Apostille & Legalised Translations for International Use

An apostille — sometimes called a Hague Apostille — is the international system for authenticating documents across borders. It says, in effect: 'this UK-issued document is genuine, and the signatures and stamps on it are valid.' Most countries that signed the 1961 Hague Convention accept it. A smaller group outside the Convention require full legalisation instead.

The usual triggers are international: getting married abroad and needing your UK birth certificate recognised, taking a UK degree to a non-English-speaking employer, or buying property in another jurisdiction. The FCDO handles the apostille certificate (currently £75 per document). We handle the translation of both.

Almost always, yes. The apostille is itself a UK document in English, so when you're submitting it to authorities in a non-English-speaking country, both the underlying document and the apostille need translating into the destination language. We bundle both in one order.

The reverse case also comes up: a foreign apostilled document — say, a French marriage certificate with an apostille from the French foreign ministry — needs translating into English for UK use. Same workflow, different direction.

Apostille-related translation is £12.99 per page, the same flat rate as the rest of our service. Most apostille bundles run to two pages — the underlying document plus the FCDO certificate — so total translation cost is usually £25.98.

The £75 FCDO apostille fee is separate and goes directly to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. We can point you at the right FCDO route (standard, premium, or in-person) but we don't handle FCDO submissions ourselves.