What is legalisation? Legalising documents means that an apostille (the legal term for the legalisation certificate) is attached to the original document to confirm that the signature is genuine. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in Milton Keynes deal with the legalisation of official documents issued in the UK.

How does it work? The FCO offer a postal service which takes 48 hours. You need to post your originals, preferably by recorded or special delivery, and the following:

·         payment, by either cheque or postal order; or the receipt if you paid online by credit or debit card

·         a self-addressed return envelope

·         a cover letter, which can be downloaded from http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/legal-services/legalisation/by-post

The FCO check the signatures on the document against their database. They then attach the apostille, an A6-sized legal document stating that the signature is genuine, to the back of each original. The legalised documents are then returned to you by Special Delivery.

How much does it cost? Each document costs £28 and there is a £6 additional charge for payment [March 2010]. For example, if you were sending your and your partner's birth certificates to be legalised this would cost £62.

For overseas weddings, please note that different countries have different requirements. Be sure to check with the relevant authorities which documents you will need to have legalised. If you or your partner have been adopted or previously married you may require additional documentation for evidence of your names, any previous names and your lineage.

What happens next? Once you have received your documents from the FCO, you will need to send us copies of the originals and of each apostille. For details on how to send us copies, see our guide http://www.certificatetranslator.co.uk/preparation.asp.

Once we receive your copies we will be able to provide you with a quote and the translation process will begin.