Destination-specific requirements
Take a power of attorney drawn up in Manchester so a relative in Romania can sell an inherited flat on someone's behalf: the apostille certifies the UK signature and seal, but a Romanian notary handling the sale will typically also want the document translated into Romanian by a suitably qualified translator before it is used. That translation requirement sits alongside the apostille rather than replacing it — the certificate proves the document is genuine; the translation makes it usable.
What you need for an apostille for Romania therefore usually means two things arriving together: the apostilled original or certified copy, and whatever Romanian-language version the receiving notary, court or registry separately asks for. Neither this page nor the FCDO sets that translation requirement — it comes from the Romanian side, and it varies by office and by document type.
Apostille vs. Embassy legalisation for Romania
Embassy legalisation and an apostille both aim to prove a UK document is genuine, but they reach a Romanian desk by different paths. Legalisation would route the paper through a consulate for a second stamp on top of a UK certification; an apostille issued in Manchester for use in Romania replaces that whole extra stage with one certificate that stands on its own once attached.
For Romania, only the apostille route applies — there is no consular chain to arrange, no separate embassy appointment, and no additional certification fee stacked onto the FCDO's own charge. The power of attorney example above needs exactly one certifying step on the UK side, not two.
Romania's Hague status & what it means
Romania has been a Hague Apostille Convention member since 2001, and that accession is the entire reason the single-certificate route works for this corridor. A Romanian notary, court or registry accepting a UK document does not need to trace it through a consulate first; the apostille alone carries enough legal weight for that office to rely on directly.
Document legalisation for Romania in the older embassy sense stopped being the relevant process for most documents once that 2001 membership took effect. Anyone who dealt with the pre-2001 route, or with a country still outside the Convention, will notice the difference immediately: one certifying body here, rather than a sequence of offices each adding its own stamp.
The Manchester → Romania route step by step
Everything starts with the document. A power of attorney or company certificate travels as drafted; a civil record works differently, since a fresh certified copy can be ordered from Manchester Register Office, Heron House, 47 Lloyd Street, Manchester M2 5LE, rather than risking the household's only original in the post.
The paper then goes to the FCDO Legalisation Office, which works entirely by post, with no counter anywhere to visit in person. Once it comes back with the apostille attached, the document — together with any Romanian translation the receiving office separately requires — is ready to submit.
Cost & timing for this route
An apostille from United Kingdom to Romania costs £45 per document through the standard postal service, which typically takes up to 25 working days, plus postage. Registered businesses can instead use the next-working-day tier for £40 per document, a route not open to someone applying purely on their own behalf. Given that a Romanian notary or court deadline often has its own fixed date, it is worth starting the apostille stage as early as the underlying document is ready, well before arranging the translation that usually accompanies it.
Two separate clocks are running on a case like the power of attorney example above. The apostille clock starts the day the document is posted to the FCDO and ends when it is returned. A second clock, for the Romanian-language translation, only starts once the apostilled paper is back in hand. Treating these as one combined step, rather than two in sequence, is the most common reason a Manchester applicant misses a Romanian deadline.