Electronic Notarisation
Get Your Documents e-Notarised and e-Apostilled with us wherever you are in the UK without the need to visit our offices.
An e-Notarisation and e-Apostille offers a convenient and fast alternative to traditional methods, reducing processing times and costs associated with sending documents. This is a new and evolving service therefore you must check with the receiving jurisdiction whether your document can be e-notarised and e-apostilled and whether it will be accepted internationally.
Documents that have been electronically notarised (e-Notarisation) often require an electronic Apostille (e-Apostille) for international acceptance. An electronic apostille is a digital certificate issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) that confirms the electronic signature of the notary public.
Certain documents cannot be e-Notarised or e-Apostilled, including:
General Register Office (GRO) documents such as birth, death, marriage, civil partnership, and adoption certificates
ACRO police certificates for England and Wales
Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) certificates for England and Wales
Fingerprint certificates
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) membership certificates
English law and e-notarisation
Due to the lack of clear authority under English law, we do not recommend using remote electronic signatures for witnessing deeds or administering oaths and declarations.
The Hague Apostille Convention
Under the Hague Apostille Convention, member countries should theoretically accept e-Notary and e-Apostille certificates. However, in practice, there may be instances where the recipient rejects an e-Notarisation or e-Apostille, potentially due to their preference for physical documents over digital versions.
Key Considerations for e-Notarisation and e-Apostille Acceptance
If you are thinking of having your document e-notarised, please check the following points with the receiving jurisdiction:
Whether they accept digital documents with e-Notary and/or e-Apostille certificates.
If separate e-Notary or e-Apostille certificates are needed for each document if you have multiple documents.
Inform the recipient that e-Notary and e-Apostille certificates are only valid in digital form, and there will be no physical document.
Currently, no Consulates or High Commissions accept e-Apostilles for legalisation. Therefore, if you need further consular legalisation, you should choose traditional notarisation and fast apostille services.
Document Verification and Issuance of Digital Notarial Certificates
For certified copies, we will need to see the original documents.
For any electronically issued document, we must check how and from where you obtained the document.
Companies House documentation requires us to verify the documents online.
If signing a document, we will need to verify your identity, signature, and your capacity, free will, and understanding to sign the document.
In many instances, a videoconferencing call will be necessary to carry out the verification.
After successfully verifying the document and/or your identity, we will issue a digital notarial certificate with an electronic signature and submit it to the FCDO for e-Apostille.
We do not accept liability if your e-Notarised and e-Apostilled document is rejected in the receiving jurisdiction.