What is legalisation/an apostille?

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Legalisation is the process by which additional verification is provided of the authority of the Notary Public or other public official who signed the document.

Whether this is required will depend on the country where the document is to be used. To simplify the process, many countries have signed up to an international treaty called The Hague Convention of 1961. This involves a designated authority attaching a certificate called “an apostille” to the document, confirming the authority of the Notary Public.

In the UK, this would be dealt with by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office . In Guernsey, apostilles are provided by the Greffe, situated at the Royal Court, on behalf of the Lieutenant-Governor.

The Greffe currently charges £40 per apostilled document with the document normally available within 24 hours/next working day. A ‘premium’ service may be available, costing £81 per apostilled document, with the legalised document available the same working day but this may be subject to when the documents are submitted and the number of documents involved.

Babbé can arrange for your documents to be submitted to the Greffe for legalisation for an additional fee and would advise you when your documents are ready.

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