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Apostille Legalisation and and Documents Legalisation Service

. Apostille: a simplified and standardized form that is used for the purpose of providing a certification of certain public documents relating to adoption, including notarized documents, that is used in countries that are in compliance with the provisions of the Hague Convention. This simplified form contains standardized numbered fields of certain common and essential types of information, which allows the data to be understood by all participating countries regardless of the official language of the issuing country. The completed apostille form certifies the authenticity of the signature on the documents, the capacity in which the person signing the documents has acted, and identifies the seal and/or stamp that the document bears. Documents needed for inter-country adoptions require the attachment of an apostille, rather than authentication forms, if the foreign country is a participant in the Hague Convention.

We understand the complexity and variety of documents requiring UK Apostille Certificates and are happy to discuss your needs and quote a price based on your legalisation requirements. Put simply an Apostille certificate authenticates the signature of the public official who has signed the document in your home state. The Apostille certificate confirms the person that signed the document has the authority to do so and that the document should therefore be recognised as legal without further evidence in another member state. A member state being any country which has joined the Hague Convention. Prior to the introduction of Apostille certificates the burden on international courts and authorities to judge foreign documents as authentic was quite considerable. On the 5 October 1961 the Hague Convention abolished the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents. The Convention reduces all of the formalities of legalisation to the simple delivery of a certificate in a prescribed form, entitled Apostille, by the authorities of the State where the document originates. This certificate, placed on the document, is dated, numbered and registered. The verification of its registration can be carried out without difficulty by means of a simple request for information addressed to the authority which delivered the certificate. Let us know how we can help.

Choose one of the following packages that will best serve you:
 Documents Notarised & Apostilled (5-7 days as it depends on Foreign office work load) £141.00.
 
 Notarisation is a formality often required for documents which are to be used overseas, or for certifying document copies.
 Once a document has been notarised by a Notary Public, and if it is to be used overseas, it may need to be apostilled.
 This means that the Notary's signature and seal are certified by the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
 The Foreign & Commonwealth Office will then attach an apostille or a Legalisation Certificate to the document.
 Once a document has been notarised and apostilled, it then may need to be legalised by the Consulate of the country in which it will be used, if the country is not party to the Hague Convention.
Apostille Service
£ 141.00
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(click here for other packages)

Online Company Registration Agent Home Page  >>  Registering a New Company >>  Apostille Legalisation Service

APOSTILLE CERTIFICATION SERVICE. LEGALISATION DOCUMENTS. APOSTILLE AUTHENTICATION SERVICE

Finding and Using Information on This Page:  Apostille Definition | Apostille Information | How to Obtain an Apostille Stamp | How do I Get an Apostille? | Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents | What is an "Apostille"? | Information on Legalisation (Apostille) | Convention Apostille Certificate | Who is a Notary? | When Might I Need a Notary? | Notary or a Solicitor? | Why Have an Apostilled Certificate? | Why Have an Apostilled Certificate of Incorporation? | Why Have an Apostilled Certificate of Good Standing? | 

We can issue notarial certifications for every country in the world. When documents issued or signed in the UK are to be used in a different country, it is often necessary to have those documents Notarised and/or Legalised under Apostille. Notarial Certificates and/or Apostille Legalisations may be required, amongst other, for the following documents:

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What is Legalisation? Legalisation simply means confirming that a signature, seal or stamp appearing on a document is genuine.
Why documents need to be legalised? The signatures or seals of British public officials (such as solicitors, notaries public, registrars) on certain documents from the United Kingdom have to be confirmed before those documents can be accepted overseas. For example, if you want to get married or start working overseas, several documents (such as your birth certificate or academic qualifications) may need to be 'legalised'.
There are a wide range of company documents that can legalised either individually or as a set of documents. The following list is an example of some of the many documents that we legalise for clients operating UK based businesses:

Certificates of Incorporation
Certificates of Good Standing
Certificates of Name Change
Memorandum of Association
Articles of Association
Company Registers
Share Certificates
Share Transfer Forms
Power of Attorneys
Meeting of Minutes
Special Resolutions
Banking Documents
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Powers of Attorney for worldwide use
International Affidavits, Sworn Statements, and Depositions
Commercial Documents for Worldwide use
Corporate Documents for Worldwide use
Certificates of Incorporation for Worldwide use
Certificates of Good Standing for Worldwide use
Certified Translations
Language Certificates
Education Certificates for Worldwide use
Doctors and Dentists Examination Submission
Birth Certificates
Change of Name
Marriage Certificates & Confirmation of Single Status
Certified Copy Documents
Statutory Declarations
Legalisation Services at Embassies and Consulates for Worldwide use.

What We Can Do For YouCoddan can help you to legalise your documents making your life easier and saving you time and hassle. We understand how complex it can be getting your documents authenticated in the UK, that's why we have introduced a new service for the legalisation of birth, death and marriage certificates, and also for degree certificates from UK universities.

Note that you have to supply us with the original documents in order for us to be able to have them notarised or legalised. Birth, death and marriage certificates need only be Apostilled at the foreign and common wealth office, but degrees need to be notarised first and then Apostilled.

The above procedures apply for documents originating from countries who are signatories to the Hague Convention, documents from those countries who are not signatories might also need to be authenticated by the appropriate embassy. The price of these services are contingent upon the individual embassies and will vary accordingly. Please contact us with your requirements and we will be happy to provide you with the exact cost.

Our service is reasonably priced, and we can have your documents legalised within three days.

Price:
Notarisation (by Notary Public): £45.00 (for the first document and £35.00 for the following ones)
Notarisation (by Solicitor or Barrister): £55.00 (for the first document and £35.00 for the following ones)
Apostille: £133.00 (within 2 business days)
Apostille: £63.00 (within 5-7 business days)

We also have a dedicated translation department which is able to offer translation to and from many languages, supported by a notarial "Certificate of Accuracy". Please call our office for details or to discuss any translation requirements.

If the country where the UK documents are to be used is not a signatory to The Hague Convention 1961, the UK documents will need to be Legalised in the following manner:

  1. Foreign & Commonwealth Office will need to certify the authenticity of the UK Officer's signature and/or seal (e.g. the Notary's signature and seal); and
  2. The Embassy, Consulate or Chamber of Commerce (as the case may be) of the country where the documents are to be used will need to certify the authenticity of the above Foreign & Commonwealth Office certificate.

The procedure, cost and time scale may vary depending on the country where the documents are to be used. Please E-Mail or call us: 0800 081 1510 or +44 (0) 207 637 3881, fax: +44 20 7681 3318with your specific requirements and we shall be pleased to provide you with a quote.

Apostille Definition: 
A simplified certification of public (including notarized) documents used in countries that participate in a Hague Convention. This simplified form contains numbered fields (which allow the data to be understood by all participating countries regardless of the official language of the issuing country). The completed apostille form certifies the authenticity of the document's signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted, and identifies the seal/stamp which the document bears. Documents needed for intercountry adoptions require the attachment of an apostille (rather than authentication forms) if the foreign country participates in the convention.

Apostille Information: 
Once a document has been notarised by a Notary Public, and if it is to be used overseas, it may need to be apostilled. This means that the Notary's signature and seal are certified by the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office will then attach an apostille or a Legalisation Certificate to the document. Once a document has been notarised and apostilled, it then may need to be legalised by the Consulate of the country in which it will be used, if the country is not party to the Hague Convention.

How to Obtain an Apostille Stamp: 
Our company is a private service company with years of experience providing Apostille services to the public. Coddan offers you the convenience and knowledge to obtain the Apostille on your documents from the government without the need for you to travel to the state government offices. We save you time, money, and potentially incorrect document presentation which could cause rejection. We go to the state government offices with your documents, stand in line, complete any applications, pay the Apostille fees and wait until it is completed. Our service is both cost-effective and timesaving. You can track your return order with Fedex or DHL online, and even make payment to us for the services with a Credit Card or electronic check, online, from the comfort of your home or office.

How do I Get an Apostille? 
All Apostille certificates will look the same for all the countries you send the Apostille to. There is no difference between an Apostille which will be used for Spain and an Apostille for Germany. Similarly, there is no difference between an Apostille for a Birth Certificate and an Apostille for a Marriage Certificate, or a Power of Attorney or a Court Divorce Decree. The Apostille will look the same. However, a few countries have a different requirement other than an Apostille, and your document would receive a Legalization Certificate instead. Our office will obtain necessary county government Notary Authentication first, then the Apostille. We can provide return delivery to you via Fedex or send to another location.

Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents: 
The purpose of the Convention is that it abolishes the requirement of diplomatic and consular legalization for public documents originating in one Convention country and intended for use in another. Documents issued in a Convention country which have been certified by a Convention apostille are entitled to recognition in any other Convention country without any further authentication. Such recognition is an obligation on the part of the United States to the other countries party to the Convention and the federal courts and state authorities have been alerted to this obligation. Consular officers in Convention countries are prohibited from placing a certification over the Convention apostille.

If you have a document which you want legalized for use in another Convention country, the Convention certification called an "apostille" must be affixed to the document by a competent authority. The apostille is a preprinted form prescribed by the Convention.

Live Help Live Help:
Live Help is a real time "chat" feature which enables you to interact with a customer service representative without a phone call. Get answers to your questions while using our website. Clicking the "Live Help" button will start an on-line session with one of our representatives. Live Help is currently available during normal business hours. Outside of the above opening hours our business center will be closed. When you click on the button you will see an e-mail form that will allow you to send us a mail with your questions. Live Help is absolutely free! There are no hidden fees. We offer the service as a courtesy to our website visitors.


CODDAN OFFERS LEGALISATION (APOSTILLE) OF DOCUMENTS BY THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE. APOSTILLE IN BRIEF:

What is an "Apostille"? 
An apostille (French word meaning notation) is a standard certification provided under The Hague Conference on Private International Law: 1961 Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legislation for Foreign Public Documents for the purpose of authenticating documents for use in foreign countries. An apostille is a form of authentication accepted in countries which have signed the 1961 Hague Convention. This Convention abolished the requirement of diplomatic and consular legalization for public documents originating in one Convention country and intended for use in another. An apostille is often needed in adoptions, extraditions, and certain business transactions. The apostille is formatted in numbered fields that allow data to be understood by the receiving country regardless of the official language of the issuing country. With the apostille, the document is entitled to recognition in the country of intended use, and no further authentication or legalization by the embassy or consulate of the foreign country where the document is to be used is required.

Additional items for overseas customers forming companies in the United Kingdom, U.S.A. or offshore. These are legalisation (Apostille) of documents by the Foreign and Commonwealth office for use by banks and other authorities overseas that support the Hague Convention.

Before certain corporate documents can be used overseas, document authentication may be necessary. It is usually required where overseas officials are not able to determine on sight the authenticity of United Kingdom documents. To check the requirements, contact the relevant authorities in the country concerned or their overseas representatives. When a document is to go to a foreign country, it is often necessary to have the notarization or official certification authenticated. Some countries call this an apostille. In 1961 many nations joined together to create a simplified method of "legalizing" documents for universal recognition. Members of the conference, referred to as the Hague Convention, adopted a document referred to as an Apostille that would be recognized by all member nations.

If the country belongs to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, the apostille is used. The Convention provides for the simplified certification of notarized documents by use of a special form called an "apostille" in certifying the document. The apostille does not need to be ribboned onto the document being certified. With the certification by the Hague Convention apostille, the document is entitled to recognition in the country of intended use, and no additional authentication or legalization is required.

Note: The "apostille" attests to the validity of the signature of the notary public, county official, but not of the underlying signature nor of the contents of the document.

The Hague Convention applies "to public documents which have been executed in the territory of one Contracting State and which have to be produced in the territory of another Contracting State." The Convention does not apply to domestic filing of documents. "Apostilles" will not be issued for documents intended for use within the United Kingdom.

Countries which are Not a Member of the Hague Convention 
Countries that are not members of the Hague Convention require full legislation of documents which involves one extra step: after an apostille has been issued by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office all documents have to be sent to the consul of the relevant foreign embassy. The consul then adds their own certificate.

Information on Legalisation (Apostille) 
Purpose: the Hague convention abolishes the requirement of diplomatic and consular legalization for public documents originating in one Convention country and intended for use in another. Documents issued in a Convention country which have been certified by a Convention apostille are entitled to recognition in any other Convention country without any further authentication. Such recognition is an obligation on the part of any country in the convention to the other countries party to the Convention and the federal courts and state authorities have been alerted to this obligation. Consular officers in Convention countries are prohibited from placing a certification over the Convention apostille.

Coddan specialises in the legalisation of overseas and UK corporate documents in the UK, USA and offshore. We can notarise and Apostillise any company documents. We can also Apostillise any other documents but they will need to be notarised by your local notary, as he will need to witness your signature before we can Apostillise the documents. Legalisation is the process of authenticating a signature, seal or stamp appearing on a document. The signatures or seals of British Public officials (such as notaries and registrars) or an overseas Apostille (authentication by a federal official) appearing on a document will need to be authenticated and legalised before the documents can be accepted in an official capacity in a jurisdiction that is not party to the Hague Convention.

Convention Apostille Certificate: 
If you have a document which you want legalized for use in another Convention country, the Convention certification called an apostille must be affixed to the document by a competent authority. The apostille is a pre-printed form prescribed by the Convention.

Procedure: these vary from country to country in the United Kingdom legalisation is carried out by the Legalisation department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Here are Some Definitions and Stages in Order for You to Clarify the Process: 
Notarisation - this is the attestati