Apostille and international legalisation
Bostico International offer professional Apostille services for documents requiring international legalisation. An Apostille is an official certificate issued to documents so they will be recognised in the countries that have signed the Hague Convention. We are only able to legalise non-public documents that have been translated or notarised by ourselves. Foreign documents should be legalised in the country or state of origin. The Hague Conference has currently 72 Members: 71 States and 1 Regional Economic Integration Organisation.
UK Apostille Services for Documents to be used abroad.
In 2006 there were 65 members of the Hague Convention. Convention 12 entered into force in January 1965 and is called “Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents” and its scope is to remove the need for diplomatic or consular legalisation of foreign public documents. Therefore it was decided that a simple certificate will replace the then complex and drawn out legalisation process. This certificate is called the Apostille Certificate and it removes the need for any further authentication or legalisation of the document when presented in another country which is a signatory to this Convention.
An Apostille Certificate is issued country from which the document originates. Once a document has had an Apostille Certificate attached to it confirming the authenticity of signatures and seals it can be presented to any country which recognises the Apostille. The authority receiving the document should then accept the seals or signatures as true and valid without requesting further evidence or proof. In plain terms, an Apostile is a embossed stamp which certifies that the other stamps and signatures on a document are not forged.
What documents can we legalise?
Any any translations we provide OR copies of the orginal documents listed below HOWEVER if you need to have a copy legalised we need to see the original. We do not need to see the original if it is only the translation that you need to get legalised/Apostille.
What do we need from you?
1. Your original document if no translation service is required and you only require an Apostille on this document or on a copy of this document.
2. A copy (sent by email, fax, etc) of the document if you only require the translation to have an Apostille.
How much does it cost?
1. If you do not require these documents translated or notarised, then the cost starts from £85. The pricing structure is simple and transparent.
2. If you need to have a translation apostiled, you will be charged for the translation, then notarisation (which is required for any document being Apostilled), and then the apostille charges. If you want an exact price, you simply need to get in touch and let us know what you need.
How long does it take?
Documents are processed by us the day we receive them but the FCDO can take a considerable amount of time to return a completed Apostille to us. If you need your documents urgently, please let us know as we do offer an emergency service but the prices may be considerably more.
Embassy Legalisation of Documents
This is often referred to as Super Legalisation. All documents that have been translated by us are accepted within most embassies. We have a special working relationship with the Romanian, French, Italian, and Belgium Embassy/Consulate but we strongly advise you that you ask the Authority/Body that you intend to present the document to what their exact requirements are.