Apostille Hague Convention UK

Apostille a hague convention in 3 easy steps.

In order to apostille a hague convention, you simply need to follow the 3 basic services as described below. You have the option of have us apostille your document only after the document is solicitor certified/notarised yourself, or alternatively you can also send us your original documents, we can take a copy, have it certified by a solicitor and go onto apostille it at the FCO office. We can offer a 2 day or same day service.

Please select below:

#1

Complete our quick online order form to select the service. Click here to access the form

#2

Send us the order form and the original version of your certification for inspection.

#3

If you require us to certify the original, or a photocopied version to be solicitor certified, then please let us know. Please note we would require the original anyway.

Upon receipt of the documents, we will then have the document certified by our solicitor and then apostilled at the FCO accordingly after this and returned straight back to you

For more information about Apostilling a hague convention, please read below where we have the most common questions answered.

Section 1: Apostille Hague Convention

When a legal document is to be presented in a country apart from the one in which it was issued, there are some stipulations to prove that the document is genuine and legally valid for use in another countries. This led to the foundation of Hague Convention.

What is the Hague Convention?

Also known as the Hague Apostille Convention, or the Apostille treaty, the Hague Convention of 1961 abolished the requirement for legalisation for public documents for use in a foreign country. All member countries would now recognise an apostille certificate, granted by an authorised regulatory body,as legalisation of documents.

Why was the Hague Convention Held?

The Hague Convention of 1961 established that documents for use in another country would receive certification of authenticity via an apostille (French word for certification.) This would be similar to the notarisation of documents for domestic use. An apostille is a one-page certificate, validating a document to be genuine and legally valid for international use.

The convention was signed by all participating countries, who consented to the aforementioned treaty. As of 2018, there are 116 signatories or member countries, who accept foreign documents with an apostille. However, countries that are not members of the Hague Convention require an additional step of embassy document attestation to prove the authenticity of documents.

Section 2: General Queries about Apostille Hague Convention

1. What are Deemed to be Public Documents Under the Apostille Hague Convention?

Any kind of personal and professional document, used to prove the authenticity of the information provided by an individual for business and education purposes, is categorised as a public document. Examples of public documents are birth certificates, company registration certificates, marriage certificates, educational degrees, and diplomas, etc.

2. Which Countries are Signatories to the Hague Convention of 1961?

The following 116 countries are members/signatories of the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961:

• A
• Albania
• Andorra
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
•  
• B
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Burundi
•  
• C
• Cape Verde
• Chile
• China (Hong Kong)
• China (Macao)
• Colombia
• Cook Islands
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
•  
• D
• Denmark
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• E
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Estonia
•  
• F
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
•  
• G
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
•  
• H
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• I
• Iceland
• India
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
•  
• J
• Japan
• K
• Kazakhstan
• Korea
• Kosovo
• Republic of Kyrgyzstan
•  
• L
• Latvia
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
•  
• M
• Macao (China)
• Macedonia (FYR of)
• Malawi
• Malta
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
•  
• N
• Namibia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niue
• Norway
•  
• O
• Oman
•  
• P
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
•  
• R
• Republic of Moldova
• Romania
• Russian Federation
•  
• S
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Suriname
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
•  
• T
• Tajikistan
• The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
•  
• U
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK)
• Uruguay
• United States of America (USA)
• Uzbekistan
•  
• V
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela

3. What are the Non-Hague Convention Countries?

There are 65 countries that are not a party to the Hague Convention apostille process:

1. Afghanistan
2. Algeria
3. Angola
4. Bangladesh
5. Benin
6. Burkina Faso
7. Burma Myanmar
8. Cambodia
9. Cameroon
10. Canada
11. Chile
12. China
13. Congo Republic
14. Congo Democratic
15. Ivory Coast
16. Cuba
17. Egypt
18. Eritrea
19. Ethiopia
20. Ghana
21. Guinea
22. Haiti
23. Indonesia
24. Iran
25. Iraq
26. Jamaica
27. Jordan
28. Kenya
29. Kuwait
30. Laos
31. Lebanon
32. Libya
33. Macedonia
34. Madagascar
35. Malaysia
36. Mali 
37. Mauritania
38. Mozambique
39. Myanmar Burma
40. Nepal
41. Niger
42. Nigeria
43. Pakistan
44. Palestine
45. Philippines
46. Qatar
47. Rwanda
48. Saudi Arabia
49. Senegal
50. Sierra Leone
51. Singapore
52. Sri Lanka
53. Sudan
54. Syria
55. Taiwan
56. Tanzania
57. Togo
58. Thailand
59. Turkmenistan
60. UAE (United Arab Emirates)
61. Uganda
62. Vietnam
63. Yemen
64. Zambia
65. Zimbabwe

4. Do My Documents Need an Apostille?

Look for two main checkpoints to ascertain whether a document is eligible for apostille:

1. The country you are getting the documents apostilled for should be a party to the Hague Convention of 1961. Only these countries recognise the apostille. Other countries will ask for an additional step of embassy legalisation/attestation.
2. The document should be official and can be used in its complete legal capacity, like banking and personal certificates, commercial deals and business transactions.

5. How is Document Legalisation Different from Document Apostille?

Document Apostille

To authenticate documents for use in countries that are party to the Hague convention, an apostille is issued. The apostille stamp or certificate certifies that the document is legally valid, the signatures are authentic and the information is true. It also verifies that the notary that has certified the UK document is an active and valid government official.

Document Legalisation

Countries that are not signatories of the Hague Convention of 1961 need another step in the verification process. This involves legalisation or attestation by their embassy or consular office in the country that has issued the document.

6. What is Intercountry Adoption?

Many parents who live in the UK and wish to adopt a child from another country need to follow a certain procedure. Not doing so will be considered a criminal offence. The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) was held in May 1993, wherein an international treaty was signed to protect the best interests of children, their birth parents and the adoptive parents involved in intercountry adoptions.

7. What Documents are Required for Applying for Intercountry Adoption Under the Hague Convention?

For the process of intercountry adoption, you will need to fill in certain adoption forms, establishing your credentials. This could require identity proof, address proof and proof that you are a resident of the country you say you live in. There could be home checks prior to the process progressing, to ensure that there is no risk of trafficking. Documents to be submitted might vary from country to country, although all documents will require authentication via an apostille certificate.

Additional FAQs