Death certificate apostille – UK legalisation service

Fast, secure apostille service for your death certificate

We provide fast apostille and legalisation services for UK death certificates, including priority FCDO apostille UK processing and secure tracked delivery. This service is commonly required for probate matters, inheritance claims and legal procedures abroad.

What is a death certificate?

A death certificate is an official government-issued document confirming a person’s death, including the date, place and registered details of the deceased.

Why you may need an apostille

You may require an apostille for:

  • Overseas probate and inheritance matters
  • Closing foreign bank accounts or assets
  • Property transfers abroad
  • Pension or insurance claims overseas
  • Registering a death with foreign authorities

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

Can I legalise a death certificate?

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

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

✔ Original UK death certificate issued by the GRO or local registry office
✔ Official 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.