Online Ordering Process
£80.00
*varies depending on your selections below, subject to VAT.
FAQs
A Notary Public is an internationally recognised, state-appointed legal professional. A Notary Public impartially verifies identities, formally witnesses the signing of legal documents, and authenticates paperwork for use outside of the UK, ensuring it is legally valid and fraud-free.
The professional profile of a Notary Public can be broken down by their primary responsibilities and qualifications:
Core Responsibilities
- Identity & Capacity Verification: They verify who you are, ensures that you fully comprehend the agreement, and confirms that you have the authority to sign a document (e.g., by verifying a director’s authority to sign for a company).
- Witnessing Execution: They watch you sign documents in person to prevent forgery and coercion.
- International Authentication: They provide an internationally accepted ‘notarial act’ complete with an official seal or stamp, which is often required for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or foreign embassies to process.
Common Documents Handled
- Powers of Attorney for buying/selling property overseas.
- Corporate and business documents for international trade or foreign branches.
- Personal documents like passports, degree certificates, and declarations of freedom to marry abroad.
- Foreign wills and the administration of overseas estates.
Professional Standing
- Specialist Lawyers: In England and Wales, notaries are the oldest branch of the legal profession.
- Regulation: Unlike domestic solicitors, they are appointed and regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Independence: They must act with complete impartiality, meaning they cannot notarize documents if they have a personal stake in the transaction.
To use a document lawfully in another country, it requires an apostille. An apostille is a certificate that verifies the official signature, stamp, or seal on a public document. It is issued by the competent authority of the country where the document originated. In the UK, this authority is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
No, we lodge applications on behalf of our clients. In the UK, the only competent authority is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). You may arrange your apostille application with the FCDO directly, however, if you arrange this through us, we will ensure that your document meets the legal requirements for an apostille. We also have access to the FCDO business counter, which means your application will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
That depends on what type of document you require an apostille for. For some documents, you can get them legalised if they have been issued in the following ways:
- Court and sealed with a wet ink court seal
- Public registry, such as a birth, marriage or death certificate, or a company certificate issued by Companies House
- Government department and signed by an official, such as a letter of confirmation of tax registration
- Registered doctor, such as a medical certificate signed by a doctor
Other documents certified by a UK solicitor or notary can also be legalised. Our team of legal professionals is fully qualified to carry out the certification if your documents fall into this category.
If you are not sure whether your document needs to be certified before legalisation, please Contact Us.
If you need multiple documents legalised at the same time, we can create a secure document bundle for you. This standard practice ensures you avoid paying multiple apostille fees. This solution is perfect for university applications, corporate setup, and more.
However, some foreign documents, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), do not recognise this practice and instead ask that multiple documents be legalised separately.
We strongly suggest checking directly with the requesting authority to confirm the exact requirements for your documents.
Apostille certificates are recognised by contracting parties of the Hague Convention (CCH 1961 Apostille Convention). If your document is to be used in a country which is not a member state, a further legalisation/attestation at the relevant embassy is required.
Yes. You may find it easier to place your order on our website.
Yes. Before sending the documents to us for an apostille, please ensure the passport holder has signed the relevant page.
Yes. For a small fee, our “Verify Student Qualifications” service handles the verification and certification of your documents before they are put forward for an apostille. This service is designed for employers or other organisations that need to verify the qualifications of students and alumni from UK universities or colleges. To ensure the fastest possible processing time, please make sure your qualification details are entered correctly.
In some cases, we will require the original documents, such as Birth Certificates or Marriage Certificates that were issued in the UK. For other documents, we can process them electronically.
Our delivery address is ACM Legal, 25 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1LW, and our email address is office@acmlegal.co.uk.
Typically 3-5 working days. However, we offer a same day or next day service (depending on when your document(s) are delivered to us) if necessary.
For our Standard Service, we use a daily Milton Keynes Drop-Off System, which provides a faster service at a lower rate. For our Same Day Service, we are proud to be one of the select registered companies with exclusive access to the Urgent Service.
For our Same Day Service, you must provide a detailed explanation for why you require this service. The document must be delivered to us before 10.00am on a weekday, and the collection time is around 3:30pm on the same day.
Yes, a Certified Translation is available upon request. You will need to tell us that a translation is required when ordering. We will contact you to arrange this service while your order(s) are processing. The Certified Translation service is available in most major languages.
For UK addresses, we deliver the legalised documents using Royal Mail. For addresses abroad, we use DHL Express. You can select either option when you order online.