Urgent Same Day Speed Apostille Legalisation

The UK government’s Premium Legalisation Office in central London, which offered “same day” Apostille Legalisation, closed in December 2023 as part of government cost-cutting measures.

From 2 January 2024, a limited “Urgent Same Day Speed” legalisation service became available.

For urgent cases, we can submit a written application on your behalf to the Legalisation Office. Applications must be submitted before 4pm on the previous working day.

Please note that this service is heavily restricted and approval is not guaranteed. Supporting evidence must be provided to justify urgency.

Situations Eligible for Urgent Same Day Speed Apostille

Documents linked to repatriation that are time-sensitive
Time-limited documents related to animal transport
Documents showing evidence regarding a child’s welfare
Documents showing evidence regarding a vulnerable adult
Commercially urgent documents, e.g., insolvency certificates
Documents relating to corporate transactions with a fixed completion date
Short notice private client documents

Important: Prior approval by the Legalisation Office is required before any “Urgent Same Day Speed” application can proceed. The Legalisation Office must confirm that the Next-Day Apostille Legalisation service cannot meet your needs.

Next Working Day Apostille Legalisation

legalisation department

We also offer a cheaper Next Working Day service at the Milton Keynes Legalisation Office.

How it works:

A courier collects your documents from our offices and delivers them to Milton Keynes.
Documents are returned the following working day by 4pm.

Deadline: Documents must arrive at our offices by 11am on a working day for Next-Day Apostille.

Legalisation by Post

We do not recommend using the Milton Keynes postal service, as it can take over two weeks. We focus on fast business Apostille Legalisation services.

Consular Legalisation

Certain countries require additional Consular Legalisation in London.

We are experienced with all London consulates and their requirements, including:

Application procedures
Documentary requirements
Fees and time scales
Public holidays and recent amendments

We can handle the entire process for you, including Foreign Office and Consulate legalisation, and provide a full quote and estimated time scales before you commit. Documents can also be couriered internationally after legalisation.

What is Legalisation?

Legalisation verifies the identity and authority of a notary public. The process often involves attaching an Apostille stamp, issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) under the Hague Convention 1961.

An Apostille confirms the signature and stamp of a genuine practicing notary, making the document valid for use in foreign jurisdictions.

What is Consular Legalisation?

Some countries require additional certification by their London Consulate. Documents pass first to the Foreign Office and then to the relevant consulate.

Each consulate has:

Different fees (in addition to the Foreign Office fee of £30 or £75)
Different turnaround times (same-day to 1–2 weeks)

Certain Arab jurisdictions require legalisation through the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).

CONSULAR LEGALISATION

Our Legalisation and Consular Services

We can arrange:

Foreign Office legalisation
Consular legalisation
Courier delivery to any international destination

All fees, including notary fees, will be quoted in advance.

Weekend Legalisation

The Foreign Office and London Consulates are closed on weekends and public holidays. Apostille Legalisation or Consularisation is only possible on working days.

For the Same Day Fast Legalisation service, documents must be received by 2pm on the required day.