The run-up to Christmas is often a busy period for the Apostille Service. Many customers contact us trying to legalise documents before the holiday closures begin. We recommend all customers submit documents to us as soon as they can. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, solicitors, embassies and other government offices will all close for statutory holidays, some work reduced hours and many do not reopen until the New Year.

Below you will find more information on our services and estimated processing times.

The final day for completing most inbound apostille orders will be the 19th of December 2024. Any documents arriving after this date will most likely be completed in the New Year. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee orders arriving on Tuesday 20 December will be complete before Christmas, but we will be working hard to dispatch as many as possible by the 20th of December. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee completion as delays can occur when verifying documents. We may need to check documents and closures elsewhere (government offices, registrar offices, solicitors etc.) may affect processing times.

Many of the embassies in London will be closed for several days over Christmas. These closures often mean documents can be delayed for several days beyond normal processing times. For the latest estimates on embassy orders please contact one of the legalization team. Most orders arriving before in the first week of December should be completed and dispatched by  December 20. However, we expect the embassies to be very busy and further delays may occur.

We recommend all customers select a secure return delivery of documents. Choose from UK next working day courier or International DHL/UPS delivery.

Please see below for the opening times for our office.

Saturday 14 December – Closed
Sunday 15 December – Closed

Monday 16 December – 9.00-17.30
Tuesday 17 December – 9.00-17.30
Wednesday 18 December – 9.00-17.30
Thursday 19 December – 9.00-17.30
Friday 20 December – 9.00-17.30

Saturday 21 December – Closed
Sunday 22 December – Closed

Monday 23 December – 9.00-17.30
Tuesday 24 December – 9.00-12.00
Wednesday 25 December – Closed
Thursday 26 December – Closed
Friday 27 December – Closed

Saturday 28 December – Closed
Sunday 29 December – Closed

Monday 30 December – 9.00-16.00
Tuesday 31 December – 9.00-12.00

Wednesday 1 January – Closed
Thursday 2 January – 9.00-17.30
Normal working hours resume

It has been our pleasure to assist thousands of customers over the last 12 months. The legalisation team have been very busy and deserve a few days off with their family to relax. We hope you all get a chance to find some peace over the next few weeks.

For order updates and general enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us.