Birth certificate apostille – UK legalisation service

Fast, secure apostille service for your birth certificate

We provide fast apostille and legalisation services for UK birth certificates, including priority FCDO apostille UK processing and secure tracked delivery. This service is ideal for immigration, dual citizenship, overseas marriage applications and international legal procedures.

What is a birth certificate?

A birth certificate is an official government-issued document that confirms a person’s birth details, including full name, date of birth, place of birth and parent information.

Why you may need an apostille

You may require an apostille for:

  • Visa and immigration applications
  • Applying for dual citizenship
  • Overseas marriage applications
  • International residency or work permits
  • Registering a birth abroad
  • Foreign legal or inheritance matters

An apostille ensures your birth certificate is legally recognised in Hague Apostille Convention countries.

Can I legalise a birth certificate?

Yes — UK birth certificates can be legalised for international use, provided they meet the required format and certification standards.

Apostille requirements
  • Original UK birth certificate required
  • Documents must be issued by the General Register Office (GRO) or an authorised UK registry office
  • Laminated documents may not be accepted by the FCDO
Acceptable formats for legalisation

✔ Original UK birth certificate issued by the GRO or local registry office
✔ Certified copies issued by the relevant UK authority
❌ Photocopies, scans or unofficial printouts are not accepted

Embassy attestation (if required)

If your destination country is not part of the Hague Convention, additional embassy attestation may be required after the FCDO apostille UK process.

We can arrange:

  • Embassy attestation
  • Certified translations
  • PDF scanning
Our apostille service includes
  • Pre-submission document checks
  • Priority FCDO apostille UK submission
  • Secure tracked return delivery
  • Optional services: embassy attestation, translation and scanning
Processing time

Priority service:
Next working day submission to the FCDO if documents are received before 12:30 pm at our Milton Keynes office.

Most clients receive their apostilled documents within 1–2 working days after FCDO processing.