True cost to legalise a document

What if I’m still in the UK when I’m legalising my documents?

Even if you’re still in the UK, many people choose to use a legalisation service to ensure their documents are completed correctly, first time. There are lots of other benefits to using a specialist like Vital Consular which make it excellent value for money, including:

• Pre-processing document checking service
• 100% money back guarantee
• Access to faster processing speeds when you need them the most
• Specialist knowledge on all the processes
• Save time and money by avoiding costly mistakes you may be unaware of
• Simplicity: post your documents to us and receive them back completed
• Single point of contact, so you don’t have to speak to lots of different organisations

What can go wrong when it comes to document legalisation?

There are an array of additional costs which regularly come up for those who aren’t prepared, including:

A notarial cover sheet required for China: starting at £150.00 + VAT

If your document is longer than a single page, it will need to be bound and sealed by a Notary Public before it can be accepted by the Chinese authorities. You may also need a Statutory Declaration if your documents do not match your official ID.

FCDO delays: additional hotel costs

The FCDO only accept postal applications from individuals, which on average take up to 10 working days. However, during peak periods, this can regularly take several weeks to be completed.

There is no way to speed up or enquire as to when it will be returned to you, so it can often simply be a waiting game.

FCDO rejection: additional hotel and solicitor costs

If you haven’t prepared your document for the FCDO correctly, or there is another issue with the paperwork, they will return it to you with guidance notes. You will then have to resubmit it, possibly having to have the documents re-certified once they have been corrected.

Embassy rejection: Issue with the document or application form incorrectly completed – additional Apostille costs of £30 per document, re-certification fees and hotel costs

There are a range of reasons your document may have made it this far, only to be rejected at the final hurdle. This is generally the worst stage to fall flat, as any documents you’ve submitted could well need to be re-processed from scratch. This can end up being a very costly mistake.

Just because a solicitor has certified it, and the FCDO have Apostilled it, this doesn’t automatically mean that the Embassy will stamp the document. Each government department has their own guidelines and as long as your documents meets them, they will process it, not taking into consideration the next stage.

Embassies can often change their requirements at very short notice without any warning. This can cause issues if their websites haven’t been updated and you need additional documents or processes you didn’t allow for. Being unable to get through to speak to someone at an Embassy is a constant issue for many people to confirm details.

Embassy delays: additional hotel costs

Only a handful of Embassies now offer same-day processing for Consular stamps. This is providing there isn’t a backlog of documents and there are no holiday closures or other measures in place.

Most other Embassies only allow postal applications from individuals, such as the UAE and Qatar. On average, they take at least 1-2 weeks to be processed, but at peak times can take up to 3 weeks or more.

These Chinese Embassy only accepts in-person applications at one of their Visa Processing Centres. In busy periods, appointments are scarce and difficult to obtain once they are released. When you are able to get an appointment and attend the Centre to submit your documents, they usually take around 1 week to be processed.

How can using Vital Consular for document legalisation help?

Whether you’re in a rush and need your documents ASAP, or you’ve planned well ahead of time and looking to save money, we have an option for you.

The above table shows the average costs and timescales for Vital Consular to process your documents on our slowest Standard service, and courier them to you overseas. There is a saving of up to 80% on the cost to legalise document, as well as your precious time travelling around.

We also offer 2 faster speeds of service, which can be completed in as little as 2-3 days dependent on the destination country. Our urgent services will still save you a lot of time and money when compared to doing it yourself. We can offer the quickest speeds from our base in London, with access to the business-only urgent services.

We can also help make the process more affordable for you with our payment methods. We offer Klarna payments which allows you to spread the cost over 3 months instalments, completely interest-free. We understand moving overseas is going to make money tight, so we teamed up with Klarna to make it easier for our customers to make the move without any more strain on their wallet.

(Missed payments may affect your ability to use Klarna in the future. 18+, UK residents only. Subject to status. T&Cs apply.)

Still got questions?

If you still have questions, get in touch. Feel free to leave a comment below, call us on 0330 088 1142, get in touch via WhatsApp, or use our live chat system. You can also request a quotation for legalisation directly here.