Apostilled documents in London for use in United States

A London apostille for United States carries no addressee, so one stamped sheet satisfies a court, a college or an employer alike.

London → United States

Hague Members

Destination United States

Destination status Hague Convention member

Issued by The Legalisation Office (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)

Standard turnaround Up to 25 working days, plus postage

Information validated 18 August 2026

Complete Guide

A mark with no addressee

Why the same stamped sheet suits any office in the United States, and what that lets you get on with.

In this guide

The slip names nobody
Why that lets you start early
Why one stamp closes the route
Getting the sheet worth stamping

The slip names nobody

The slip attached to your paper names no reader. It is a fixed form, issued the same way for every destination inside the treaty, and it says nothing about who asked for the paper or what they want with it. One marked sheet is therefore not a version made out to a particular office. It is simply your paper, stamped.

Why that lets you start early

The practical gain is that you can begin before the far end has told you very much. An apostille for United States is not tailored to a recipient, so waiting on a name, a department or an address adds nothing to the result. Order the signed record, get it stamped, and the sheet will be right for whoever ends up reading it.

It also means one paper can serve more than one reader, as long as nobody keeps it. Where a body files your sheet for good, you want a second marked copy rather than another slip on the first. Working that out at the start is cheaper and quicker than discovering it halfway through.

Why one stamp closes the route

The United States came into the Hague Convention in 1981, and Britain was already inside it, so document legalisation for United States ends with the British mark. An apostille from United Kingdom to United States is not followed by a consular stage, and that is why a finished sheet can go straight to whoever wants it, on the day it lands back with you.

Getting the sheet worth stamping

Westminster Register Office at 317 Harrow Road, London W9 3RJ issues fresh certified copies of birth, marriage and death records, and that copy is the sheet to have marked. Your own certificate then stays where it is. Ordering another copy is a small errand; chasing a certificate that never arrived anywhere is not.

So what you need for an apostille for United States is a signed public version of each paper and £45 for each one by post, or £40 each on the next-day line if you are a registered business. The Legalisation Office works from PO Box 6255, Milton Keynes MK10 1XX and sends the marked sheets back to you, ready for any desk that asked.

Frequently Asked Questions

London → United States apostille FAQ

Do I need a separate mark for each office that asks for the paper?

You need one per paper, not one per reader. The slip carries no addressee, so a marked birth record is the same sheet whether a court, a college registrar or an employer is holding it. What decides how many you order is how many places will keep a paper permanently. A body that reads yours and hands it straight back needs no second one.

Does the office have to be told where in the country it is going?

It does not need the state, the city or the name of the reader. The Legalisation Office is confirming the signature already on your British sheet, and that work is identical whatever the destination. Nothing on the finished slip names a recipient at all. That is exactly why one marked paper can be shown in several places without being reissued.

Is a London apostille for United States accepted right across the country?

It is the correct and complete mark for papers used there, and the United States came into the Hague Convention in 1981. Britain was already inside it, so both ends recognise the same slip and no consular stage follows. Where a particular reader wants more, it will be about the paper underneath rather than the mark on top. The mark itself is finished business.

Nobody has told me which office will read it. Can I start anyway?

You can start today, because the mark does not depend on the reader. Order the signed version of your paper, send it off for the stamp, and the finished sheet will suit whichever body turns out to want it. That is unusual and worth using. Most steps in a job like this one wait on somebody else, and this step does not.

Two of my papers are going to two different places. One envelope or two?

Send them together and split them afterwards. Each sheet gets its own slip and its own charge, so the parcel they travel in makes no difference to what comes back. Once they return, each marked paper stands on its own and can go wherever it is needed. Nothing ties one to the other after that point.

How It Works

Four steps to your United States-ready apostille

No office visits, no queues. The entire process is handled remotely and you track every step in real time.

Prepare your document

Obtain the original document (or a certified copy) you need to use abroad, and check whether it must be notarised first.

Confirm the requirements

Verify the document is eligible for an apostille.

Submit to The Legalisation Office

The apostille is issued by The Legalisation Office, the competent authority. The government fee is £45 / document (standard postal); £40 / document next-day (registered businesses).

Receive your apostille

The authority attaches the apostille certificate, making the document valid abroad with no further embassy legalisation.

Where to go

Where London documents are certified and apostilled

These are two different offices doing two different jobs. The local register office issues the certified copy of a London birth, marriage or death record — check its current appointment rules before going. The apostille itself before use in United States comes from the FCDO Legalisation Office, the UK's single competent authority, which accepts documents by post rather than in person.

Westminster Register Office

Certified copies of civil records (birth, marriage, death)

317 Harrow Road, London W9 3RJ

Directions →

FCDO Legalisation Office

Issues the apostille — UK-wide, by post

PO Box 6255, Milton Keynes MK10 1XX

Directions →

Document Types