Apostille for the UK

By Frank MetayerUpdated August 16, 2026

Americans send documents to the United Kingdom for a handful of very specific reasons: a spouse or family visa decided by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the Home Office branch that runs the immigration system; getting married or forming a civil partnership in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland; studying at a UK university; or taking a Skilled Worker job. The UK is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention (in force there since 24 January 1965), so a U.S. public document used in any of these situations is authenticated with a single apostille from the correct U.S. authority — not the older consular legalization at a British embassy. As of 2026 that remains the case, but membership can change, so confirm the UK's current status on the HCCH status table before you file.

Two things make the UK different from almost every other destination we handle, and this guide leads with both. First, because U.S. documents are already in English and UK offices work in English (and Welsh), you usually do not need a certified translation — the step that Portugal, Belgium, and most other countries force on you. Second, direction matters: the UK issues its own apostilles through the FCDO for documents that originate in the UK, but a U.S. document going to the UK takes a U.S. apostille, never an FCDO one. From there it comes down to the FBI check versus the UK's ACRO certificate, and which U.S. office handles each document — the U.S. Department of State for federal records, or a state Secretary of State for state records. Everything below reflects the process as of 2026; confirm the specifics with the UK body receiving your document before you file.

Key takeaways

As of 2026, the UK is a Hague Apostille Convention member (in force since 24 January 1965), so U.S. public documents take a single apostille — not consular legalization at a British embassy. Confirm the current status on the HCCH status table before filing.
Direction decides the office: the FCDO apostilles documents that originate in the UK, while a U.S. document going to the UK is apostilled in the United States — the U.S. Department of State for federal records, a state Secretary of State for state records.
You usually do NOT need a certified translation. Because U.S. documents are in English and UK offices work in English or Welsh, UKVI requires a translation only for documents that aren't in one of those languages — a real advantage over most destinations.
An FBI background check is a federal record apostilled only by the U.S. Department of State; certain visa routes — including some Skilled Worker roles in health, education, and social care — require an overseas criminal record certificate. The UK's own reverse-direction document is the ACRO police certificate; don't confuse the two.
Marriage and civil partnership, study, and work drive most apostille demand — birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, and single-status affidavits are apostilled by the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Note that UKVI itself often accepts original English-language U.S. documents without an apostille, so confirm what the receiving body actually needs.

Does the UK Accept a U.S. Apostille?

Yes. The United Kingdom is a Contracting Party to the Hague Apostille Convention, which entered into force for the UK on 24 January 1965, and it remains a member as of 2026. In practice, a U.S. public document bound for the UK is made valid with one certificate — an apostille — issued by the competent U.S. authority. There is no second step at a British embassy or consulate; that older consular legalization route applies only to countries outside the Convention. Because treaty membership can change, confirm the UK's current status on the HCCH status table before you rely on it.

An apostille certifies where a document came from — the signature, the capacity of the official who signed it, and the seal — not whether its contents are true. For most destinations that is only step one, followed by a certified translation. The UK is the rare case where the translation step usually falls away, because your U.S. records are already in a language UK offices read. That removes a whole step, and the delay that comes with it, which is why a UK file is often simpler than one bound for Portugal or Belgium.

FCDO or a U.S. Office? Which Direction Your Document Is Going

This is the single most common mix-up, so it is worth settling first. The UK issues its own apostilles through the FCDO — the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and its Legalisation Office — but only for documents that originate in the UK: a UK birth certificate, a British degree, a UK court order, a document signed before a UK notary or solicitor. That office does not, and cannot, apostille a document issued in the United States.

So the rule is simple: the country that issued the document is the country that apostilles it. A U.S. document headed to London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, or Belfast is apostilled in the United States by a U.S. authority — never by the FCDO and never by a British consulate in America. Sending a U.S. birth certificate or FBI check to the FCDO, or asking a UK consulate to authenticate it, only sends it back to you unused. The rest of this guide is about the U.S. side of that split: which U.S. office apostilles which document.

Spouse, Settlement, and Family Visas — and Marrying in the UK

Most Americans dealing with UK paperwork are on a life path: a partner or spouse visa, a fiancé(e) route, or a family visa reuniting with someone settled in the UK. These are decided by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), part of the Home Office. Here is a UK-specific point that saves people real trouble: UKVI generally accepts original or certified U.S. documents for a visa application and does not itself require an apostille, and it asks for a certified translation only when a document is not in English or Welsh. For a straightforward spouse-visa file made up of English-language U.S. records, you often need neither an apostille nor a translation.

Where the apostille does come into play is around the edges of these life events. Marrying or forming a civil partnership in the UK means giving notice to the local register office or registrar — the exact process differs across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — which may ask you to authenticate a U.S. civil record. If you were previously married, a U.S. divorce decree proving the earlier marriage legally ended is a common request; the equivalent UK order is now called a 'final order' in England and Wales (before April 2022, a 'decree absolute'). An apostille is also what a UK court, a property or business matter, a university, or a professional regulator will ask for when they need to trust a U.S. document. When a specific UK body tells you to have a document apostilled, that is the U.S. apostille described here — so confirm exactly what the receiving office wants before you order anything.

The FBI Check vs. the UK ACRO Certificate

Police certificates are where the two-direction rule bites hardest. If a UK route requires a U.S. criminal record certificate, that document is the FBI Identity History Summary — the FBI background check. It is a federal record, which means it is apostilled only by the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. A state Secretary of State cannot apostille it, and sending it to one is a classic error that costs you the whole turnaround time.

Not every UK visa needs one. UKVI requires an overseas criminal record certificate for specific routes — notably certain Skilled Worker occupations in health, education, and social care — and generally for anyone who has lived in a country for 12 months or more (in the past 10 years, while aged 18 or over). Confirm whether your route requires it, and mind the recency window, since police certificates are usually expected to be recent. Do not confuse the FBI check with the ACRO certificate: the ACRO Criminal Records Office issues a UK police certificate for people going the other way — a UK resident emigrating or applying for a visa abroad. For a U.S. document going to the UK, the FBI check is the one you apostille, and it takes a federal apostille.

Study, Work, and the State-vs-Federal Authority Question

For a Student visa and university admission, or a Skilled Worker visa and professional registration, the documents are usually academic and civil records — and those are state-level apostilles. A diploma or transcript is apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where it was issued or notarized; a birth or marriage certificate is a certified state copy apostilled by that same state. You cannot apostille a hospital keepsake birth certificate or a plain photocopy of a diploma — you need the certified government copy or a properly notarized copy first.

UK professional regulators are a frequent driver here. Doctors registering with the General Medical Council (GMC), nurses and midwives with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and teachers or other licensed professionals may be asked to authenticate their U.S. qualifications, and some fitness-to-practise or safeguarding files also call for the federal FBI check. The principle never changes: two tracks, and each document follows its issuer. Federal documents — the FBI check and other U.S. government records — go to the U.S. Department of State; state-issued or state-notarized documents go to the issuing state's Secretary of State. We're experienced with both federal and state Secretary of State apostille processing and can identify the correct track for each item you're sending to the UK.

Usually No Translation — the English Advantage, Plus the Order of Steps

Here is the detail that sets the UK apart from almost every non-English destination: because U.S. documents are already in English and UK offices work in English (or Welsh), a certified translation is usually not required at all. UKVI's own rule is that a translation is needed only for a document that is not in English or Welsh — which a standard U.S. birth certificate, diploma, or FBI check is not. That removes an entire step, and the delay that comes with it, that Portugal, Belgium, and most other countries impose. The one exception is a U.S. document that genuinely isn't in English — for example a Spanish-language or bilingual record from Puerto Rico — which would need a certified English translation.

The reliable sequence for a UK-bound document is short. First, get the correct certified or properly notarized version of the document. Second, route it to the right U.S. authority — the issuing state's Secretary of State for state records and notarized copies, or the U.S. Department of State for the FBI check and other federal records. Third, confirm the UK body's requirements, because some ask for an apostille and some don't, and some set a recency window. The mistakes that cause the most grief are UK-specific: sending a U.S. document to the FCDO (which only handles UK documents), routing an FBI check to a state office instead of the U.S. Department of State, confusing the FBI check with the UK's ACRO certificate, and commissioning a certified translation the UK never asked for.

Sending a U.S. document to the UK?

Tell us the document and which U.S. state issued it, and we'll route each item to the right authority — the issuing state's Secretary of State or the U.S. Department of State — and confirm whether the UK body receiving it needs an apostille at all. Start your order or request a flat, all-in quote before any work begins, with no hidden fees and no obligation.

Get a free quote Call 1-800-889-7850

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get an apostille for the UK?+

It depends on the document and the authority. A state apostille from a Secretary of State and the federal apostille from the U.S. Department of State each run on their own timelines, and the federal one can take longer — so start time-sensitive items, especially an FBI background check, early. Processing times change, so confirm the current turnaround for the authority handling your document before you commit to a deadline.

How much does an apostille for the UK cost?+

It depends on the document, the issuing authority, and how fast you need it. You get a flat, all-in quote before any work begins — with no hidden fees, and no obligation.

Which authority issues the apostille — the FCDO or a U.S. office?+

A U.S. document going to the UK is apostilled in the United States, not by the FCDO. The FCDO Legalisation Office only apostilles documents that originate in the UK. For a U.S. document, federal records like an FBI background check go to the U.S. Department of State, while state-issued or state-notarized records — birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, single-status affidavits — go to the Secretary of State of the state that issued or notarized them.

Do I need a certified translation for the UK?+

Usually not. Because U.S. documents are already in English and UK offices work in English (or Welsh), a certified translation is generally unnecessary — UKVI requires one only for a document that isn't in English or Welsh. The main exception is a U.S. record that isn't in English, which would need a certified English translation. Confirm with the specific UK body receiving your document, but for most U.S. documents no translation is required.

What's the most common mistake sending a U.S. document to the UK?+

Sending it to the wrong office. The FCDO apostilles UK documents, not U.S. ones, so a U.S. birth certificate or FBI check sent to the FCDO — or to a British consulate — comes back unused. The other frequent error is routing an FBI background check to a state Secretary of State instead of the U.S. Department of State, or confusing the FBI check with the UK's ACRO police certificate, which is the reverse-direction document. Match each document to the correct U.S. authority and you avoid starting over.

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