23 Oct How to get your document legalised – Apostille service

Foreign tax residents or UK residents with foreign income, usually be requested by foreign tax authorities to provide their UK documents legalised with an apostille.

Individuals can apply online here.

Which documents can be legalised with apostille service?

1. Official UK Public Documents

These are documents issued by UK authorities, such as:

• Birth, marriage, civil partnership, and death certificates (from the General Register Office)
• Adoption certificates
• Certificates of no impediment to marriage
• Naturalisation or registration certificates
• Court documents (e.g., judgments, decrees, court orders)
• Notarial acts (prepared by a Notary Public)
• Documents issued by government departments (e.g., Home Office, HMRC, DVLA, etc.)

 Educational and Professional Documents

Documents that confirm qualifications, training, or status — but only after certification by a recognised professional (e.g. solicitor or notary):

• Degrees, diplomas, transcripts
• School or college letters
• Professional qualifications (e.g., ACCA, RICS, GMC registration)

These must usually be:

• Originals issued by the institution, or
• Certified copies signed by a solicitor or notary public in the UK.

 Business and Commercial Documents

Used for international trade or corporate purposes:

• Company incorporation certificates
• Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Certificates of Good Standing (from Companies House)
• Powers of attorney
• Board resolutions
• Commercial invoices, contracts, or shipping documents (if signed/certified by a UK solicitor or notary)

4. Personal and Private Documents (only if certified)

Private documents can be legalised if a UK solicitor or notary has certified the signature or content. Examples:

• Copies of passports or driving licences
• Letters of consent
• Affidavits or statutory declarations
• Translations (if certified by a qualified UK translator)
• P60s or other employment forms
• Rental agreements

Documents that cannot be apostilled

• Documents issued outside the UK (unless first notarised or re-certified in the UK)
• Unsigned or incomplete documents
• Documents photocopied without certification
• Documents in electronic form only, unless they have an official digital signature recognised by the FCDO

How it’s done

The apostille is issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) — either:

• By post, or
• Through a registered legalisation service provider or notary public.

There are 2 types of online apostille legalisation:

1. Paper-based: the document(s) must be signed with a wet signature and sent by post.
2. Electronic- known as an ‘e-Apostille’: the document(s) must be uploaded as PDF files that have been electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor.

Tax residence certificate can be legalized with type 1 apostille. The application is online, and the certificate must be posted along with the cover letter which will be generated from the application.

The information needed for the application are the below:

Name, Telephone, address for posting the certificate and return address in case the application is not correct, and the document cannot be legalised.

If you need assistance or someone to take care of it for you, just contact us!