Frequently Asked Questions

An e-Apostille is a secure, digital, and legally recognised alternative to a traditional paper Apostille. It is issued as a PDF by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) and authenticates documents like degree certificates, powers of attorney, and business documents for international use. The e-Apostille enables faster processing—often within 24 hours—and eliminates the need for physical, posted documents.

Once electronically notarised, many documents can be e-Apostilled including: degree certificates from UK universities, academic transcripts, school reports, Companies House documents, powers of attorney, and court documents. However, some documents still require a traditional paper apostille—contact us if you're unsure which service your document needs.

The following documents require a traditional paper apostille: birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates from the General Register Office (GRO); ACRO police certificates for England and Wales; Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) certificates for England and Wales; and Disclosure Certificates for Scotland and Northern Ireland. These documents need the apostille applied to the original document.

The e-Apostille process is typically completed within 24 hours once all documents are submitted and certified. This is significantly faster than traditional paper apostilles, which can take several days or weeks. We understand that documents are often needed urgently and work efficiently to meet your deadlines.

e-Apostilles are legally recognised in many countries, but not all. It is essential to check that the person or institution requesting your document will accept an e-Apostille before you submit your document request. We can help you verify acceptance in your destination country during our consultation.

Recipients can verify the authenticity of an e-Apostille online via a secure link to the issuing body (FCDO). This verification process confirms that the digital signature and apostille are genuine, providing added security and trust for the recipient.

The process is simple: 1) Contact us and submit your document electronically via email or secure upload. 2) Our trusted notary public certifies the document electronically. 3) We submit the document to the FCDO. 4) The FCDO processes the document and returns a digitally signed PDF with the e-Apostille attached. We guide you through every step.

For e-Apostilles, you do not need to send original documents—everything is handled digitally. For paper apostilles, the apostille is usually applied to the original document, so you would need to send us the original. Contact us to discuss your specific requirements.