Where to get an apostille in United Kingdom: competent authority and Apostille Convention status
United Kingdom is a party to the Apostille Convention, in force since 24 January 1965 (ratification). HCCH lists as competent authority, among others: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Legalisation Office.
- Name in the HCCH table
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Convention
- Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (HCCH Convention No. 12)
- Status
- Contracting Party in the HCCH status table
- Type
- Ratification (R)
- Signature (S), as printed
- 19-X-1961
- Ratification, accession or succession, as printed
- 21-VIII-1964
- Entry into force (EIF), as printed
- 24-I-1965 (24 January 1965)
- Extensions of application
- marked in the EXT column of the HCCH status table (footnote 13)
- Competent authority (Art. 6), extract from the HCCH page
- Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Legalisation Office
- Address (first one listed by HCCH)
- The Legalisation Office, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, United Kingdom
- Website, as printed by HCCH
- https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised
- HCCH competent authority page
- United Kingdom - Competent Authority (Art. 6) (page last updated 07 May 2026)
- Region (UN M49)
- Europe, Northern Europe
- Sources
- HCCH status table, Convention 12, retrieved 5 November 2026; HCCH competent authorities of United Kingdom, retrieved 5 November 2026; UN M49 regions
What this page does not say
Which authority handles your document can depend on the type of document and, in some countries, on the place. Open the HCCH page linked above and check there. We do not say which authority you need, and this is not legal advice.
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