Words by Notable Notaries
If you need to use your document in a country which has not ratified the 1961 Hague Convention and which is not part of the Commonwealth, you may need to have the document stamped by the Embassy or Consulate of the country where your document is to be used, to supplement the apostille, e.g. for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, China or the United Arab Emirates. The process for legalisation differs for each country, please send us the draft of your document by email and we will revert with the full process as quickly as possible.
If the country you need to use your document in has ratified the 1961 Hague Convention, an apostille will suffice. You can check the list of countries which have ratified the convention here:
https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=29
To apostille the document, we need to first take it to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) who issue and affix the apostille. An apostille is a sticker affixed to the underside of the notarial certificate, sealed and signed by an officer of the FCDO, which confirms the Notary’s seal, signature and current practising status of the Notary and validates the document to be used abroad pursuant to the 1961 Hague Convention.
If the country you need to use your document in is a Commonwealth member (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc.) it may be that you do not need an apostille or legalisation stamps at all – please check with your foreign adviser who asked you to have your documents notarised.
Words by Notable Notaries