is genuine. It does not certify the authenticity of a document or give approval of its content. UK public documents such as birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates can be legalised by the UK government in the UK. This is also known as an apostille.

There are two steps you need to follow to have your United Kingdom document legalised for use in Zimbabwe:

Step 1: Contact the Legalisation Office, Milton Keynes, UK

To check if the document can be legalised and to apply online for this service please see How to get document legalised. Please note that in order to get your document legalised you may need to get a copy certified, signed and dated by a UK public notary or solicitor. The Embassy does not provide this service. You can locate a UK notary.

Step 2: Have the document legalised by the Zimbabwe Embassy in London at Zimbabwe House, 429 Strand, London WC2R 0JR.

Before undertaking these steps, you are encouraged to contact the local authorities for confirmation on what is required.

There is no requirement for the British Embassy in Harare to view or stamp these documents once these steps are complete.

Marriage

Please see our information on getting married abroad.

Published 1 July 2015
Last updated 18 October 2018 + show all updates
  1. updated notarial guide with services we provide

  2. updated notarial information

  3. First published.