Does a document have to be notarised to be Apostilled?

No, not all documents need to be notarised or certified by a solicitor before the apostille can be added. For a detailed list of documents that can have the apostille, please visit the apostille document page.

There are a lot of public documents that have the apostille issued without any additional notarisation or solicitor certification. When a document contains a recognised official signature, stamp or seal, further notarisation/certification by a solicitor is not required and should not be added.

Common documents that DO NOT need notarising/certifying include –

Birth Certificate
Marriage Certificate
Death certificates
Adoption Certificates
Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage
Decree Absolute or Decree Nisi with ‘wet ink’ court stamps
Court documents & Probates with ‘wet ink’ court stamps
Certificates of Good Standing
Companies House Registrar signed documents
HM Revenue and Customs letters signed by HMRC officer
Certificate of Residence documents signed by HMRC officer
ACPO, ACRO, NPCC, Police letters

This list is not exhaustive!

For free advice do not hesitate to contact us.