Send a degree certificate straight to the FCDO Legalisation Office and it can come back without an apostille, with the £45 fee kept. The FCDO legalises signatures and seals it can check against its own records, and a qualification certificate qualifies only once a UK notary or solicitor has certified it.
Two different rules are at work. Whether a document needs an apostille is decided abroad, by the authority that will receive it. Whether it can get one, and how, is decided by the FCDO.
This guide covers both: which UK documents can be apostilled as issued, which need certifying first, which can only have a paper apostille, and what authorities in other countries actually ask for.
When does a document need an apostille?
When four conditions are all met, according to the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH): the issuing country and the destination are both parties to the Apostille Convention, the issuing country treats the document as public, and the destination requires an apostille to recognise it.
That last condition is the one to check. The FCDO tells applicants to contact "the person asking for legalised documents" and confirm whether they need originals or certified copies, a particular signatory such as a notary, a paper apostille or an e-Apostille, and one apostille per document or one for a group.
Two things never need an apostille:
- A UK document used in the UK. The HCCH says an apostille "may never be used for the recognition of a document in the country where that document was issued."
- A foreign document for the Home Office. Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules asks for the original-language document and a certified translation, with no mention of apostilles.
Which UK documents can be apostilled as they are?
Four kinds. In the FCDO's words, you can get documents legalised if they have been issued by a:
- court and "sealed with a wet ink court seal"
- public registry, "such as a birth, marriage or death certificate, or a company certificate issued by Companies House"
- government department and "signed by an official, such as a letter of confirmation of tax registration"
- registered doctor, "such as a medical certificate signed by a doctor"
Each has a condition. Companies House says its documents need "the original signature of a British public official", so order a certified certificate or certified copy rather than printing one from the register. The Dutch government, which publishes what it accepts from the UK, asks for medical documents "signed by a doctor registered with the General Medical Council" and for ACRO police reports signed by someone from the issuing authority.
Which documents need a UK notary or solicitor first?
Everything else. GOV.UK says other documents can be legalised "as long as they have been certified by a UK 'public official', such as a UK notary or solicitor", and gives as examples a power of attorney, a contract, a qualification certificate and copies of a passport or driving licence. The apostille then confirms the notary's or solicitor's signature, not the original issuer's.
The FCDO's service terms list what that certification must show. The notary or solicitor must:
- hold a valid UK practising certificate for the date
- sign with the signature registered with their regulator, such as the Law Society or the Faculty Office
- use a personal signature, not a company one, and sign in the UK, in the jurisdiction where they are registered
- add their seal, if they have one, on the same page as the signature
- include their name, company address and the full date, which "cannot be post-dated"
- state the action taken, such as certifying a copy or witnessing a signature
For an e-Apostille, they sign the PDF electronically, with any seal image on the same page as the signature. The FCDO's Spain guidance adds that a paper certification needs "an original, hand-written signature"; a photocopy or scan of a signature is refused.
Document-by-document: how each UK document gets its apostille
| UK document | Route to an apostille | Paper or e-Apostille |
|---|---|---|
| Birth, marriage, death, civil partnership or adoption certificate (GRO) | As issued: an original certificate, not a photocopy | Paper only |
| ACRO police certificate | As issued | Paper only |
| DBS certificate; Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI certificate | The original certificate; Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI must stamp and sign theirs first | Paper only |
| Court order or judgment | As issued if it bears a wet-ink court seal; otherwise certified by a UK notary or solicitor | Paper, or e-Apostille via a notary's or solicitor's certified PDF |
| Companies House certificate or copy | Certified certificate or certified copy, signed by an official | As above |
| Government letter, such as confirmation of tax registration | As issued, signed by an official | As above |
| Medical certificate or report | As issued, signed by a registered doctor | As above |
| Degree certificate or transcript | Certified by a UK notary or solicitor first | Either |
| Passport or driving licence | A copy certified by a UK notary or solicitor | Either |
| Power of attorney or contract | Signed or certified before a UK notary or solicitor | Either |
Remember the rule behind the last column: an e-Apostille is only available for PDFs "electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor", so it always goes through one of them. The paper-only list comes from GOV.UK, which adds fingerprint certificates and ACCA membership certificates, and the Dutch government confirms that UK civil status certificates and ACRO police reports need "a normal apostille".
What do authorities abroad ask you to apostille?
Each destination sets its own list, and the FCDO's country guides show the pattern:
| Destination and purpose | Documents | What the guidance says |
|---|---|---|
| Spain, residence visa with work permit exemption | Criminal record certificate; medical certificate from a registered practitioner | Each "legalised (with an apostille)" |
| Spain, recognition of qualifications | Degree certificate or transcript | Certified by a UK notary public, then legalised |
| Italy, change of name | UK deed poll | Legalised, then officially translated |
| Netherlands, any use | Civil status records, ACRO reports, diplomas, medical documents | Paper apostille for the first two, paper or e-Apostille for the others; English needs no translation |
| Portugal, recognition of qualifications | Degree certificate, diploma or school report | Legalised by the Legalisation Office; a local notary can authenticate a translation, though Portugal's higher education authority (DGES) needs none for degree documents in English |
| South Korea, jobs | University degree | "legalised and apostilled" |
| Chile, jobs | Police records certificate | Apostilled |
| Argentina, jobs | Criminal record check, degrees, certificates | "legalised, apostilled and accompanied by an official translation if not in Spanish" |
| Kuwait, jobs and residence | Criminal records check | Notarised by a UK notary, legalised, then attested at the Kuwaiti Embassy in London |
| Qatar, sponsorship | UK marriage, birth and death certificates | Attested by the Legalisation Office and the Qatar Embassy in London |
Kuwait and Qatar are not parties to the Convention, so the apostille is only the first stamp; read what an apostille is for the three-step legalisation those countries use. For specific documents, see our guides to apostilles on a UK birth certificate, on degrees and academic qualifications and on DBS and police checks for use abroad.
Do translations need an apostille too?
Only if the destination asks for the translation itself to be authenticated. A translation is normally a private document, so under the Convention it carries an apostille through a notary's certificate or an official authority's certification, which is what the apostille then covers. Many authorities instead want the apostille on the original and a translation made under their own rules, often by a sworn translator in that country, in which case an apostille on a translation made elsewhere adds nothing.
Where a translation must carry its own apostille, our apostille service covers it: the certified translation is notarised and then apostilled, and the apostille is attached to our translation, not to your original. It costs £149.95 per document as an e-apostille or £199.95 on paper, typically in 5 to 7 business days. The order of steps is in translation and apostille: when you need both.
Why documents come back without an apostille
- No checkable signature. A degree certificate or a printout sent without a notary's or solicitor's certification.
- A copy certified by the wrong person. A teacher or bank official can certify copies for everyday purposes, but not for legalisation.
- A scanned signature on a paper certification, which the FCDO cannot accept.
- A Companies House printout instead of a certified copy.
- A document issued abroad. The FCDO cannot legalise it; it must be apostilled in the country that issued it.
- A post-dated or undated certification, or one signed outside the UK.
The fee is charged per document and, in the FCDO's words, "If your document cannot be legalised you will not be refunded."
Checklist: getting the right documents apostilled
Questions people ask
Does a UK birth certificate need an apostille to be used abroad?
Only if the receiving authority asks for one, as authorities handling residence, marriage and nationality applications often do. A GRO birth certificate can be apostilled as issued, but only on paper, and it must be an original certificate rather than a photocopy.
Can I apostille a degree certificate directly?
No. GOV.UK lists qualification certificates among the documents that must first be certified by a UK notary or solicitor, and the FCDO's Spain guidance requires a UK notary public for educational documents going there. The apostille then covers the notary's or solicitor's signature.
Can a DBS or ACRO certificate be apostilled?
Yes, but only with a paper apostille: GOV.UK excludes ACRO police certificates, DBS certificates and disclosure certificates from Scotland and Northern Ireland from the e-Apostille service. Some destinations add further steps, such as Kuwait, which wants a UK notary's certification and its embassy's attestation.
Do I need an apostille on a passport copy?
Only if the foreign authority asks for a legalised copy. The FCDO will not apostille a plain photocopy, so a UK notary or solicitor must certify the copy first, and the apostille then confirms their signature.
Can one apostille cover several documents?
Sometimes. The FCDO tells you to check whether the recipient wants "a single apostille for a group of documents, or a separate apostille for each document", and its e-Apostille terms allow a notary's cover sheet that references each document in one PDF. Each apostille is charged separately.
Do foreign documents need an apostille for use in the UK?
Not for the Home Office, whose translation rule in paragraph 39B(f) does not mention apostilles. If another UK body asks for one, it must come from the country that issued the document, because the FCDO cannot legalise documents issued outside the UK.
Can I get an e-Apostille on a birth certificate?
No. GOV.UK says you cannot get an e-Apostille for birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates "or any other document from the General Register Office". Only a paper apostille is available for them, at £45 plus courier or postage on the standard service.
