Document Legalisations
Legalisation is the process by which documents are authenticated for use by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. A Legalisation can be a stamp, seal or signature of a notary on the document. Legalisation is required for the use of British documentation abroad.
For a foreign authority to recognise your legal documentation, you will require a legalisation, an Apostille or an additional authorisation by the consular office within the country which issued the documents.
Legalisation
The legalisation is a seal or signature issued by British Public officials such as a notary or registrar. The authorisation is applied to a document by a Notary Public which is a guarantee that the signature is genuine. Legalisation is usually applied within the country of the document origin.
Apostille
An Apostille is the declaration by a Government Official that the signature of the Notary Public is genuine. In countries which are not members of the 1961 Hague Convention signatories, an Apostille may not be recognised and may require further legalisation by a consular office from the document's country of origin.
Authentication
Prior to legalisation, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office is required to confirm that the signature of the Apostille is true. This process can by by-passed in some situations such as when the origin of the document is the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey.
Consular Office Legalisation
In countries which are not signatories of the 1961 Hague Convention, the legalisation may require that the consular office of the country of origin of the document provides additional authorisation to the Apostille.