We aim to make the apostille process as simple as possible. Simply send the document to us and we take care of the rest. But what does this process actually entail? This article provides an overview of the different elements that make up the apostille legalisation process.
To ensure your documents can be legalised with the apostille they must be certified correctly by a recognised legal official under the Hague apostille convention. With overseas authorities requesting the apostille for different types of documents it can be confusing to know who is able to provide certification. The following is a list of the most common officials and the types of documents they can certify for the apostille process.
Doctors
Many people dream of owning their own overseas holiday home and do not consider which documents are required for the process. When purchasing a property overseas you will need to provide proof of identity, proof of earnings and you may need to appoint someone to act on your behalf if you cannot be present to sign all documents. You will also need to consider what will happen after you have purchased the property if the worst should happen. Who will be left to deal with your estate and what will happen to the property?
Under the British Nationality Act 1981 it is possible for individuals from a non-UK country to apply for British nationality. Individuals can apply for a certificate Naturalisation which is issued by the UK Border Agency if they meet strict criteria set by the UK government. Once the certificate has been issued it grants the individual the same rights as an individual who was born as a British national. This means the certificate can be used by individuals to apply for a UK passport.
What Information is Included in the Certificate?
Many people will, at some point, need their signature to be witnessed whether this is for a passport or mortgage application or some other form of declaration. A witness to a signature is indispensable for evidentiary purposes. Should someone refute the claim that they signed a document the witness can be contacted to testify that they did, in fact, witness the person signing the document.
For the purpose of legalising a document with an apostille, the document must bear the stamp of a recognised legal authority or, alternatively, the signature of a public official or a solicitor. Many documents will, therefore, require some form of solicitor certification as part of the legalisation process.
There are various forms of solicitor certification and the most suitable depends on the nature of the document.
When preparing documents to be used overseas, it may be requested that a translation of the document is also supplied. Providing a certified translation assists the overseas authority as they may not be able to read the English version. When a translation is requested from you, it is important to find out exactly how they need the documents to be prepared and whether the translations will need legalising.
The Disclosure Scotland document is commonly provided as a background criminal record check. There are many different types of criminal record check and we can process all versions.
Our service will ensure the correct issue of the apostille for disclosure Scotland documents and other background checks.
There has been a significant increase in the number of criminal record checks that require an apostille over recent years. As more UK citizens relocate abroad or look for employment in overseas countries there has been a greater requirement for the apostille to be used on background checks.
Organisations, companies, schools and other bodies outside the UK will often request the apostille for criminal record checks as part of their vetting criteria. If you do not have an apostille on a recently produced criminal record check then the document may not be accepted.
We can issue all UK Birth Certificates with the Hague apostille. Our service ensures that your document is correctly legalised for use outside the UK and includes birth certificates from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.