Jargon Buster

Legalisation

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This is the process where the signature and seal of the Notary are approved by either the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and/or the Embassy or Consulate where the document is to be used. “The Notary authenticates the document. The FCO/embassy authenticate the Notary!”
The FCO keeps a database of the signatures and seals of the Notary Publics of England and Wales.  The FCO attach a certificate to the document, confirming that the Notary’s signature and certificate are genuine.  This certificate is called an Apostille.
The country where the document is to be used may require it to be legalised by their own Embassy.  Check out our Country Guide search.
Scrivener Notaries can carry out the same functions as a general Notary but they have additional language specialisms.  They will be able to draft documents in a foreign language.
This is the act of the Notary certifying or authenticating your document.
This is the act of the Notary confirming that your document is correct by adding his/her signature and stamp.

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