Apostille by cardiff notary and e-apostille

1. Document Verification: Before obtaining an Apostille, it's essential to ensure that your document is an eligible type for the service. Common documents include UK issued birth certificates, marriage certificates, academic qualifications, ACRO, DBS certificates, notarised documents by a Notary Public for England and Wales, and more. If in doubt, please contact me on 07920002311 or send your documents by email to me karolina@notaryservices.org.uk and I will guide you through the process.

2. Documents that cannot be legalised by an Apostille in the UK: You cannot get documents issued outside the UK legalised using this Apostille legalisation service - get them legalised in the country they were issued. In certain cases, a Notary Public may be able to certify a copy of your original documents which can subsequently be submitted for Apostille legalisation.

3. Notary Public Verification (if required): If your documents require notarisation and you instruct me to authenticate them, I will ensure that they are duly notarised by me, as a qualified Notary in Cardiff, before proceeding to the Apostille legalisation service. My Notary’s seal and signature have been registered with the FCDO on their database, which allows their staff to match and verify my signature and seal that I put on your documents with their records. As such, the FCDO attaches an apostille (0.5 page certificate) on the other side of the notarised document verifying the Notary’s signature as authentic. The documents that I often authenticate as a Notary and then arrange legalisation by an apostille are DBS certificates, academic degree certificates, divorce decrees (certificates), birth, death, marriage certificates (if required). 

4. Application Submission: As a Notary Public I can submit your documents to the Legalisation Office of the FCDO by posting them to the FCDO directly, or in more urgent cases I can use authorised legalisation agents for your convenience.

5. There are two types of Legalisation by Apostille Services:

5.1 Premium Apostille Service: is designed for clients who need their documents processed more urgently. This service offers swift verification and issuance of the Apostille certificate, ensuring your documents are ready for international use promptly. Whether you have last-minute business transactions, academic deadlines, or time-sensitive personal matters, the Premium Apostille Service ensures you can proceed without delays. For the premium Apostille legalisation service I use authorised agents by posting the documents to them in London or Milton Keynes, who then promptly submit them for legalisation to the FCDO. The agents post the legalised documents back to my office in Cardiff or Penarth (South Wales) for your collection, or your chosen address in the UK directly. If the matter is urgent, the legalisation agent can ship the legalised documents by courier to majority of the countries around the world (excluding certain areas) at an additional charge, which will be confirmed to you in advance.

Key Features of the Premium Apostille Service (paper apostille):

· Urgent Processing: Your documents are processed and verified promptly (after the agent receives the documents in the post in London or M), offering the quickest turnaround time possible.

· Expedited Handling: The Premium service ensures that your documents receive priority attention, expediting the entire legalisation process.

· Ideal for Urgent Matters: If your documents are required urgently for time-sensitive purposes, the Premium Apostille Service is the optimal choice.

· Fees: £88 (including agent's fee, my processing fee and VAT) per Apostille for premium legalisation service, if you are requesting an apostille as part of other notarial services provided by me during the same appointment, plus return postage to our agent in London or Milton Keynes and back to your provided address in the UK. The approximate turnaround is 5-6 working days. If you require the legalised documents to be shipped by courier directly abroad, our agent can arrange the shipment for an additional fee (from £ 48 incl. VAT (per package of up to 500 grams) for delivery in Europe). For other countries, I will advise you of the fee on a case-by-case basis. For multiple apostilles I apply a volume discount (for 5 apostilles or more during the same instruction)

If you do not require notarisation, authentication, notarial attestation or other type of notary services from me, but only need one apostille to be arranged on your behalf my fee is £124 incl.VAT, my processing and record keeping fee, postage in the UK and my agent's fee.  

5.2 Standard Apostille Service: provides an efficient and reliable option for clients with non-urgent document legalisation needs. Although the processing time is usually longer (and constantly changing) than the Premium service, it remains a popular choice for clients who have more flexible timelines for their international transactions or applications.

Key Features of the Standard Apostille Service - with FCDO directly (no agent involved):

· Processing Time: The Standard service by FCDO is constantly changing.

· Cost-Effective: The Standard service offers a more budget-friendly option without compromising the authenticity and recognition of your documents.

· Suitable for Non-Urgent Matters: If you have sufficient time before your documents are required abroad, the Standard Apostille Service provides a reliable solution.

· Fees: £45 (VAT exempt) per Apostille for standard legalisation service, plus £48 incl. VAT my processing fee per Apostille, plus return postage). If you require your legalised documents to be shipped by courier directly abroad, FCDO can arrange the shipment for an additional fee.

6. E-apostille - Electronic Apostille. I also offer an e-apostille arrangement service, whereby your document will be digitally signed using secure Qualified Electronic Signature (QES signature), stamped and seal with my notarial stamps, as per the FCDO requirements, and then submitted electronically to FCDO for an e-apostille. The upload and delivery format is pdf, no paper apostille is issued. The cost for an e-apostille is as follows:

• e-Apostille only: £70 per document – including FCDO fee, my processing fee and VAT.
• e-Apostille + notarisation: from £165 per document – including, FCDO fee (£35 per e-apostille), notary processing fee and VAT charged on my processing fee. The notary processing fee is higher if the document has multiple pages and/or I need to obtain document verification/authentication first before I could e-notarise it with my QES signature.

FCDO estimated turnaround - 2 working days for legalisation by an e-apostille. However, some documents may take longer, depending on FCDO requirements. Please note this timeline excluding verification/authentication of documents with third parties (e.g. universities, employers, if required) and e-notarisation.

NOTE: 

1. Not every organisation accepts e-apostilles, therefore please check first if an e-apostille will be accepted by your requesting organisation. If not, you will need a paper apostille instead.

2. Documents excluded for an e-apostille (paper apostille will be required instead):

• All General Register Office (GRO) documents, including birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates
• ACRO police certificates for England and Wales
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) certificates for England and Wales
• Disclosure certificates for Scotland or Northern Ireland
• Fingerprint certificates
• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) membership certificates

6. Verification and Apostille Issuance: The FCDO will meticulously verify the authenticity of your document, including the Notary Public's seal and signature. Once confirmed, an Apostille certificate will be attached to your document, affirming its legal validity.

 I can guide you through the legalisation process and the requirements, making the journey smooth and stress-free. Where the matter is more complicated, I can seek advice from the experienced and knowledgeable legalisation agents I work with to ensure all your questions are answered.