So, you’re finally ready to move abroad for studies, work, or even live there? Congratulations! As you prepare, one of the most important things you want to do is to apostille your documents, if the country you’re moving to is party to the 1961 Hague Convention.

That way, you won’t have to worry about proving their authenticity whenever asked to present them. Though there is a sizeable list of documents you may have to apostille depending on your situation, your birth certificate will almost usually be at the top of the list.

So here’s a quick guide to the birth certificate apostilling process in the UK:

Why and When Do You Need an Apostille on Your Birth Certificate?

The most common reason, as mentioned above, is to validate the authenticity of the details in your certificate. That way, your birth certificate will be accepted in a foreign country despite not being issued there.

You will typically want to have your birth certificate apostilled as long as you’re moving to a country that requires apostilled documents, but here are a couple of situations where your apostilled birth certificate would be important:

• Obtaining a visa in the destination country
• Registering for school in the country of interest
• Applying for citizenship

Make sure to check and understand the various requirements of the destination country to guarantee a smooth apostilling process. London Apostille, one of the top apostille service providers in the UK, has a nice guide for how to get an apostille birth certificate.

Process of Apostilling your UK Birth Certificate

With all requirements sorted out, it’s time to progress with the application request. Follow these steps:

1. Decide Whether to Handle It Yourself or Use a Service

The process of having your UK birth certificate apostilled can be effortless or complicated depending on who you ask. If you’re comfortable taking on the entire process on your own, this would be the high time to get started. Starting the process as early as you can give you the guarantee that you’ll have ample time to address any issues or provide additional requirements and still have your document processed in due time.

For those who aren’t comfortable with such processes, leveraging an apostille service provider would be the preferable path. Using such services gives you peace of mind and the guarantee that your process will be successful, as long as you’ve met the requirements.

2. Have the Right Version of the Birth Certificate

In the UK, you are required to send the original or official copy of your birth certificate. However, you should also find out that your destination country will accept either of the two forms of your certificate. If not, use the specified format. You should also include other necessary documents, depending on the situation, such as identification and/or proof of relationship to the birth certificate holder.

Since there are two versions of birth certificates in the UK (long version and short version), you will want to ensure that you send the right version depending on the requirements. Where not specified, it’s recommended that you send the long version.

3. Prepare Your Apostille Request Envelope

If you’re sending your documents to the legalisation office by yourself, you’ll only have to include your documents and the details of the address where you want the documents sent to in the UK (for the postage option). You should also include enough UK stamps in your envelope to cover the postage cost. For courier services, your documents can be sent anywhere in the UK, as well as the rest of the world.

When using the apostille service provider option, you will only have to contact the office and give them all the information for your apostilling needs. Their team will assess your enquiry and give you a detailed quotation.

4. Send Your Documents and Settle the Required Fees

When handling the apostilling process on your own, you can only send your documents via a courier service or the postage option since you’re not a registered business. For standard (paper-based) documents, you will have to pay £45 (processing fee) plus postage or courier charges to have your papers apostilled. If you choose the postage option, make sure to include enough stamps to cover the delivery back to your destination or any other preferred location in the UK.

If you’ve chosen the apostille services provider option, your provider will guide you on how to send in the documents and pay the required fees. Such service providers typically have a couple of service options to choose from depending on your needs, so you should get better convenience and flexibility.

5. Collect Your Documents Once Ready

After the waiting period is over and your documents have been apostilled, they will be delivered via courier service or postage, depending on what you choose. You may have to collect the documents and send them to the final destination if the legalisation office can’t do that for you, or if you’ve opted to send them yourself.

If you use a service provider, they will deliver the documents to you via courier service or send them to your preferred destination.

Enjoy Seamless Birth Certificate Apostille Services

Nothing gives you peace of mind like knowing that everything will go as planned having your documents apostilled. Though handling the apostilling process by yourself should not be difficult as long as you understand the requirements, you can make your work easier by working with an approved apostille service provider like London Apostille.

Not only do they have a better understanding of everything you need for a successful process, but they’ll go the extra mile to offer as much convenience as you need.