FCO Legalisation
Legalisation of documents by FCO
Apostille certificates and services can be obtained by people through various methods that are seamless, cost-conscious, and professional. British embassies across member countries along with people in the UK that need these services concur that the Legalisation services offered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, or the FCO, are the best option.
These are some documents that may need notarial services
:
- Consulate: one of the most popular services sought after are tips for traveling and living as an expatriate abroad. The FCO will provide information for people seeking to go abroad for either business or recreation.
- Legal: the FCO can legalize documents, issue apostilles, and search the database for other legal documents.
Search services
Particularly when someone lives oversees, they may come across the need to find a particular legal document. The search service can be provided by the FCO for those in the UK or abroad. Marriage, birth, and death certificates are among the documents that can be searched for. I some cases, certificates of good conduct from any country can also be found and obtained by the FCO.
How to obtain an apostille or document Legalisation
The FCO can legalize documents an issue an apostille to legal papers. These two things can be done in conjunction. In essence, Legalisation signifies that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has validated that the stamps and signatures in a specific document are authentic. On the other hand, attaching an apostille to a document exempts it from the need for Legalisation. The British embassy to other government entity may permit both in some instances.
How to send documents to the FCO
The FCO is the best option for professional services, including obtaining and apostille, document Legalisation, and stamps. The process is clear. For those that need their documents legalized or need to affix an apostille, here are the steps to work with the FCO:
- Ensure that you have met all the requirements and have all the necessary paperwork. The FCO is not held accountable to missing items on the application.
- The list of documents that can be legalized by the FCO is posted online on the FCO site. If you want to submit an application, please ensure that the documents are listed and follow the format required by the FCO.
- Pay via the proper payment method. The FCO allows clients to pay directly online. Traditional methods like bank withdrawals, business checks, and post orders are also accepted. However, online payments offer more convenience, and they allow the client to save on return fees.
- The application form may be downloaded from the FCO website. The individual should fill out the application form, making sure to fill in all the requirements to avoid processing delays.
- The required documents, forms, and payments need to be sent to the FCO to the address that is posted on their site. The envelope needs to be an A4 to ensure that the documents fit.
Please double-check that all the necessary documents are attached before sending them to the FCO. This avoids processing delays. Below, we have a list of what to include/exclude in your A4 envelope to the FCO:
Please send the items below:
- The documents in need for Legalisation. These can be sent in the original format or as copies. Please only send the pertaining documents that need to be legalized.
- The application form downloaded and filled out from the FCO.
- Payment – if the payment was done online, you will need a printout of the payment status. For traditional payments, please attach the post orders, business checks, or banking drafts.
All documents above should be placed in an A4 envelope neatly. If the Legalisation free does not include postage payment, the A4 envelope needs to be prepaid.
Please do not send out the following:
- Cash or personal checks. The preferred methods of payment are outlined above. Please only send those types of payment.
- Extraneous documents that are not meant for Legalisation or authentication. If you include any documents that are not needed for Legalisation, there may be delays in processing.
- Personal identification or government-issued IDs.
Please review and follow the instructions thoroughly to avoid delays in receiving the apostille. Delays are a waste of time for all the parties involved.