Apostille Services for Saudi Arabia and Other Countries
Get your UK documents apostilled and legalised for use abroad — degrees, birth certificates, corporate documents, and more, handled from London.
What Is an Apostille?
An apostille is an official certificate attached to a UK-issued document that confirms it’s genuine, so it can be legally recognised in another country. In the UK, apostilles are issued exclusively by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) — no other body can issue one. Depending on the document type, it may need to be notarised by a UK solicitor or notary public before the FCDO will apostille it.
Once apostilled, most documents are accepted directly by the destination country with no further embassy involvement — but the exact requirement depends on which country you’re sending the document to, and what type of document it is.
Apostille Requirements for Saudi Arabia — What's Changed
Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention in December 2022. For most UK-issued documents — degree certificates, birth certificates, corporate documents — this means an FCDO apostille alone is now sufficient, and the extra step of legalising the document at the Saudi Embassy in London is no longer required for most categories.
There are still exceptions. Certain administrative and customs-related documents — such as establishment certificates, import/export licences, and documents signed by diplomatic or consular officials — are not covered by this simplified process and still require separate Saudi Embassy attestation. If you’re not sure which category your document falls into, this is exactly the kind of detail worth checking before you submit anything, since getting it wrong means starting the process again.
Apostille Requirements for Other Countries
Not every country accepts an apostille the way Saudi Arabia now does. Some destination countries are not members of the Hague Convention at all, meaning your document needs full consular legalisation — notarisation, FCDO apostille, and then attestation at that country’s embassy in London — rather than an apostille alone. We check this for every destination before we submit anything on your behalf, so you’re not paying for the wrong process or missing a required step.
Documents We Regularly Handle
- Educational certificates — degrees, diplomas, and transcripts for work visas, further study, or professional registration abroad
- Birth, marriage, and death certificates — for family visas, residency applications, and legal matters overseas
- Corporate and commercial documents — company registration certificates, powers of attorney, and contracts for business activity abroad
- Police certificates — including ACRO Police Certificates, commonly required for Saudi and Gulf work visa applications
How We Manage Your Apostille and Legalisation Process
- Document review — we confirm exactly what your destination country and document type require before anything is submitted
- Notarisation coordination — where a document needs notarising first, we arrange this before it goes to the FCDO
- FCDO apostille submission — we handle the submission and track turnaround so you’re not left guessing
- Embassy legalisation where still required — for destinations or document types that need it, we manage the additional embassy step
- Secure return of your documents — your original paperwork is tracked and returned to you once the process is complete