Home Knowledge UK Business Registration UK Company Registration Notarization and Legalization for UK Documents
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Apostille Apostille specifically refers to the 1961 Hague Convention on the Authentication of Foreign Public Documents, which is certified by the competent authorities of the member states of the Convention by affixing a seal or label to the notarial deed to certify the authenticity of the signature, seal and qualification of the local notary office or notary public that issued the notarial deed. Before applying for apostille, it is necessary to do international notarization of the documents before applying to the competent authority for apostille. The United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Vietnam, Spain, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, etc. are all members of the Apostille Convention, and China and Dubai are not members of the Convention. However, China formally submitted its instrument of accession to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the depositary of the Convention, on 8 March 2023, and the Convention will enter into force in China on 7 November 2023. According to the provisions of the Convention, the circulation and use of documents between the member states of the Convention only needs to be legalized by apostille (apostille), and there is no need for consular legalization. This means that from November 7, 2023, documents issued by member states of the Convention can be used in China after completing apostille, and no consular legalization is required. Documents issued by China are to be used in other countries or regions that are members of the Convention, and there is no need for consular authentication. This would significantly reduce the time and economic costs of the cross-border circulation and use of instruments. Currently in the UK, the legalization process of Apostille is done by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO will affix an "apostille" to the notarized document. An apostille is a standardized certificate that verifies the authenticity of the notary's signature and seal. |
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Legalization with Embassy If a country is not a member of the Legalization Convention, its notarized documents usually need to be legalized by the embassy or consulate of one country in another country. According to international practice, the purpose of legalization is to enable the notarial certificate issued by one country to be recognized by the relevant authorities in another country and have legal effect, so as not to affect the legal effect of the document due to doubts about whether the seal and signature on the document are true. |
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