Notary Public Edinburgh – Apostilles and birth certificates

Have you been told that you need an apostille on a document and wonder what it is?

Are you looking for a notary public in Edinburgh?

This article will help to demystify some of the vocabulary you may have come across and will look in particular at the rules which apply to birth, marriage and death certificates.

What is an apostille?

An apostille is an internationally recognised certification confirming the signature and seal of the public official who issued or certified the document. In fact, it is a small paper certificate generally attached to the back of the document by the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. An apostille provides an additional layer of assurance for the official receiving the document in another country that the document is authentic.

Do I need notarisation or certification of my document before I can get an apostille?

Most documents do need to be notarised or copies of them certified before they can be apostilled. These include passports, evidence of address, academic certificates such as degrees and transcripts, affidavits, declarations, powers of attorney for use outside the United Kingdom, company board resolutions and Companies House documentation.

Some documents do not require notarisation or certification before submission for an apostille

If a document has been issued by a United Kingdom government department or agency such as the ACRO Criminal Records Office, HM Revenue and Customs, or Companies House and has a wet ink signature, notarisation will not be required before it is submitted for an apostille.

Original documents apostilled in a Crown dependency such as Jersey or in a British overseas territory such as the Falkland Islands or Gibraltar do not need to be notarised first.

Checks can be made not only with the issuing authority but also with the recipient of your document about what is required before submitting it to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for an apostille. Quill Legal Notary Public Edinburgh will be able to assist if there is any doubt.

Birth, marriage and death certificates – United Kingdom and overseas

Birth certificates issued in the United Kingdom are protected by Crown copyright and only the government is permitted to provide certified copies of them. A notary public is not permitted to notarise or certify a copy of the certificate but can authenticate an original birth certificate. The same applies to United Kingdom marriage and death certificates as they too are government-issued documents.

Birth, marriage and death certificates which have not been issued in the United Kingdom need to be notarised or certified before they can be apostilled. The original certificate would be required and checks would have to be made to confirm that it is authentic. Only then could a photocopy of that certificate be certified or notarised and submitted to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for an apostille. If the certificate is to be used in a country which has not signed up to the Hague Apostille Convention, it may need to be further legalised by the Embassy or Consulate of that country.

When might original birth, marriage or death certificates require notarisation and an apostille?

You may need notarisation and an apostille on a certificate if you are planning to marry abroad, when you are applying for dual citizenship, or if you are registering a United Kingdom birth or death in another country. When a deceased person’s estate is being wound up abroad, the officials there may require not only a death certificate but also the Will and any other relevant estate papers to be authenticated. The apostille will provide reassurance to them that the documents are valid.

Notary Public Edinburgh – notary services Scotland

Quill Legal can arrange everything for you. We use an excellent and very reliable apostille agent in London to obtain apostilles within two to three days, instead of waiting for two to three weeks, which is the standard timescale for the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. We can also arrange for any necessary authentication of documentation by relevant Consulates and Embassies and for your documents to be translated. Your documents can be returned to you in the United Kingdom or posted to most parts of the world directly. We act for clients all over Scotland and sometimes for clients who now live abroad. We can work remotely with the aid of a video conference to check your identity and generally your location will not be an issue.

To use our notary services in Edinburgh, please contact Kay Blaikie by telephone on 0131 564 1044 or by using our contact form.