What is embassy legalisation?

Legalising documents at a countries embassy in the UK ensures that your documents will be accepted when presented for official purposes in the relevant country. It is often seen as verifying documents for use abroad and is commonly called document attestation.

If you are sending documents overseas you may be asked to get your documents legalised by the countries official embassy, consulate or high commission in the UK. Failure to do so will result in documents being rejected.

It may be personal or corporate documents. They may be used for business or pleasure. If you have been requested to provide documentation with an embassy stamp or certification then it is unlikely that your documents will be accepted without it.

We are often asked why it is necessary to get document legalised at the embassy. The simple way to explain this is by example. If someone sent you a document from another country how would you know it was genuine? Would you take it on face value even if written in another language? You would probably have some doubt or questions over the authenticity of the document. To remove this doubt embassy staff will check the document in the country of issue before legalising it for use in their home country. Whilst it may be argued the system is not perfect it adds credibility to your documents and will allow you to use them abroad.

We work with many of the embassies in London to attest your documents quickly. Our service includes documents checks, solicitor certification when required, the FCO apostille and the embassy attestation stamps or certificates.

If you need advice on getting your documents legalised for use abroad please contact one of our team. We will be happy to confirm the fees and discuss the best way to legalise your documents.