document-legalisation
Document legalisation, or Apostille legalisation service, is a special type of certification for official documents to be recognised by foreign countries. It has been signed as a treaty at the Hague Convention. There are numerous different varieties of documents to be legalised, depending on the issue and country.
EKO 4 Apostille legalisation is award winning service for your doucments. We provide fast & reliable service with international expertise since 1991. Working closely with solicitors notary public and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), London, we are able to provide honest advice and solution for your particluar case.

Hague Convention

The Convention of Hague signed on 5th October 1961 abolished the requirement of apostille legalisation service for Foreign Public Documents. It has been named the Apostille Convention and is internationally recognised. It specifies the procedures through which a document issued in one of the signatory countries can be certified for official use in all the other signatory states. This certification is called an Apostille and this international process is comparable to a notarisation in domestic law, and normally supplements a local notarisation of the Apostille document also known as a “apostille legalisation service”.

apostille legalisation service

In the UK it is conducted by the FCO to provide verification of the document confirming a UK Public Official’s signature in order to be recognised by official authorities or for legal purposes in other countries. As part of the apostille legalisation service process, the Apostille stamp is physically affixed to your document and embossed on it. Eko 4 Global Services is registered to present documents for legalisation by the FCO so that these may be processed accordingly.

Apostille legalisation service process

You may need apostille legalisation service in cases such as: working abroad, studying abroad, to register birth/marriage/death from UK abroad, expanding your business, for any legal purposes of case law, to validate international contracts, agreements, declarations, notary deeds etc.
There are two ways for legalising a document, either original or photocopy. Photocopies must be certified by a UK practicing solicitor or notary public. The only documents which cannot be legalised as a photocopy are birth/marriage/death certificates. We can help you to confirm with the overseas authorities if they require the originals or will accept copies.

International relations

Those countries which did not sign the Hague convention do NOT recognize the Apostille stamp as an official international stamp and may need a certification by the countries’ responsible consulate/embassy in UK. Some countries who signed the Hague convention would also need additional embassy certification after Apostille stamp prior to using the document overseas. Some of the countries would need additional certification of the translation or the credibility of the document. Embassies apply additional taxes for verification and certification. Most oft of the embassies are in London but have different accepting & processing times.

Hague convention

Document apostille legalisation service

Apostille legalisation service procedure

International relations

 CHOOSING OUR  apostille legalisation service   IS A HASSLE FREE DESCISION 

Free consultation

/Read more/

We are always willing to help with our knowledge built on years of practice prior to becoming a client. We will keep you up-to-date every step of the way until you receive your documents.

Free document delivery

/Read more/

There is no minimum spending for free document delivery on document legalisation. Enjoy the experience of having your documents delivered to your door for free, anywhere in the UK.

Guarantees

/Read more/

We provide 1 month after-service guarantee for the documents we certified for overseas to be recognised and serve their purpose. Any problems that may occur or difficulties that you may experience we can support you with in the UK or overseas.

Quick turnaround

/Read more/

We process your documents through all stages as fast as possible. A specially designed workflow process allied to fast couriers and delivery service ensures that we will always be on time for you. We are registered for premium service with the FCO to deliver even the most urgent bespoke cases for document Apostille service.

Money saving

/Read more/

Document legalisation can consist of several stages and may be costly. Find the EKOnomic way through EKO 4 document legalisations and bundle several services to save you money. If you have a large number of documents to be legalised, come to us – you are in the right place! Take advantage of our discounts that don’t discount quality! Additionally, we can provide a way of biding documents together to further reduce costs!

Security and confidentiality

/Read more/

The confidentiality of your personal and commercially sensitive data is secured by the strictest of policies within EKO 4 Document legalisation which ensure the highest level of professionalism. You may be assured that we fully guarantee the privacy & security of your documents during the legalisation process and beyond.

Countries signatories to the HAGUE CONVENTION 1961, recognizing the APOSTILLE STAMP

Albania

Andorra

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burundi

Cape Verde

Colombia

Cook Islands

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Kingdom of Denmark

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Estonia

Fiji

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Grenada

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Latvia

Lesotho

Liberia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macau

Macedonia

Malawi

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritius

Mexico

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Namibia

Kingdom of the Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niue

Norway

Oman

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

São Tomé and Príncipe

Serbia

Seychelles

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Africa

Spain

Suriname

Swaziland

Sweden

Switzerland

Thailand

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Turkey

Ukraine

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

hague-convention-countries

International document specialist with more than 30 years of combined experience

LEGALISATION PROCESS

This process map shows all possible scenarios for document legalisation, valid for any country worldwide

Countries which have NOT signed the Apostille convention
Document types: All kind of documents
Price: price may vary depending on the embassy, call us for more info.
Documents eligible for streight Apostille legalisation
Document types:
  • Birth / Marriage /  Death Certificate
  • Court sealed document
  • Certificate of no impediment to marriage
  • Document signed by a Commissioner of Oath, Solicitor or Notary
  • Police Certificates (ACPO)
  • Tax Office signed docs
  •  and many more

Price: £52 per document for regular service

*valid for all countries signatories to the Apostille convention

Documents eligible for Apostille legalisation after Solicitor certification
Document types:
  • UK Education – Diploma, Transcript, Supplement,
  • Certificates  – GCSE,CGE, TEFL,CELTA
  • School Reports
  • Letters of Attendance
  • Certificate of Incorporation
  • Mem and Arts
  • Company Documents AOA/MOA
  • Police Certificates CRB/DBS/ACPO
  • ID/Passport
  • Driving Licence
  • Proof of Address
  • Employment Letter

Price: £52+£12 per document for regular service

 *valid for all countries signatories to the Apostille convention

Documents eligible for Apostille legalisation as a set
Document set types:
  • Company documents
  • Academic certificates
  • School reports
  • Documents for employment
  • Professional documents
  • Private documents

Price: £52+£12+£20 per set of several documents binded together

*valid for all countries signatories to the Apostille convention

Apostille legalisation of translated documents
Document types:
  • Criminal Records
  • Court document
  • Medical report
  • Court documents & Probates
  • Certificates of Good Standing
  • Authorisation Letters
  • Certificate of incorporation
  • Export certificate
  • Power of attorney
  • Awards
  • Professional Qualifications
  • Membership Certificates
  • Bank Statements
  • Utility bills
  • and many more

Price: £52+20+document translation cost

*Valid for all countries signatories to the Apostille convention

Legalisation of translated documents with Apostille and embassy certification
Document types: All kind of documents

Price: £52+20+document translation cost+embassy cost

*this procedure is required by some countries which signed the convention but still need embassy certification

eko4-legalisation-process

Q&A

Q: I need an apostille? What is this?

An Apostille is a “legalisation certificate”. As part of the legalisation process a special stamp named Apostille with nine points is embossed on your document.

Q: Is an Apostille the same as legalising?

Legalising a document is the name of the procedure; Apostille is the international certificate stamp that is affixed on your document/s.

Q: I need to get my UK birth certificate legalised, can you tell me what to do?

The original UK birth certificates or certified copies issued directly by the UK’s General Registry Office (GRO) can only be accepted for legalisation by the FCO.

Q: I need to get my marriage certificate legalised, can you tell me what to do?

The original UK marriage certificate or certified copies issued directly by the UK’s General Registry Office (GRO) can only be accepted for legalisation by the FCO.

Q: I am getting married abroad. What do I need to do?

XYZ!

Q: Can I legalise a photocopy of a UK birth/death/marriage certificate?

We cannot accept any photocopies of UK birth/death/marriage certificates for legalisation, because it will be not processed by FCO under any circumstances.

Q: Can I legalise a photocopy of a document attached to a translation?

No. You would not be able to legalise a photocopy of any document unless it is a certified copy of the original stamped by a Commissioner of Oaths or a solicitor/notary. You can use EKO 4 Legalisation.

Q: Is there a way to legalise a translation?

If you have a translation it must not contain any of the logo/crests on the document (as this is against copyright law). The translation must then be certified, signed and dated by a practicing UK public official. The other way is to use EKO 4 Document translation service to do this properly.

Q: I need to get my educational documents legalised so I can use them overseas. What do I do?

Your original UK educational documents can be legalised. We recommend that you use photocopies so as not to deface/destroy your original educational documents with additional signatures, stamps etc. We can provide a certified copy of the original accepted by the FCO for legalisation. You may also find it prudent to get confirmation from the overseas authorities requesting these documents if they require the originals or will accept copies.

Q: My documents are certified by a Commissioner for Oaths, are they good for legalisation?

Documents which are signed by Commissioner for Oaths should be acceptable for legalisation.

Q: I am going overseas and have been told I need a document legalising this (or with an “Apostille stamp”). Can you tell me what to do?

You first need to check with the authorities in the country where you are going to find out what documents you need to produce. Additionally, of these, which documents need to be legalised (with an “Apostille”).

Q: Is there a possibility that a document submitted for legalisation might be delayed?

Yes. In some cases the FCO need to verify the Public Official’s signature on the document using a central database. This may take up to 20 days. However, this occurs rarely and if there is any possible delay we will notify you as soon as possible.

apostle-legalisation-questions

Did you get your documents legalised before travel overseas?

Get professional help! CONTACT US TODAY

Our partners in providing success