The FCDO's quickest service open to everyone, the £35 e-Apostille, takes up to two working days. You cannot use it for a birth certificate: GOV.UK lists "birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates, or any other document from the General Register Office" among the documents that only get the paper kind, usually up to 25 working days plus postage.
The other traps are the copy and the translation: a short certificate where the parents' names were needed, a sole original that a consulate keeps, a translator the destination does not recognise.
This guide covers when you need an apostille, which copy to order in each UK nation, the FCDO step, what five destinations ask for, and the translation. For apostilles in general, see what is an apostille.
Do I need an apostille on my UK birth certificate?
Only if the authority abroad asks for one. GOV.UK's test is simple: you might need it "if an official in another country has asked you to provide a UK document and they have said it must be legalised."
What happens next depends on the destination:
- Apostille Convention countries, including Italy, Spain, Poland, France and the Netherlands, accept the FCDO apostille on its own. China has done so since 7 November 2023, when its missions in the UK stopped consular legalisation.
- Countries outside the Convention add steps. The FCDO describes three: the apostille, a stamp from that country's embassy in London, then approval by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qatar, for example, wants British birth certificates for sponsorship applications attested by the Legalisation Office and the Qatar Embassy in London.
- Thailand has acceded, but the Convention only takes effect there on 28 February 2027.
Only the UK can apostille a UK certificate: as the German missions in the UK put it, a British certificate "can only be apostilled by the Legalisation Office of the British Government." British embassies abroad cannot do it.
If you were born abroad and became British later, there is no UK birth certificate to apostille. The FCDO notes that such births are "not transcribed to British registers", so your birth certificate comes from your country of birth and must be legalised there.
Which birth certificate should I apostille, full or short?
The full one, as a certified copy issued by the registry. In England and Wales, GOV.UK describes "the short version, which contains only the baby's details" and "the full version, which also contains the parents' details". A registry abroad that uses the certificate to link a child to a parent needs the second: Poland's consulate in London asks for the original certificate zawierający imiona i nazwiska rodziców (containing the parents' names).
| UK nation | Where to order | Version to ask for | Fee and speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | General Register Office (GRO) or the local register office | Full certificate, with the parents' details | £12.50, sent 4 days after you apply if you have the GRO index reference; priority £38.50, next working day if ordered by 4pm |
| Scotland | National Records of Scotland or a local registrar | Full extract (Scottish certificates are officially "extracts"); an abbreviated version also exists | Set by NRS or the registrar |
| Northern Ireland | GRO Northern Ireland | Long certificate, showing the registered parents and their occupations | £15; priority £20 |
Three more points before you order:
- Send an original certified copy issued by the registry. The FCDO checks the registrar's signature or seal against its records, and offices such as the Italian consulate in London want the apostille on the certificate itself, not on a solicitor's or notary's copy.
- Order a spare. The Italian consulate keeps the original, which "must remain in the Archives of this Consulate".
- An older copy is not worse in itself. The FCDO tells French authorities that British birth certificates "do not, therefore, change and have no expiry date". Some destinations still set a time limit.
How do I get a UK birth certificate apostilled?
Apply online at GOV.UK, then post the certificate:
- Check what the authority abroad wants: original or certified copy, how recent, one apostille per document or one for a group, and who may translate.
- Order the right copy, plus a spare if the authority keeps originals.
- Apply for the standard paper service: £45 per document, plus courier (£6 per 1.5kg in the UK, £32 to most of Europe, £42 elsewhere) or a stamped A4 envelope for a UK address. Fees are not refunded if the document cannot be legalised.
- Post the certificate to the address you are given. GOV.UK says the standard service takes "usually up to 25 working days, plus courier or postage time"; in October 2026 the application service was showing 15 working days from receipt. Faster services are for registered businesses only.
- Keep the apostille attached. The HCCH Apostille Handbook says detaching it from the document "invalidates the Apostille".
- Let the recipient verify it on GOV.UK's verify an apostille service, using the issue date and the apostille number.
Our apostille turnaround guide sets out how long each step takes.
What do authorities abroad ask for?
Each sets its own rules. Five examples from official sources:
| Destination and purpose | What it wants on the certificate | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Italy: registering a UK-born child at the Italian consulate in London | "full birth certificate or certified copy of an entry of birth" with a paper apostille; the original stays on file | Italian translation of the certificate; "the Apostille does not need to be translated" |
| Poland: transcription into the Polish civil register through the consulate | The original showing the parents' names; an apostille "may" be needed; consular fee £53 | A sworn translator on the Polish Minister of Justice's list or authorised in an EU or EEA state, or the consul as a separate paid service |
| Netherlands: registering a document in the population register (BRP) | A paper apostille, which the Dutch government says civil status records need; the certificate stays valid however old | "Documents in English do not have to be translated" |
| France: a marriage file at a town hall | A foreign birth certificate no more than 6 months old on the day the file is lodged, or older with an attestation that UK certificates are never updated | By a traducteur assermenté (sworn translator) |
| Spain: documents presented in Spain | The FCDO apostille | A sworn translator recognised by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says the Spanish consulate in London |
The Italian consulate and the Dutch authorities take the UK certificate as issued, with an ordinary translation or none. Poland, France and Spain want sworn translators (Poland also accepts its consul), and a certified translation by anyone else, however careful, is not a sworn translation there. For documents used in Italy itself, the Italian foreign ministry wants a translation "certified as compliant by the competent diplomatic/consular Mission or by an official translator".
What should the translation of a UK birth certificate show?
Everything on the certified copy, in the same order:
- The child's names exactly as registered, with no adaptation to the destination's naming customs. The FCDO explains to French authorities that English law places no restriction on the surname registered for a child.
- Both parents' details as recorded, occupations included where shown.
- The informant. The Italian consulate checks this box: if unmarried parents' certificate names only one of them as informant, it asks for a separate declaration acknowledging the child.
- Registration details: registration district, entry number, date of registration and the registrar's signature.
- Annotations, such as a later change to a child's name, which the FCDO notes leaves "the original name" on the document.
- The statement that it is a certified copy of an entry, and every printed note on the copy.
- Handwriting. The FCDO's note warns that the GRO cannot supply a typed copy of a handwritten entry, so every handwritten word is transcribed, and anything unreadable is marked [illegible].
For birth certificates travelling the other way, into UK applications, see birth certificate translation for UK use.
Can the translation itself be apostilled?
Yes, through a notary. A translation is not normally a public document, but the HCCH explains that the translator can declare its accuracy before a notary, and the notarial certificate then "becomes the public document" that is apostilled. For certificates from other countries, the Italian consulate in London accepts an official translator's translation "legalised by Apostille".
With our apostille service, the certified translation is notarised and then apostilled, and that apostille is attached to our translation, not to your birth certificate. It costs £149.95 per document as an e-apostille or £199.95 on paper, typically in 5 to 7 business days. The apostille on the certificate itself is a separate application that you make to the Legalisation Office.
Where the destination insists on its own sworn translator, a notarised and apostilled translation does not replace one. See certified vs notarised translation and translation and apostille: when you need both.
Why birth certificate apostilles get rejected or wasted
- A short certificate sent where the parents' names were the point.
- A solicitor's or notary's copy sent to keep the original, when the office wanted the registry's own certified copy apostilled.
- An e-Apostille application for a GRO certificate.
- The only original posted to a consulate that keeps it.
- A certificate too old for the destination's time limit, such as France's 6 months when no attestation shows that UK certificates are never updated.
- A translator the destination does not recognise, such as a non-sworn translator for a Polish transcription.
Checklist: before a UK birth certificate goes abroad
Questions people ask
Can I get an e-Apostille on a UK birth certificate?
No. GOV.UK lists birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates, and any other General Register Office document, among those that cannot get an e-Apostille. You need the paper service, which costs £45 per document plus courier or postage.
How much does it cost to apostille a birth certificate in the UK?
The FCDO charges £45 per document for the standard paper apostille, plus return courier from £6 within the UK or your own stamped envelope. If you need a new certificate first, a GRO copy for England and Wales costs £12.50, or £38.50 by the priority service.
How long does a birth certificate apostille take?
GOV.UK says the standard service usually takes up to 25 working days, plus courier or postage time; in October 2026 the application service was showing 15 working days from receipt. Next-Day and same-day services are open only to registered businesses.
Can I apostille a photocopy or a short birth certificate?
Send an original certified copy issued by the registry, not a photocopy: the FCDO checks the registrar's signature or seal, and offices such as the Italian consulate in London want the apostille on that certificate. A short certificate leaves out the parents, which registries such as Poland's need, so order the full version.
Does an apostille on a birth certificate expire?
No. The HCCH says an apostille "may not be rejected solely on the basis of its age", and the FCDO notes that British birth certificates never change. The authority abroad can still limit the certificate's age: French town halls want a foreign one no more than 6 months old for a marriage file unless an attestation shows it is never updated, while Dutch authorities accept a legalised UK certificate whenever it was issued.
Does the apostille itself need to be translated?
Not under the Apostille Convention: the HCCH says an apostille may not be rejected for being in another language, and no translation of it may be required. The Italian consulate in London says the apostille does not need translating; if another office asks, it is translated like the rest of the document.
Can Official Translations apostille my birth certificate?
No. The apostille on a UK birth certificate comes only from the FCDO Legalisation Office, and you apply for it yourself. We translate the certificate and, if the destination wants it, supply the certified translation notarised and apostilled, with that apostille attached to our translation, for £149.95 (e-apostille) or £199.95 (paper) per document.
Can a Scottish or Northern Irish birth certificate be apostilled?
Yes. The Legalisation Office apostilles public registry certificates, so an extract from National Records of Scotland or a registrar, or a GRO Northern Ireland certificate, goes through the same paper service. Order the full extract or long certificate: the Northern Irish short certificate leaves out the parents.
