Do I Need A Solicitor for an e-Apostille?

Do I Need a Solicitor for an e-Apostille?

This guide explains when a solicitor is required before obtaining a UK e-apostille. It sets out the situations where solicitor certification is necessary, when it’s not, and what to do if your document isn’t suitable in its current form.

Key points:

  • When a solicitor is required
  • When a solicitor is not required
  • How to check if your document qualifies
  • What to do if your document needs certification
apostille emailed to you
apostille emailed to you

FCDO-Issued e-Apostille

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Your e-Apostille is issued directly by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Our team will verify the document and organise valid electronic solicitor certification to avoid delays.

Understanding When Solicitor Certification Is Needed

Understanding When Solicitor Certification Is Needed

Whether you need a solicitor depends entirely on how your document was issued. Currently, an electronic signature from a UK solicitor or notary certification is required for any document. This is simply because other legal authorities and signatories do not yet have a suitable digital signature system in place. This may change in the future.

When a Solicitor is Required

ALL documents currently need to be electronically signed by a UK solicitor to qualify for the e-Apostille.

When a Solicitor is Not Required

IF a document has been electronically signed by an appropriate legal authority, and IF this is a suitable verifiable electronic signature, then solicitor certification may not be needed. This is not currently the norm.

Why These Rules Exist

The electronic certification ensures the document is genuine and meets UK legalisation standards. Electronic signatures allow the FCDO to verify the authenticity of a document.

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Official UK e-Apostilles Issued by the FCDO with electronic solicitor certification

When a Solicitor is Actually Needed

When a Solicitor is Actually Needed

When a document does not contain a valid electronic signature from an approved authority, electronic solicitor certification is required.  This is currently the case for all documents. As electronic certification becomes more commonplace, this may change.

Common examples include

Academic Documents – Degrees, Masters, and PHD certificates
Personal Documents – Employment documents, HMRC letters, passports, and driving licences
Commercial Documents – Certificates of Incorporation, Articles of Association, and Company Accounts

How the e-Apostille Process Works

The process is simple. Follow the steps below and we will get your document electronically signed by a solicitor and also legalised with the e-Apostille.

Order online

Order online and send your document to us.

Electronic Certification

We organise the digital solicitor certification.

Documents are Legalised

We obtain the e-apostille from the FCDO.

Receive completed order

Your completed e-apostille is emailed to you securely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Currently, yes. Documents must contain a valid electronic signature before the e-Apostille can be issued. Most other authorities and types of legal official do not yet have a valid electronic signature.

Technically, yes. Providing they add a suitable, valid electronic signature and certification statements. A standard electronic signature is not suitable. The digital certification must meet FCDO guidelines. Most solicitors do not have a suitable digital signature.

No. The electronic solicitor certification ensures the document is eligible for the e-Apostille but the receiving country or authority may have specific requirements about document format or content. It’s worth confirming with them before proceeding if there’s any doubt.

This varies. Solicitors incur many expenses when setting up a suitable digital signature. As a result, electronic certification often costs more than traditional wet ink certification. Generally, solicitors may charge approximately £100.00 to add a valid digital certification.

Yes. There is nothing precluding a solicitor certifying a digitally issued document. They will generally just need some form of verification of the document first.

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