Marriage & Birth Certificate Legalisation for Saudi Arabia

For a UK-issued marriage or birth certificate to be accepted in Saudi Arabia, it generally needs to go through the following stages:

• Certified copy from the General Register Office (GRO) — if you don't already hold an official long-form certificate, this is usually the starting point
• FCDO apostille — the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office attaches an apostille confirming the document's authenticity
• Certified translation, if required — Saudi authorities generally expect documents in Arabic, or accompanied by a certified Arabic translation
• Saudi Embassy submission, where still applicable — depending on your specific visa category, an additional attestation step may be required alongside the apostille

Since Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention in December 2022, an FCDO apostille is often sufficient on its own for many document types — but family and dependent visa categories can still carry additional requirements, so it's worth confirming exactly what your specific case needs before assuming the apostille alone will do.

• Using a short-form birth certificate — some Saudi visa categories require the full long-form version showing both parents' details, not the shorter version often issued at registration
• Name mismatches across documents — a maiden name on a marriage certificate that doesn't match a passport or other supporting documents can trigger delays
• Skipping the translation step — assuming an English-language certificate with an apostille is automatically enough, when a certified Arabic translation may also be required
• Applying for the GRO certified copy too late — this alone can take several weeks depending on service speed, before the apostille process even begins
• Not checking whether embassy attestation is still required — assuming the post-2022 Hague Convention changes apply uniformly, when some family and dependent categories still carry extra steps

• Document type check — we confirm whether you need a long-form or short-form certificate, and help you order the correct version from the GRO if you don't already have it
• FCDO apostille submission — we handle the apostille process once your certificate is ready
• Certified translation coordination — where an Arabic translation is required, we arrange this alongside the apostille rather than as an afterthought
• Saudi Embassy liaison — for visa categories that still require additional attestation, we manage this step directly
• Integration with your family visa application — your legalised certificate is submitted as part of your full Saudi Family Visa or dependent sponsorship file, coordinated with the rest of your paperwork

• Contact us — tell us which certificate you need legalised and your intended Saudi visa category
• We confirm your exact requirements — long-form or short-form, translation needs, and whether embassy attestation still applies
• We manage the legalisation process — GRO certified copy (if needed), FCDO apostille, and translation
• You receive your legalised certificate — ready to support your Saudi family or dependent visa application