Apostille in United Kingdom & Territories

The Legalisation Office in the FCO is the only UK authority able to issue legalisation certificates (sometimes called apostilles), with the exception of the Crown Dependencies; the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.

The signatures or seals of British public officials (such as solicitors, notaries public, registrars) on certain documents from the United Kingdom have to be confirmed before those documents can be accepted overseas. This is called 'legalisation'. Legalisation simply means confirming that a signature, seal or stamp appearing on a document is genuine.

This cannot be done in a foreign country consulate, but only at the Legalisation Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London.

The fee for legalisation is £ 12 per document. If you are sending documents by post make sure you enclose a self-addressed envelope or label to help them process your document as quickly as possible. If you would like your document returned by Swiftair the cost will be an additional £ 5 per envelope. You can pay with the debit cards Cirrus/Visa Delta and Switch (no credit cards!). You should complete and send the enclosed payment form, with your documents, to the following address, preferably by registered post:

Apostille or legalisation can be obtained from

The Legalisation Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Old Admiralty Building
The Mall
LONDON SW1A 2LG
tel.: +44(0)20 7008 1111

Extended to British Territories:

Anguilla

Government House
Anguilla
tel.: +1-264-497 2621/2622

Bermuda

The Parliamentary Registrar
The Parliamentary Registry Office
#60 Reid Street
HAMILTON, Bermuda
Tel.: +441 293 8683
E-mail: parreg@gov.bm

British Antarctic Territories

Overseas Territories Department
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
LONDON SW1A 2AH
tel.: +44 (0)20 7008 2890

British Virgin Islands

Government House
Road Town
Tortola
British Virgin Islands
tel.: +1-284-494 2345/494

Cayman Islands

4th floor Government Administration Building
Elgin Avenue
George Town
Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands
tel.: +1-345-949 7900

Falkland Islands

Government House
Stanley
Falkland Islands
tel.: +500 27433

Gibraltar

The Convent
Main Street
Gibraltar
tel.: +350 45440

Guernsey

The Legalisation Office
Greffe
Royal Court House
St Peter Port
Guernsey
GY1 2PB
tel.: +44(0)1481 725277

Isle of Man

Isle of Man Courts of Justice
Deemsters Walk
Bucks Road
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM1 3AR
tel.: +44 (0)1624 685265

Jersey

The Legalisation Office
Maritime House
La Route du Port Elizabeth
St Helier
Jersey
JE1 1JD
tel.: +44(0)1534 838838

Montserrat

Lancaster House
Olveston
Montserrat
tel.: +1-664-491 2688/9

St. Helena

The Castle
Jamestown
St Helena Island
South Atlantic Ocean
tel.: +290 2555

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Government House
Stanley
Falkland Islands
tel.: +500 27433

Turks and Caicos Islands

Waterloo
Government House
Grand Turk
Turks and Caicos Islands
tel.: +1-649-946 2309