UK Apostille — British Documents, Authenticated by the FCDO, Valid Everywhere.

In the United Kingdom, all apostilles are issued by a single authority: the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), based in Milton Keynes. Unlike the US, the UK has a centralised system — regardless of whether your document was issued in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, the FCDO is the Competent Authority.

The FCDO apostille process requires that public documents — those issued by government bodies, courts, or registrars — are submitted directly. Private documents, such as notarised agreements or solicitor-certified copies, must first be notarised or certified by a UK solicitor before FCDO will apostille them. The FCDO currently offers a same-day service and a standard service, making the UK one of the fastest apostille jurisdictions in the world for routine documents.

GetNotary works with UK-based agents to receive, submit, and retrieve FCDO apostilles. This is particularly relevant for Indian CA firms handling UK-incorporated companies that need their company documents apostilled for Indian regulatory filings, and for UK nationals or residents who need British personal documents accepted in India, Singapore, Australia, or Germany.