FCDO E-Apostille Service: The Digital Alternative to Paper Legalisation
If your document needs to be recognised abroad, you may not need to post an original certificate to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and wait for it to come back. For a growing range of document types, the FCDO now offers an electronic apostille — the e-Apostille — a fully digital route that can be completed without a single sheet of paper leaving your hands.
At Staple Inn Notaries, we are one of the leading providers of this service in London. As a firm of qualified Notaries Public, we hold the electronic signature credentials the FCDO requires before a document can be submitted for e-Apostille, and we manage every stage of the process — from checking eligibility through to final delivery — for clients ordering from anywhere in the world.
What Is an FCDO E-Apostille?
An e-Apostille is a digital version of the standard apostille certificate. Rather than a paper stamp physically attached to your document, the FCDO issues a tamper-evident electronic certificate bound to the digital document itself. It can be checked by anyone — including the receiving authority overseas — using the UK government's free official verification tool at gov.uk/verify-apostille, which confirms both paper and electronic apostilles are genuine.
The result is the same legal effect as a traditional apostille under the Hague Apostille Convention, delivered as a secure PDF rather than a physical document sent by post or courier.
Why the Notary's Electronic Signature Matters
This is the part of the process most people searching for an e-Apostille don't realise until they try to do it themselves: the FCDO will not accept a document for e-Apostille unless it has already been electronically certified by a UK Notary Public using a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) compliant with eIDAS regulations. A scanned signature or a standard e-signature tool is not sufficient — the FCDO checks for this specific standard of electronic certification and will reject anything that falls short.
This is precisely where we come in. As Notaries Public appointed by the Court of Faculties under Royal Authority, and regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, we are equipped to apply the qualified electronic signature your document needs, then submit it directly to the FCDO on your behalf. You don't need to source the electronic certification separately — we provide it as part of the same seamless service.
Not Every Document Qualifies
The e-Apostille is still a developing service, and not all document types are currently eligible. Certain categories of official records are excluded, and some receiving countries and institutions have not yet confirmed they will accept a digital apostille in place of a paper one. Before you order, we check:
Whether your specific document type is eligible for e-Apostille
Whether the authority or institution receiving the document abroad is able to accept an electronic certificate
If e-Apostille isn't the right fit, we'll tell you — and can move you straight onto our standard paper apostille service instead, so there's no delay.
How the Process Works With Us
Order online — place your order through our secure online link, from anywhere in the world.
Upload your document — send us the document as a PDF.
Electronic notarisation and certification — our Notary applies the required Qualified Electronic Signature to certify the document.
FCDO submission — we submit the certified digital document to the FCDO for e-Apostille.
Digital delivery — you receive your e-Apostilled document securely by email, ready to use or share internationally.
Because the entire process is electronic, there's no requirement to visit our London office, post an original document, or wait for it to be returned by courier — making this service genuinely accessible to clients based overseas.
Not Just Document Certification — A Full-Service Notarial Firm
It's worth being clear about something many people misunderstand: Notaries in England and Wales, including our firm, are authorised to carry out the full range of non-contentious legal work a solicitor can perform — not simply to stamp or witness documents. Alongside our e-Apostille service, we advise on and handle international corporate matters, property transactions, wills, probate, and private client work with a cross-border dimension. The e-Apostille sits within a much broader notarial and legal practice, led by Sheikh Najam LLB TEP MA MBA — CEO of Staple Inn Notaries, a European Attorney and STEP-qualified International Private Wealth Lawyer.
Fees for Our E-Apostille Service
Our e-Apostille service is charged at the same rate as our standard FCDO apostille service:
£95 plus VAT — Standard service, 3 working days
£125 plus VAT — Urgent service, 1 working day
Both prices include the FCDO's own apostille fee. This is separate from our notarial fee, which applies if your document needs to be notarised before it's eligible for apostille.
Order Your E-Apostille Online
👉 Order your FCDO e-Apostille here: https://www.internationalnotary.co.uk/product-page/e-apostille-and-electronic-certification
Once your order is placed, our team will contact you to confirm document eligibility and guide you through the upload and certification steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an FCDO e-Apostille?An e-Apostille is a digital version of the FCDO's official apostille certificate. Instead of a paper stamp, it's a secure electronic certificate attached to your document, verifiable online, confirming that the notary's signature on the document is genuine.
Do I need a notary for an e-Apostille?Yes. The FCDO requires documents to be electronically certified by a UK Notary Public using a Qualified Electronic Signature before they can be submitted for e-Apostille. We provide this certification as part of our service.
Can I order an e-Apostille from outside the UK?Yes. Because the entire process is digital, clients anywhere in the world can order online, upload their document, and receive the finished e-Apostille by secure email, with no need to post original documents to London.
Is an e-Apostille accepted everywhere a paper apostille is?Not always yet. Acceptance depends on the destination country or institution. We check this before proceeding and can arrange a traditional paper apostille instead if the e-Apostille isn't suitable.
Contact Us
Staple Inn Notaries
Fox Court, Gray's Inn Road, Holborn, London
📞 020 3488 4195
About the Author
Sheikh Najam LLB TEP MA MBA is a Notary Public for England and Wales and CEO of Staple Inn Notaries, based in Central London. He is also a European Attorney and a STEP-qualified International Private Wealth Lawyer, and serves as Vice President for Notarial Affairs and an Advisory Board Member at Justinian Lawyers, the Berlin-headquartered international legal network of the Association of European Attorneys. Appointed by the Court of Faculties under Royal Authority and regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sheikh Najam advises on cross-border corporate, property, and private client matters across common law, civil law, and international jurisdictions.
Comments