Urgent e-Apostille Service – How Fast Can It Be Done?

Urgent e-Apostille Service – How Fast Can It Be Done?

When you’re facing tight deadlines for job offers, visa applications, or international transactions, speed matters. This guide explains how fast e-Apostilles can be completed, what affects processing times, and how our urgent service delivers results when every day counts.

Key points:

  • Same-day e-Apostille possible once documents are verified
  • Fastest turnaround depends on document type and readiness
  • What causes delays and how to avoid them
Holding Sandglass - Urgent e-Apostille - how quickly can this be done?

FCDO-Issued e-Apostille

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Everything You Need for a Fast Legalisation Service

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 how fast the e-Apostille can be Done

Understanding how fast the e-Apostille can be Done

The e-Apostille process is significantly faster than the traditional paper apostille process. There’s no waiting for physical returns, and no postal delays. Once your document is ready and verified, we can often complete the entire process, including the electronic solicitor certification and FCDO e-apostille, the same day.

Same-Day Processing Is Possible

When you have an urgent deadline, same-day e-apostille is achievable for documents that are ready to submit. This means if we have a document that we have verification for in the morning, you could potentially have your completed e-Apostille by the end of the same working day, subject to FCDO processing times.

What “Urgent” Actually Means

We treat all orders with the utmost urgency. Your electronic certification is completed as quickly as possible, your submission to the FCDO is fast-tracked, and your completed order is delivered to you immediately upon completion. Most orders are completed within 24 hours, with many finishing the same day you submit them. 

Why the e-Apostille Is Faster Than The Paper Apostille

Paper apostilles require physical handling, posting documents to the FCDO, manual processing, and return postage, adding several days to the timeline. The e-Apostille process often eliminates all physical handling (with some exceptions) which is why we can turn around documents in hours rather than days.

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How Fast Can Different Documents Be Processed?

How Fast Can Different Documents Be Processed?

Processing speed depends primarily on what verification checks are required before we can organise the electronic solicitor certification and submit it for e-apostille. Here’s what to expect for different document types.

Academic Documents – We generally require either the original document to be posted or some form of direct verification from the school, college or University before we can begin. Many Universities allow for degree certificates to be shared securely online via portals such as DigitaryCore or GradIntel which can be a significant timesaver. Once we have verification and an electronic version of the document, the order could be completed within 24 hours. 

Company Documents – We can verify many company documents against the records held at Companies House immediately allowing us to begin processing right away after receiving your documents. Most orders are completed the same day if we have the documents in the morning. 

Employment Documents – We require direct verification from your employer to begin processing. We suggest contacting your employer to arrange for them to email confirmation of your employment details to us as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary delays. Once we have verification and an electronic version of the document, the process is often completed within 1 working day.

Other Documents – The main consideration is how quickly and easily the document can be verified. If we have the means to verify these electronically  the process can often be completed within 1 working day. If it is not viable to verify a document electronically, we may need the original to be posted to us. 

The Fastest Possible Timeline: Step by Step

Processing speed depends primarily on what verification checks are required before we can organise the electronic solicitor certification and submit it for the e-Apostille. Here’s what to expect for different document types.

The Fastest Possible Timeline: Step by Step

How The e-Apostille Process Works

The process is simple. Follow the steps below and we will arrange the e-apostille for you.

What Can Delay Processing (And How to Avoid It)

What Can Delay Processing (And How to Avoid It)

Understanding potential delays helps you prepare documents properly and set realistic expectations. Here’s what can slow things down and how we work to minimise delays.

Document quality issues:

We may not be able to proceed with poor quality scans, or documents that have illegible text or missing pages. We’ll flag quality issues so you can resubmit quickly.

Verification Delays:

If we need to verify your document with a university, company registry, or other issuing authority, and they’re slow to respond or closed (weekends, holidays, after hours), verification can take longer. You can contact the issuing authority first to ensure they are available to send verification to us.

Missing Information:

If you don’t provide complete details about your document, its purpose, or the receiving authority, we may need to contact you for clarification. This adds time. Provide thorough information when ordering to avoid back-and-forth delays.

Time of Day Submission:

Documents submitted late in the day may not complete until the next working day as there’s limited time for verification, certification and the FCDO processing. Submit as early in the day as possible.

How to Maximise Speed for Your Urgent Order

How to Maximise Speed for Your Urgent Order

When time is critical, these steps help ensure the fastest possible processing.

  • Submit early in the working day: Morning submissions give us the full day to verify, certify, and process your document. Aim to submit by 9-10 AM UK time for best same-day results.

  • Provide high-quality documents: Use our scanning guidelines to create clear, complete scans. Check everything before submitting. Quality issues caught early save hours. If we need you to send the original document to us we will let you know.
  • Include complete information: Tell us everything about your document when ordering. Let us know if there are any specific requirements from the receiving authority. Complete information prevents delays.
  • Be responsive: We may need to contact you for clarification or additional information. Respond immediately to any queries to keep processing moving.

  • Provide verification contacts: If you have contact information for someone at the issuing authority who can quickly verify your document, include this when providing your document. Direct contacts speed up verification significantly. Better yet, ask the issuing authority to email us with verification as soon as you have ordered. 

  • Consider time zones: If you’re overseas, remember we operate on UK time. Submit during UK business hours when our team and the FCDO are actively processing documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Once we have your document and any required verification is complete, we can often certify and e-Apostille it the same working day, subject to FCDO processing times. Same-day completion is most realistic for documents submitted early in the morning that don’t require lengthy verification.

For documents that are easily verifiable, we’ve completed the entire process, from submission to delivery, in just 1-2 hours. This requires early morning submission and favourable FCDO processing, but it demonstrates just how fast the e-Apostille process can be when everything aligns.
The same. We treat all orders with the utmost urgency. Unlike other companies, we do not charge extra for a faster service. We appreciate the time sensitivity of every order.
No. The FCDO doesn’t process e-Apostille applications on weekends or UK bank holidays. Plan ahead if your deadline falls on or after a weekend.
Some verification checks can take longer than others. That is unfortunately outside of our control. We’re upfront about realistic timelines based on what verification is needed. Make sure the issuing authority is able to respond to verification requests quickly to avoid unnecessary delays.

Yes. We provide automated status updates for all orders. You can view these on your account with us. If you have opted for email or SMS notifications, we’ll keep you updated that way too. 

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