When it comes to document legalisation, long queues, red tape and towering stacks of paper may come to mind. By and large, that still is the case but these days electronic legalisation is possible. Some notary publics may be able to offer electronic document legalisation, or e-notarisation, wherein a document can be digitally notarised with a notary public’s Advanced or Qualified Electronic Signature, via software such as DocuSign or Adobe.
Advanced or Qualified Electronic Signatures, (AES/QES), are secure signatures that are uniquely linked to each signatory. The AES/QES can detect if there have been alterations made to the document after it has been signed.
Hague Apostilles are also available in electronic format. E-apostilles are issued by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, (FCDO), as a digital certificate in pdf form attached to the digital document that require electronic document legalisation.
The original document that needs to be legalised does not need to be issued digitally, a scanned copy of it can be submitted for legalisation provided it has been notarised or certified using an AES/QES beforehand.
The legalised document can then be saved in a cloud storage system and then conveniently accessed anywhere, anytime – the only requirement being internet access.
There are many benefits to e-legalisation, with convenience being the frontrunner. There would be no time delay from couriering hardcopies internationally, as the documents can be easily stored and shared. It also brings cost savings, with no need to have duplicate documents legalised for multiple receiving parties. There’s also a slim to none chance of misplacing the document!
With over half a million paper apostilles issued from the FCDO in 2021 alone, e-apostilles are beneficial to the environment as well as convenient for the individual.
If your receiving party will accept e-notarised or e-apostilled documents, you can share the legalised document with them instantly in the form of a PDF, with no need to wait on international shipping or rely on the postal service.
However, not all documents can be accepted for an e-apostille at the FCDO, such as documents issued by the General Registrar’s Office.
Documents that cannot be e-apostilled include the following:
- Birth, marriage and death certificates
- Adoption certificates
- Civil partnership certificates
- Certificate of No Impediment
- DBS and ACRO certificates
Instead, the original documents must be submitted to the FCDO for a paper apostille certificate, which would be attached to the back of the document in question.
Identity documents, commercial documents and education certificates are among the documents that can be e-notarised and e-apostilled, though of course, this depends on the specific requirements and requests of your receiving party.
At Pardus Bloom, we work with a network of legal professionals such as notary publics and are able to have your documents notarised and apostilled, both electronically and physically.
We offer virtual notary appointments and free video consultation calls as part of our bespoke service tailored to our client’s needs. The entire document legalisation process can be conducted remotely, with no need for you to take time out of your busy schedule to attend in-person appointments at our offices.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at 020 3839 9090, via WhatsApp and WeChat（微信）at +44 77195 13597 or email us at enquiries@pardusbloom.com