In this guide
  1. You get a bundle, not a certificate
  2. The fastening is part of the proof
  3. Where each of the marks is made
  4. Keeping it, and copying it safely
  5. French, and the desk that reads it

You get a bundle, not a certificate

Togo has not joined the Hague Apostille Convention, so embassy legalisation is required and the file gathers marks from more than one desk. What returns is a small stack: the extract, the British slip, and the consular mark added after it. People expecting one decorated page are often surprised, and some try to tidy it, which is the single thing to avoid.

The fastening is part of the proof

Each mark is attached to the page it refers to, and the attachment itself carries meaning. A slip lying loose in an envelope proves nothing about which document it belonged to. That is why an apostille from United Kingdom to Togo should reach its destination in exactly the state it left, staples and eyelets intact, however awkward that makes the photocopying.

Where each of the marks is made

The extract comes from Edinburgh Registration Service at City Chambers, 253 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1YP. The British slip comes from the FCDO Legalisation Office, which works by post from Milton Keynes with no counter for callers and charges £45 for each paper, or £40 for each paper on the faster lane open to registered businesses. The final mark is made for Togo.

Keeping it, and copying it safely

Scan the whole bundle before it travels again, capturing the fastening as well as the wording. Store that scan somewhere you will still find it in a year. If the package goes missing on the way to Lomé you will be asked what was inside, and a precise answer is the difference between reordering smoothly and rebuilding from memory.

French, and the desk that reads it

French runs official life in Togo, so an English extract commonly travels with a French version fastened alongside. The clerk who finally reads the bundle is checking that the marks are present, genuine and attached to the right pages. Give them a file that is whole, flat and legible, and there is very little left on this route to go wrong.