An official in Madrid or Seoul has no way of telling whether the signature on your UK birth certificate is genuine, and no one to ring to find out. The apostille solves that problem with one standard certificate, issued in the country the document came from, which the 130 parties to a 1961 Hague treaty have agreed to accept.
What people get wrong is what it proves. An apostille does not make a document true, current or acceptable, and it puts nothing into another language: it confirms where the document came from.
This guide explains what an apostille is, what it proves, who issues one for UK documents and what it costs, which countries accept it, and how it fits with translation.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a certificate attached to a public document that authenticates its origin. It comes from the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, which entered into force for the UK on 24 January 1965.
Before the Convention, a document went through a chain of authentications ending at the destination country's embassy, a process the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) calls "slow, cumbersome and costly". Article 3 replaced that chain: the apostille is "the only formality that may be required" to certify the signature, the signer's capacity and the seal.
Every apostille follows the model annexed to the Convention: a box with ten numbered items.
| No. | Item | What it records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Country | Where the public document was issued |
| 2 | has been signed by | The person who signed the document |
| 3 | acting in the capacity of | Their role, such as registrar or notary |
| 4 | bears the seal/stamp of | The office whose seal appears |
| 5 and 6 | at / the | Place and date the apostille was issued |
| 7 | by | The authority that issued it |
| 8 | No | The apostille's unique number |
| 9 and 10 | Seal/stamp, Signature | The issuing authority's own seal and signature |
The title must be in French, "Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961)", but Article 4 lets each authority use its own official language for the rest, so a UK apostille is in English. The numbered layout is what lets an official in another country read it.
What does an apostille prove, and what does it not?
It proves the origin of the document and nothing more. Article 5 says a completed apostille certifies "the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears."
The HCCH is blunt about the limits: "An Apostille does not certify the content of the public document to which it relates," and apostilles "do not give any additional weight to the content of underlying documents." The FCDO says the same of its own service, which "does not certify the authenticity of a document or give approval of its content."
In practice:
- An apostilled certificate is still the same certificate. The receiving authority decides what weight to give it.
- An apostille does not repair anything. A missing parent's name or an outdated certificate stays a problem.
- An apostille is not a translation. If the authority wants the document in its language, that is a separate step.
- An apostille is for use abroad only. In the HCCH's words, it "may never be used for the recognition of a document in the country where that document was issued."
Who issues apostilles for UK documents?
The FCDO Legalisation Office, the UK's designated competent authority under the Convention. It checks "if any signatures, stamps or seals match their own records" and, if they do, attaches the apostille. You apply online, from the UK or abroad.
Four points save wasted time:
- No consulate can do it. British embassies, high commissions and consulates "cannot legalise documents of any kind."
- No foreign embassy can do it either. The German missions in the UK say a British certificate "can only be apostilled by the Legalisation Office of the British Government."
- The Crown Dependencies and overseas territories are separate. Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and the other overseas territories have their own competent authorities, listed by the HCCH.
- Foreign documents go home. The FCDO cannot legalise documents issued outside the UK; they must be apostilled in the country that issued them.
Paper apostille or e-Apostille: what does each cost?
Both are the same certificate in different forms. The FCDO's fees, in force since 1 January 2024, are charged per document:
| FCDO service | Fee per document | Who can use it |
|---|---|---|
| Standard, paper | £45, plus courier or postage | Anyone, sending documents by post |
| e-Apostille | £35 | Anyone, uploading PDFs electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor |
| Next-Day, paper | £40 | Registered businesses only |
| Restricted Urgent, paper, same day | £100 | Registered businesses, with prior approval |
The FCDO warns: "If your document cannot be legalised you will not be refunded." How long each service takes is in our apostille turnaround guide.
The e-Apostille has two limits. It applies only to PDFs electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor, and it is not available for birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates from the General Register Office (GRO), ACRO police certificates, DBS certificates, disclosure certificates from Scotland and Northern Ireland, fingerprint certificates or ACCA membership certificates. The HCCH says "an e-Apostille cannot be refused simply because it is issued in electronic form", but ask the recipient which form it wants before you pay.
Which UK documents can get an apostille?
Public documents, plus private ones that a UK notary or solicitor has certified. The FCDO apostilles documents issued by:
- a court, "sealed with a wet ink court seal"
- a public registry, such as a GRO certificate or a Companies House certificate
- a government department, signed by an official
- a registered doctor, such as a signed medical certificate
A degree certificate, a contract, a power of attorney or a copy of a passport must first be certified by a UK "public official", such as a notary or solicitor, and the apostille then covers that person's signature. The document-by-document list is in which documents need an apostille.
Which countries accept apostilles?
The 130 parties to the Convention, listed in the HCCH status table, from the date it takes effect for each. Recent changes include:
- Joined: Saudi Arabia (7 December 2022), Pakistan (9 March 2023), China (7 November 2023), Canada (11 January 2024), Bangladesh (30 March 2025), Algeria (9 July 2026) and Viet Nam (11 September 2026).
- Coming: Thailand has acceded, and the Convention takes effect for it on 28 February 2027.
The HCCH advises checking two things in the table: that the Convention is in force for both countries, and that neither has objected to the other's accession. Germany, Austria and Czechia objected to Viet Nam's, for example, so the Convention does not apply between them and Viet Nam. The UK made no objection.
Countries outside the Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt, still use legalisation. The FCDO describes three steps: the apostille from the Legalisation Office, a stamp from that country's embassy in London, then approval by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Does an apostille expire?
No. The HCCH's Apostille Handbook says "A validly issued Apostille has effect for as long as it is identifiable and remains attached to the underlying public document."
The receiving country can, however, limit how old the document may be. Spain's Foreigners' Office usually wants a marriage certificate issued and legalised in the 3 months before your appointment, and the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) accepts a single status declaration only if it is not older than 6 months. An apostille on a stale certificate does not save it.
How do apostilles and translations fit together?
They solve different problems. The Handbook says an apostille "may not be rejected because it is drawn up in a language other than the language of the State of destination", and no translation of it may be required. The same authority can still reject the document itself if it arrives untranslated.
The destination usually decides who may translate. Spain gives official status to translations by sworn translators appointed by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Italy wants an Italian translation "certified as compliant by the competent diplomatic/consular Mission or by an official translator"; France uses court-listed traducteurs agréés. The UK has no sworn translators, so ask what the destination accepts before ordering.
A translation can also carry an apostille of its own. Where the translation is not itself a public document, the HCCH explains, the translator can swear or declare its accuracy before a notary, and the notarial certificate is what receives the apostille.
With our apostille service, the certified translation is notarised and then apostilled, and the apostille is attached to our translation, not to your original. An e-apostille adds £149.95 per document and a paper apostille £199.95, typically in 5 to 7 business days. If a UK original also needs an apostille, that is a separate application to the Legalisation Office. See translation and apostille: when you need both.
Why apostilles get refused or wasted
- A copy certified by the wrong person. GOV.UK's everyday rules let a teacher or bank official certify a copy, but for legalisation the FCDO wants a UK notary or solicitor.
- An e-Apostille ordered for a GRO certificate, which can only have a paper apostille.
- The wrong document apostilled: the translation when the authority wanted the original, or the reverse.
- A certificate too old for the destination's time limit.
- An apostille detached from its document. The HCCH says you "should never detach an Apostille."
- A country outside the Convention, where the embassy stamp is still needed.
Checklist: before you apply for an apostille
Questions people ask
Is an apostille the same as legalisation?
Not strictly. Legalisation is the older chain of authentications ending at the destination country's embassy, which the Convention abolished between its parties. The FCDO calls its whole service "legalisation" because it uses the word for the apostille process too, and for countries outside the Convention the apostille is still followed by the embassy step.
How much does an apostille cost in the UK?
The FCDO charges £45 per document for a paper apostille plus courier or postage, and £35 for an e-Apostille. Registered businesses can use a £40 next-day service and a £100 same-day service. Fees are not refunded if the document cannot be legalised.
Can I get an apostille on a photocopy?
Not on a plain photocopy. A UK notary or solicitor must certify the copy first, and the apostille then confirms their signature. Check first whether the recipient will accept a certified copy rather than the original.
Do I need an apostille for a UK visa or the Home Office?
No. Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules asks for the document in its original language and a full, dated translation with confirmation of accuracy, the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised company official, contact details and, for leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain, certification by a qualified translator and the translator's or company's credentials. It says nothing about apostilles.
Does an apostille need to be translated?
Under the Convention, no: the HCCH says an apostille cannot be rejected for being in another language and no translation of it may be required. The destination can still require a translation of the document itself, and many translators include the apostille so the file reads as one.
Can a British embassy abroad apostille my document?
No. The FCDO says British embassies, high commissions and consulates cannot legalise documents of any kind. Apply online to the Legalisation Office, which returns paper apostilles by courier worldwide, except to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
How can someone check that a UK apostille is genuine?
GOV.UK has a Verify an Apostille service for both paper and electronic UK apostilles. The recipient needs the date the apostille was issued and its number, both printed on the certificate.
Can you apostille my translation?
Yes. The certified translation is notarised and then apostilled, the apostille is attached to the translation rather than your original, and it costs £149.95 per document as an e-apostille or £199.95 on paper, typically in 5 to 7 business days. Check first that the destination accepts an apostilled translation and does not insist on its own sworn translator.
