UK apostille for documents used in France
France often asks for UK birth, marriage or court documents to be authenticated before it uses them. In the UK that is the job of the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
GOV.UK's legalisation page explains that the office checks signatures, stamps or seals against its records and, if they match, legalises the document by attaching an apostille.
What can be apostilled, and how
The office handles documents issued by a UK court and sealed with a wet-ink seal, by a public registry (birth, marriage or death certificates, Companies House certificates), by a government department or by a registered doctor.
Other documents, such as a power of attorney or a copy of a passport, can be apostilled once certified by a UK notary or solicitor. Documents issued outside the UK must be legalised in their own country.
You apply online for either type. A paper apostille means sending the documents by post (registered businesses can hand them in); an e-Apostille means uploading PDFs electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor.
| Service | Fee per document | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Standard, paper | £45 plus courier or postage | usually up to 25 working days |
| e-Apostille | £35 | up to 2 working days |
| Next-Day (registered businesses) | £40 | next working day |
| Restricted Urgent (businesses, pre-approved) | £100 | same day |
What the French consulate's page says
The consulate's page on authenticating documents (updated 20 April 2026) still sends UK documents to the FCO Legalisation Office at the Old Admiralty Building in London, at www.fco.gov.uk/legalisation, and then to the consulate for a further stamp.
GOV.UK, which runs that office, has you apply online for a paper apostille or an e-Apostille instead, and both countries are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention (HCCH status table). Ask the French office that wants the document which of the two it expects. (sources: 1, 2, 3)
For French documents going the other way, the consulate's page says that since 1 May 2025 apostilles, and since 1 September 2025 legalisations, are handled in France by the regional councils of notaries, not by the consulate.
- Ask the French recipient which form it wants: original, certified copy, paper or e-Apostille
- Check who must have signed the document
- A debit or credit card for the FCDO fee
- For postal returns in the UK: an A4 envelope and enough stamps
Apostilled documents often feed other files, such as a marriage transcription or a nationality request.
Apply on GOV.UK, not at the French consulate: the apostille on a UK document comes from the FCDO.Official sources:
Checked against the official sources on 10 November 2026.
frenchconsulates.co.uk is an unofficial, independent guide to the French consular network in the UK.
No application can be made here. Where official pages contradict each other we say so; the consulate confirms what applies to you.