Document Certification & Legalisation
As fully regulated and authorised solicitors, we have powers to administer oaths, take affidavits and statutory declarations. We can also assist in the creation, certification and attestation of certain documents to give them legal effect.
What is legalisation of document?
All documents executed, issued or generated in the United Kingdom should be specifically attested / ‘legalised’ in the Country before being presented for use abroad, failing which, the authenticity of such documents can easily be challenged by the affected parties abroad, and as a result, the party who challenges them would very likely be excused from being bound by their contents or even their existence.
Here are some common scenarios of a document being used abroad without being ‘legalised’:-
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A Power of Attorney issued for a conveyancing transaction would inevitably be used to establish a chain of title to the subject property. It is an instrument of conveyance, and therefore, would become one of the title deeds of the subject property. The relevant government authorities abroad such as the land registration department and the companies registry may decline to register such document
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A Declaration / Witness Statement issued in support of a court proceedings or a contentious matter is liable to be rejected by a court of law, the opponent litigants and the law enforcement agencies involved in the legal proceedings.
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Resolutions of the board of directors and/or shareholders and other documents of a body corporate such as director’s confirmation of an auditor’s report may, likewise, be declined by the companies registry or other government departments dealing with the affairs of the company in question.
The document certification/document legalisation services we offer includes:
1. Certifying documents (providing true copies)
We can provide certified true copies of documents by verifying a photocopy of an original document is a true copy of the original. You need to bring the original of the documents to us for this service. You will usually able to get it back on the same day. We charge a fixed fee of £8.75 plus VAT for certifying each document (up to 5 pages). For more complex or larger volume of documents, please get in touch.
2. Apostille / Legalisation of documents
Where the document is a “public document” as defined by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, any member of the public in the United Kingdom could have direct access to the Office’s online service to have the document being ‘legalised’ officially by the Government of the United Kingdom.
Upon completion of this legalisation process by the Legalising Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, a certificate will be issued and attached to the document. This certificate is called “Apostille”. It has a unique reference number allocated by the United Kingdom for the document. It serves to confirm the originality of the document, the capacity and the authenticity of the signatory / issuer of the document but not the accuracy or completeness of the contents therein.
Our firm is on the list of the Legislation Office of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom and is eligible for the Office’s premium same-day service if your matter is urgent. Our charge starting from £75 plus VAT per document Please get in touch for enquiry.
3. Witnessing of documents or administring of oaths/affirmations
Statutory declarations, affirmations, affidavits or oaths should be signed in the presence of a solicitor (or Commissioner for Oaths or notary public) to give their legal effects. If you need a solicitor to witness your documents, please get in touch.
4. Drawing up statutory declarations
Statutory declarations might sometimes be needed for certain instances, for example, to declare one’s identity, nationality or marital status in the absence, for example, of a birth or marriage certificate. We are able to draft and tailor made statutory declaration for you that suits your need. Our charge starting from £120 plus VAT and charge may vary depending on complexity of the matter. Please get in touch for a quote.
5. Power of Attorney and Lasting Power of Attorney
A Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows you (as a "donor") to appoint someone (an "attorney") to make decisions for you or act on your behalf. There are different types of Power of Attorney:
I) An Ordinary Power of Attorney allows someone to make decisions for you, e.g. on financial matters for a limited period of time. It ceases to be valid if the donor lose his mental capacity.
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II) A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) allows someone to make decisions for you in future if you lose mental capacity or develop, or think you may develop, an illness that may stop you making decisions for yourself. You must have mental capacity when you make the LPA. There are two types of LPA:
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property and financial affairs
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health and welfare
In England, a LPA must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) before it can be used.
Our charge for drawing up an Ordinary Power of Attorney or LPA starting from £120 plus VAT and charge may vary depending on complexity of the matter. Please get in touch​ for a quote.
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7. Verifying ID1 form for property transaction
Form ID1 is a form used by the HM Land Registry to verify the identify of an individual who is a party of a conveyancing transaction but does not have a legal representation. We charge a fix fee of £100 plus VAT for this service.
Further information about the 1D1 Form can be found HERE.
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