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Standard Apostille
- Route checked before any work begins
- FCDO apostille handling included
- Return of your document included
- Clear updates from arrival to return
£85
Starting from
3 days
Working-day turnaround
Tracked
Secure return delivery
- FCDO apostille obtained for you
- 3 working-day turnaround
- Return delivery included
- Route checked before processing
- Secure & confidential
- Officially Registered
A registered FCDO legalisation provider handles your apostille
Legalisation4you (L4U), based in London, is registered with the UK Legalisation Office. We provide a fast, dependable UK apostille service, including same-day apostille options for people who can’t afford to wait, and our team walks into the FCDO every single working day to submit and collect documents by hand. Nothing gets posted off to a third party and left to chance. This hands-on approach is why so many people searching for London legalisation services end up choosing us over the alternatives.
Daily hand delivery
to the FCDO
UK Legalisation Office
registered agent
Premium next-day
access
FCDO registered
Registered with the UK Legalisation Office
Daily service
We visit the FCDO every working day
Secure & confidential
Handled with the highest care
UK-based team
Real experts, Mon–Fri 8am to 5pm
Proven experience
Thousands of UK documents every year
The Basics Explained
What is a
Standard Apostille?
It’s the official certificate the UK Legalisation Office (FCDO) attaches to your document so it’s recognised abroad. Think of it as a stamp of authenticity on the signature, seal or stamp already on your paperwork, rather than a check on what the document actually says. An apostille stamp is how you legalise documents in the UK for use overseas, and it’s typically added to things like birth certificates, marriage certificates, court documents or company paperwork.
An apostille only carries weight in countries that follow the Hague Apostille Convention, so if you’re dealing with apostille England requirements for a Hague country, you’re in the right place. Most people need one for a job, a course, a wedding, a business deal or a legal matter abroad, basically anywhere the receiving authority insists on a legalised UK document. If your paperwork is going somewhere outside the Hague Convention, we also take care of embassy legalisation, so your documents are valid no matter where they’re headed.
Good To Know
An apostille is accepted across Hague Convention countries. Some destinations also ask for embassy attestation on top of that, and we'll flag it upfront if yours does.
How it works
document → 02FCDO
apostille → 03Used
overseas
FCDO apostille • UK documents • Overseas use
Our Process
How our London legalisation services handle your documents
Getting your documents legalised doesn’t need to be slow or complicated. Four clear steps take you from order to secure return of your apostilled documents, no jargon, no surprises, and nothing starts until your route is confirmed.
In a hurry?
The Express Apostille is processed the next working day where eligible and received by the cut-off time.
We confirm eligibility before you order. →
- YOU START
- 1
Order online
Place your order and tell us your document type and destination country. It takes a couple of minutes.
- WE HANDLE IT
- 2
We check your route
Our UK team confirms the correct route and whether any certification is needed — before any work begins.
- 3
FCDO apostille
We hand-deliver your document to the Legalisation Office and obtain the apostille, keeping you updated.
- DONE
- 4
Returned securely
Your apostilled document comes back to you by tracked delivery — embassy attestation arranged too, if required.
Check Before You Order
Which type of document do you have?
Choose the closest match to see the likely route. We always confirm the exact requirements before any work begins.
Document Guide
UK documents we handle every week
We legalise and apostille a wide range of UK paperwork, from an apostille birth certificate, apostille marriage certificate and apostille degree certificate UK, through to a certificate of good standing. Some documents go straight to apostille; others need solicitor or notary certification first, and as part of our UK apostille service we identify which route applies before anything is submitted. That upfront check is what keeps our apostille stamp turnaround times consistent, week after week.
Government-issued originals
Birth Certificate
Marriage Certificate
Death Certificate
ACRO Police Certificate
Criminal Record Check
DBS Certificate
Criminal Record Check
Other personal & official
Divorce documents
Name change
Court documents
HMRC letters
Companies House
Certification may apply first
Academic documents
Degrees
Diplomas
Transcripts
University letters
Certification may apply first
Business & corporate
Incorporation
Board resolutions
Invoices
Contracts
Route depends on format
Legal documents
Power of attorney
Affidavits
Declarations
Agreements
Notary certification first
Medical & financial
Medical consent form
Immunisation record
Financial guarantee
Sponsorship letter
Bank statements
Certification usually first
- Extra Steps, Handled For You
Some documents need certification first, or attestation after
If your document needs solicitor or notary certification before the apostille, or embassy legalisation for a country outside the Hague Convention afterwards, we sort out every stage and confirm the full route before work begins. Solicitor certification is included in the price for all eligible documents, which is one of the small details that sets our apostille London work apart from providers who leave you to arrange extras yourself. It’s also part of why people come back to us for London legalisation services on future documents.
Before the apostille
UK legalisation
FCDO apostille
The UK Legalisation Office authenticates the signature, seal or stamp.
dependent
After the apostille
Embassy attestation
Some non-Hague destinations require an embassy or consular stage after the apostille.
Government-issued originals often go straight to the apostille. Solicitor and notary are alternative certification routes — most documents do not need both.
Common attestation destinations
UAE Embassy
Qatar Embassy
Chinese Embassy
Malaysia
Kuwait
Jordan
Bahrain
Oman
Iraq
Yemen
Trusted by individuals, law firms and businesses
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1,000s
Documents every year
15+
Embassy destinations
Mon–Fri
UK support
Standard Apostille FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions before you get started? Find clear, direct answers to common inquiries below, or reach out to our team directly for personalized support.
Still unsure?
Tell us your document and destination — we'll confirm the route.
What is a Standard Apostille?
To make sure that your seal/stamp/signature on the document is authentic for a foreign country that is a signatory to the Hague Convention, the UK government offers an FCDO certificate called an apostille.
How long does an apostille take?
In normal circumstances, after you fix your delivery route, a regular processing time spans a couple of work days. Besides, if the FCDO considers your document suitable for expedited processing and you really do have an emergency, then you may have the option of getting your apostille done the same day if you choose so.
Do you offer same-day apostille London services?
For certain documents, we are able to provide same-day services. Hand-delivered to the FCDO, our daily presence allows us to get quicker results compared to those who mail their documents.
Which documents commonly need an apostille?
Birthday certificates, marriage certificates, degree certificates, court records, business forms and good standing certificates are the most oftentimes. In every case, we examine the particular course of each document before we commence.
Is an apostille the same as legalisation?
An apostille is one form of legalisation, used for Hague Convention countries. Non-Hague countries usually require embassy legalisation instead, which we also arrange as a UK apostille service.
Will the apostille verify the contents of my document?
No. It only verifies the authenticity of the official’s signature, the seal, or the stamp used, and that the content remains unaltered. The receiving party or the local administration will carry out the verification of the documentary content itself.
What if my destination country isn’t in the Hague Convention?
We carry out embassy legalisation for you. We do everything, at each step, that is needed. You would receive a complete plan of all legalisation of documents through which your items are to move before we send anything to the embassy or FCDO.
Do I need solicitor or notary certification first?
Some documents, like copies or company papers, need certification before apostille. We flag this during our route check and include solicitor certification in eligible cases.
How do I know which apostille route applies to my document?
Use our document guide to find the closest match, then we confirm the exact requirements before starting. Every case gets a personal check, never a generic assumption.
Is Legalisation4you a registered FCDO provider?
Yes. We’re registered with the UK Legalisation Office and visit the FCDO in person every working day, submitting and collecting documents by hand rather than posting them.
Will my document be posted to a third party?
No. Our team hand-delivers and hand-collects documents at the FCDO every working day, so your paperwork stays with us throughout the entire apostille London process.
Can you apostille a document that's already been notarised?
Yes, provided the notarisation is valid and current. We check the certification before submission to confirm it meets FCDO requirements for your specific document type.
How is my document returned after apostille?
Your document is returned tracked, so you can follow its journey back to you. We send updates from the moment it arrives with us to the moment it’s returned.
Are apostilles available for company and business documents?
Of course, we can get an apostille for documents like a certificate of good standing and other required company papers. However, business documents usually require additional verification steps that we identify and handle as part of our services.
What areas do your apostille England services cover?
As our headquarters is located here in the city of London, documents sent from different parts of England as well as the larger United Kingdom area have access to our services. Delivery could be done either via mail or a delivery courier, but alternatively, you are also welcome at any of our premises, and just come and pick up a document at anytime that suits you.
What is the cost of a standard Apostille?
Price will vary based on the kind of document and whether you need certification before submitting to us. Our certification is included for those documents which require a solicitor certification, so please contact us for a precise quotation.
Related apostille & legalisation services
For urgent deadlines
Express Apostille
- Eligibility confirmed first
- Paper documents
For eligible digital documents
E-Apostille
- Suitability checked first
- Delivered by email
Before the apostille
Solicitor Certification
- Arranged with your order
- Only where required
Our Promise
Route checked first
Clear pricing
Secure handling
Help if extra certification is required
No work starts until the route is confirmed
Prepare your document for overseas use!
We check the correct route before processing, so your apostille London order is done right the first time, with no wasted steps and no surprise costs. Our London legalisation services team confirms everything upfront and keeps you updated from start to finish.