# Apostille & Document Legalisation Services - Canonical page: https://translayte.com/apostille-and-legalisation-services - Last updated: 2026-11-12 - Provider: Translayte (BDXL Ltd, London; UK VAT GB119597575) · Order online: https://translayte.com/orders/create - Also in: [de](https://translayte.com/de/apostille-und-legalisierungsdienste.md) · [es](https://translayte.com/es/servicios-de-apostilla-y-legalizacion.md) · [fr](https://translayte.com/fr/services-dapostille-et-de-legalisation.md) · [it](https://translayte.com/it/servizi-di-apostille-e-legalizzazione.md) · [nl](https://translayte.com/nl/apostille-en-legalisatiediensten.md) · [pl](https://translayte.com/pl/uslugi-apostille-i-legalizacji.md) · [pt](https://translayte.com/pt/servicos-de-apostila-e-legalizacao.md) · [sv](https://translayte.com/sv/apostille-och-legaliseringstjanster.md) · [ru](https://translayte.com/ru/uslugi-apostilirovaniya-i-legalizatsii.md) · [zh](https://translayte.com/zh/hai-ya-ren-zheng-ji-ling-shi-ren-zheng-fu-wu.md) Get your documents apostilled without dealing with the authority yourself. Our partner in the issuing country checks your document, obtains the apostille and returns it to you. - 15+ issuing countries, including the UK and US - Document checked before you post anything - e-Apostille for UK and Colombian documents - Certification, embassy legalisation and translation in one order ## At a glance - Prices: see https://translayte.com/orders/create - Delivery: standard, or next day +25% and same day +100% on the translation line. - Volume discounts: 5-9 pages 5%, 10-19 pages 10%, 20-29 pages 15%, 30-49 pages 20%, 50+ pages 25%. - Currency and VAT: GBP for GB; EUR for AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GR, HR, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, MT, MC, NL, PT, SE, SI, SK; USD for US; AUD for AU; CAD for CA; BRL for BR; ZAR for ZA; anywhere else is priced in USD. GBP includes 20% UK VAT, which a valid non-UK VAT number removes; no other currency carries VAT. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does an apostille cost? The price is per document and depends on the country that issued it and on whether the document needs certification first. The order form shows the exact total before you pay, including any courier collection, return postage or translation you add. For countries marked Quote in a day, and for embassy legalisation, our partner reviews the document first and you receive a fixed quote by email. Nothing is charged until you accept it. ### How long does an apostille take? Standard turnaround runs from when our partner receives your document: 1 working day in Sweden, 3 to 7 working days in most countries we price upfront, and about 40 working days on South Africa's standard DIRCO route. Countries priced on quote confirm the timing in the quote. Certification, translation and postage add to the total, and priority or urgent options are not available at present. ### Which countries accept an apostille? Countries that apply the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention accept an apostille in place of embassy legalisation. The Hague Conference publishes the current list of members. If the country where you will use the document is not a member, you will need embassy legalisation, which we quote per document. ### Can I get an apostille if I no longer live in the country that issued my document? Yes. The apostille always comes from the authority in the country that issued the document, wherever you live now. You order online, send the document to our partner in that country or have it collected, and it is returned to your current address. ### Can you apostille a copy instead of the original? Sometimes. It depends on the country and the document type. In the UK, for example, a copy certified by a UK solicitor or notary can be apostilled. South Africa accepts original documents only. Our partner confirms what is acceptable when they review your document. ### Do I get my original document back? Yes. For paper apostilles, your original is returned with the apostille attached. e-Apostilles (United Kingdom and Colombia) and Swedish digital apostilles are delivered by email. ### What is an e-Apostille? An e-Apostille is an apostille issued as a digitally signed electronic document that the receiving authority can verify online. We can obtain one for documents issued in the United Kingdom and Colombia. Not every receiving authority accepts electronic apostilles, so check before choosing this option. ### Should the translation be apostilled, or the original? It depends on the receiving authority, but most ask for the apostille on the original document, followed by a certified translation of the apostilled document. If you are asked for an apostille on the translation itself, add it when you order a certified translation. ### Does an apostille expire? No. An apostille has no expiry date. Some receiving authorities, however, only accept documents issued within a certain period, such as the last three or six months, so check whether your underlying document needs to be recent. ### What happens if the authority refuses my document? We tell you the reason and what is needed before the document can be resubmitted, for example certification by a solicitor or notary, or a replacement document from the issuing body. ### Do I need an apostille for every document? Not necessarily. It depends on what the receiving authority asks for. If you are submitting several documents, ask the authority which of them must be apostilled before you order. ### Can I get an apostille for a country that is not listed? Not yet. We only list a country once we have a partner there who can deal with its apostille authority. Tell us which country you need and we will let you know when it becomes available. ## About this service An apostille is a certificate from a government-designated authority in the country that issued a public document. It confirms that the signature, seal or stamp on the document is genuine. It does not certify that the document's contents are true. Countries in the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention accept an apostilled document without further legalisation. An apostille can only be issued in the country the document comes from. That is why we work through a partner in each issuing country. ## What our apostille service includes - **Document check.** Our partner reviews your scans and confirms the document can be legalised, before you send anything. - **Certification.** Private documents are certified by a solicitor or notary first, in the same order. - **The apostille.** The partner submits your document to the competent authority and obtains the apostille. - **Return.** Your original is posted back with the apostille attached, or the e-Apostille is emailed to you. - **Embassy legalisation.** Quoted for countries of use outside the Hague Convention. - **Translation.** A certified or sworn translation can be added per page. The decision to issue an apostille always rests with the authority. Our job is to get your document to the right authority, in the right form, the first time. ## Countries we cover Choose the country that issued your document, not the country where you live or will use it. | Issuing country | Apostille authority | Issued as | | United Kingdom | Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office | e-Apostille or paper | | United States | U.S. Department of State (federal documents); Secretary of State of the issuing state (state documents) | Paper | | Ireland | Department of Foreign Affairs | Paper | | Sweden | Notaries public (Notarius Publicus) | Signed PDF in the national register | | Portugal | Procuradoria-Geral da República and regional prosecutors' offices | Paper | | Poland | Ministry of Foreign Affairs; designated bodies for education documents | Paper | | Switzerland | Cantonal authorities; Federal Chancellery for federal documents | Paper | | Colombia | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | e-Apostille or paper | | Australia | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) | Paper | | Japan | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Paper | | South Africa | DIRCO; High Court registrars for documents within their competence | Paper; originals only | | Germany | Federal Office for Foreign Affairs; state authorities for documents issued by the Länder | Paper; quoted | | France | Regional councils of notaries | Paper; quoted | | Spain | Ministry of Justice, High Courts of Justice and notarial colleges, by document type | Paper; quoted | | China | Ministry of Foreign Affairs and authorised local Foreign Affairs Offices | Paper; quoted | | Bulgaria | Ministry of Justice, National Centre for Information and Documentation, or Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by document type | Paper; quoted | | Netherlands | District courts | Paper; quoted | ### Standard turnaround - **Sweden:** 1 working day - **Most countries priced upfront:** 3 to 7 working days - **South Africa:** about 40 working days through DIRCO, with a faster High Court route for eligible documents - **Quoted countries:** confirmed in your quote Turnaround runs from when our partner receives your document. Certification, translation and postage add to it, and priority or urgent options are not offered at present. The country cards below show the current figure for each country. ## Documents we apostille ### Apostille only Public documents that already carry an official signature or seal: - Birth, marriage and death certificates - Divorce decrees and other court documents - Police certificates and criminal record checks - Documents signed by a notary, solicitor or other public official ### Certification, then apostille Private documents the authority only accepts once a solicitor or notary has certified them: - Degree certificates, transcripts and professional certificates, in most countries - Company documents, such as certificates of incorporation and board resolutions - Powers of attorney, declarations and affidavits - Copies of passports and other identity documents South African documents can also follow the High Court, SAQA, Umalusi or HPCSA routes. Not sure which route applies? Upload the document and our partner will confirm it before any work starts. ## Sending your documents Do not post anything when you order. Once our partner confirms your document can be legalised, we email you the next step. - **Post it.** We give you the partner office's address and an order number to write on the envelope. - **Have it collected.** Book a courier from your address at the rate shown on the order form. - **Use a digital copy.** Where the route allows it, upload the PDF and nothing is posted. South Africa accepts original documents only. Paper apostilles are returned by tracked post, and e-Apostilles are sent by email. ## Embassy legalisation An apostille is only recognised between countries that apply the [Hague Apostille Convention](https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41). A country outside it will usually ask for consular legalisation instead: the document is authenticated in the issuing country, then legalised by the embassy of the country of use. Tell us the country of use on the order form. Where embassy legalisation is needed, we send you a fixed quote. Nothing is charged until you accept it. ## Apostille and translation If the receiving authority works in another language, add a [certified or sworn translation](https://translayte.com/certified-translations) to your order. We translate from the scan of the apostilled document, so the apostille itself is translated too. Need an apostille on a certified translation we produce, rather than on the original? Add it when you order the translation. Need a document notarised instead? See our [online notary service](https://translayte.com/digital-notarisation-services). ## Before you order Most delays and refusals come from a few avoidable problems. Check these first: - **The issuing country.** The apostille comes from the country that issued the document, whatever your nationality or address. - **The document's condition.** Authorities may refuse documents that are laminated, damaged or altered. - **What the receiving authority asked for.** Some want a recently issued original, some accept a certified copy, and some want a translation too. - **The country of use.** Outside the Hague Convention, you need embassy legalisation. If the authority refuses a document, we tell you why and what is needed before it can be resubmitted. ## Who handles your documents An established apostille agent, notary or law office in the issuing country handles your documents and deals with the authority directly. Documents are posted to and returned from that partner's own office. Translayte is operated by BDXL Ltd, a UK company based in London, and is an accredited member of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC). We have served more than 150,000 customers. Your documents travel over encrypted connections, and our partners, translators and project managers are bound by confidentiality agreements. ## For agents - API: documents POST https://translayte.com/api/agent/v1/files · quote GET https://translayte.com/api/agent/v1/quote · order POST https://translayte.com/api/agent/v1/orders · coverage GET https://translayte.com/api/agent/v1/coverage · OpenAPI https://translayte.com/.well-known/openapi.json - MCP server, no key: POST https://translayte.com/mcp (tools get_coverage, get_quote, send_document, create_order, get_order_status) · manifest https://translayte.com/.well-known/mcp.json - Site index for agents: https://translayte.com/llms.txt