When crossing international borders for travel, you’ll probably only need a passport and visa. But what if you want to apply for citizenship, get married, study, or do business internationally? Documents issued back home such as your birth or educational certificates may not carry the same weight or be recognized in a foreign country.
Solution? Apostilling your documents.
What Is an Apostille?
In simple terms, an apostille (also referred to as a Hague Apostille) is an official certificate issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the UK. The certificate is used to verify the authenticity of a document so it’s accepted or recognized in countries that are party to the 1961 Hague Convention.
When apostilled, therefore, a document’s origin, its seal/signature’s authenticity, and the capacity in which the signer acted won’t be questioned.
Options for Getting an Apostille
If you’re wondering, Yes, you can Apostille documents yourself by sending them to the FCDO via postal service. As you may expect, however, that’s a slow and low-guarantee process. The better option would be to use a top-rated Apostille London service provider like London Apostille who takes the documents to the legalization office near them on your behalf.
That way, your documents get to the FCDO faster and an apostille is issued within 1-12 days, depending on the service package that you choose and the speed of service at the legalisation office. In addition to sending your document to the FCDO for apostilling, an apostille service provider will also check your documents to avoid rejection and visit solicitors or notaries, if necessary.
Common Service Packages by Apostille Providers
Though service packages may differ from one provider to the next, they will typically fall into the following categories:
Standard Package
This package is the most commonly used by persons seeking apostille services and it takes 2-12 working days, depending on the company/service provider.
Express/Next-Day Apostille Package
This package makes it possible to have your request processed within one business day and is ideal whenever you have urgent apostille needs. Needless to say, it’s usually quite expensive, though necessary in different situations.
Emergency/Same-Day Package
This one is even faster than the next-day package, typically making it possible to have your request processed within 5-6 hours the same day you send in your documents for apostilling.
Keep in mind, however, that the FCDO limits this to eligible documents. Here’s a list of the documents that qualify for emergency apostilling:
- Documents that have evidence linked to a child’s welfare
- Commercially-urgent documents like insolvency searches
- Time-sensitive documents for transporting animals
- Repatriation-linked documents that are time-sensitive
- Evidence-based documents linked to the welfare of a vulnerable adult
- Private documents submitted at short notice (FCDO decides after examining evidence for urgency request)
E-Apostille
This is simply a digital version of the apostille that is used for electronic documents, offering great convenience and speed. It can take anywhere from 5 to 48 hours, depending on the service provider and the FCDO workload.
Apostille Services Customised to Your Needs
Getting an apostille can be a stressful experience, especially when you have a lot going on in your life. The London Apostille team understands this and recognizes that customers have varying needs and concerns. As a result, they’ve created a model that makes it as easy as possible to customize depending on your needs.
What’s more, the service process is easy, only requiring you to contact them and select the service you need, then send your documents. Once they’ve received them, you can relax and allow them to handle everything. After completion, they’ll send the documents to your preferred address. Easy peasy!
Check out their website or contact them with any questions or suggestions you might have.