UK documents, legalised in Bristol, ready for use abroad.
We procure FCDO apostilles and arrange consular legalisation, sworn translation and notarial services, handled with care from our South Bristol office and prepared for use across the world.
Skip the month-long FCDO queue.
Posting documents to the Foreign Office yourself can take over a month, and a single mistake means starting again. We do it properly, in days.
- Free eligibility checkWe confirm your document qualifies before anything is submitted, with no wasted FCDO fees.
- We handle the FCDOWe work with registered next-day FCDO agents and manage the entire Foreign Office process on your behalf.
- Kept informed throughoutWe keep you updated on exactly where your document is at every stage of the legalisation process.
- Always tracked deliveryYour documents always travel by tracked delivery, whether returned to you or couriered worldwide.
Simple pricing, per document.
Three levels of service, priced per document.
Sending several documents? We offer bulk discounts: get in touch for a tailored quote.
- Priority FCDO submission
- Scan of final documents sent by email
- Free return via Royal Mail
We take a limited number of Premium orders each day, so please check with us before you commit.
- Pre-check of all your documents
- Express FCDO submission
- We’ll collect your document (free within Bristol)
- Free express delivery within Bristol
Coming soon:order and pay online. It’s in beta and not open for real orders yet, but you can take a look. For now, please send us an enquiry.
Turnaround is the working days to obtain the apostille. Allow one more working day for despatch and delivery.
Our pricing is per document and includes the government’s FCDO fees, which we incur on your behalf. VAT is not payable.
The FCDO does not refund its fees if an ineligible document is submitted.
Find us in South Bristol.
Visits are by appointment only, so please message or call us first and we’ll arrange a time that suits. There’s free on-site parking when you come.
One firm, start to finish.
Most documents need more than one step before they can be used abroad. We handle all of them, so you deal with one firm rather than three.
Notarisation
Powers of attorney, deeds, oaths and certified copies of ID, signed and sealed in our Bristol office. Some documents must be notarised before they can be apostilled; we will advise if that is the case and arrange it.
Apostille
The FCDO's certificate authenticating the signature, seal or stamp of the UK official on your document. Paper, and e-Apostilles on eligible documents.
Sworn translation
Certified and sworn translations into Spanish and many other languages, through sworn translators we work with.
Consular legalisation
For countries outside the Hague Convention, most often the UAE. The document is apostilled first, then attested by that country's embassy: a step after the apostille, not instead of it.
Which steps a document needs is decided by the authority receiving it, so check their requirements. Tell us what they have asked for and we will confirm the cost.
What is an apostille, exactly?
An apostille is an official certificate from the UK government's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (the FCDO) that authenticates the signature, seal or stamp of the public official on your document. It confirms who signed or sealed it, not the contents, so it can be recognised in other Hague Convention countries without further FCDO or embassy legalisation.We’ll handle the jargon; here’s exactly what one looks like, then the whole idea in three steps.
This is what the FCDO adds to your document.
An official FCDO certificate: signed, sealed and given a unique reference number, then fixed to your document. Personal details have been redacted.
- Crown seal & signature of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- Unique reference number, verifiable on GOV.UK
- Hague Convention (1961) wording, recognised in 120+ countries
e.g. a birth certificateYour UK document
An original certificate, degree or company paper issued in the UK.
official FCDO apostilleThe FCDO adds the apostille
The FCDO attaches a signed, numbered certificate authenticating the official signature, seal or stamp on the document.
ready to use overseasReady to send abroad
Recognised in 120+ Hague Convention countries without a further embassy step.
Not sure whether you need one?Ask us.
Paper apostille or e-Apostille?
The FCDO can issue an apostille in two formats: a paper certificate, or an electronic e-Apostille for certain documents. We procure both, including e-Apostilles where a document is eligible. Which format you need is set by the authority receiving your document.
Paper apostille
A physical certificate, returned by post or courier
- A signed, sealed certificate physically fixed to your original or notarised document
- Returned to you by tracked post or courier
- The only option for the documents listed below
e-Apostille
A digital certificate, delivered as a signed PDF
- An electronic certificate attached to a PDF that a UK notary or solicitor has electronically signed
- Issued by the FCDO as a digital file, with nothing posted
- Available for certain documents only, not the types listed below
- Birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates (and anything else from the General Register Office)
- ACRO police certificates (England & Wales)
- DBS certificates (England & Wales)
- Disclosure certificates for Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Fingerprint certificates
- ACCA membership certificates
Formats and eligibility per GOV.UK: Get your document legalised. If you’re unsure which you need, check the requirements of the authority receiving your document, or take advice from a lawyer in that country.
Will an apostille be accepted in your country?
In the 128 countries where the Hague Convention is in force, a UK apostille is accepted with no further embassy attestation. Everywhere else, your document needs consular legalisation at the embassy as well. Check your destination below.
- Contracting parties
- 129
- In force now
- 128
- Joining soon
- 1
Source: HCCH status table (Convention No. 12), verified 20 July 2026. Membership changes over time, so we always confirm your destination before you commit.
The information on this website is provided as general guidance only and is not authoritative. The requirements for your document are set by the authority that will receive it; always confirm them with that authority, or take advice from a lawyer in the destination country, before relying on it.
Over forty document types, handled daily.
From a single birth certificate to a full set of company papers: search for yours, or just ask if it isn’t listed.
Not listed? We handle many more document types, just get in touch.
A calm, four-step path to legalisation.
Send or drop off
Post your originals, drop them at our office, or use our free document pick-up & drop-off across the Bristol area (included with Premium).
We review & prepare
We confirm your document meets FCDO criteria, and ask you anything we’re unsure of.
Apostille at the FCDO
Working with registered next-day FCDO agents, we obtain your apostille from the FCDO, with most orders ready in 2–7 working days depending on the service you choose, plus a working day for despatch.
Returned to you
We dispatch your legalised documents by tracked post, anywhere in the world.
Some documents need notarising first
The FCDO can only apostille a document that already carries the signature, seal or stamp of a recognised UK public official. Private documents and certified copies usually need a notary’s certificate first, so there is a recognised signature for the apostille to authenticate.
We’ll tell you if your document needs this when we review it, arrange the notarisation for you, and confirm the fees, timescales and appointment before anything goes ahead.
Bristol's Floating HarbourFrom Bristol, for Bristol.
We help internationals, students and businesses across Bristol, Bath and the wider South West make their UK documents usable abroad: quickly, correctly, and without the jargon.
- A complete serviceNotarisation, apostille, sworn translation and embassy legalisation handled by one firm, then couriered by DHL to recipients anywhere in the world.
- Days, not weeksWe turn around apostilles in 2–7 working days, as fast as 2 on our Premium service, plus a working day for delivery.
- Checked before submissionA free eligibility review helps avoid the common reasons documents are rejected by the FCDO.
- Ask us anythingUnsure what you need? Speak to us directly and we’ll explain it in plain English.
Apostille & legalisation, explained.
Questions, answered.
Can’t find what you need? Email us and we’ll reply quickly, usually the same working day.
info@pegasusnotaries.com
Tell us about your document.
Send us a message and we’ll get back to you with fees, requirements and timescale, usually the same working day. Email is the easiest way to reach us, and if you send a scan of your document with it we can advise you much more precisely.
Prefer to talk? Call 07982 303 077.