Apostille

In certain cases you will need an additional certificate from your Notary to prove the authenticity of the papers. This is known as an Apostille and whether you need one depends on your document’s destination as this varies from country to country.

Our Notary, Matthew Maiden (based in Mansfield) will assess from the outset whether an Apostille is necessary in your case. The Apostille is used to certify your Notary’s identity and authority to practice and in the UK the certificate is issued by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

If your notarised documents are to be used in a country that has signed up to The Hague Convention then an Apostille will normally be sufficient for your documents to be accepted in that country.  This is because there is a reciprocal agreement between countries signed up to Convention 12 of The Hague Convention stating that member states will accept paperwork apostilled in any of the other member states.

There are, however, some countries who will still insist upon legalisation and we can advise whether this is needed in order for your notarised documents to be accepted.