Important notice for Romania-bound documents
Romania generally does not require full embassy attestation for Romania from London or other tiresome multi-step legalisation for UK papers. The simpler single-step certificate for the country works for nearly all common personal and business records. This means your marriage certificate, company registration, or birth record can be certified in the UK rather than travelling through several foreign offices. Save yourself effort and time by using this option in almost every case. Only some rare uses, such as a particular property deal or inheritance claim, might need further steps — and if yours does, the receiving office must inform you right at the start of the process.
What you do in the UK
Start at the source of your paper. For a birth, marriage or death certificate, ask the Westminster Register Office at 317 Harrow Road, London W9 3RJ for a fresh certified copy made for this use. They stamp and sign it themselves. The paper then moves to the UK Government Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes, who apply their seal to provide the document legalization for Romania. This office works by post, sending the file to PO Box 6255, Milton Keynes MK10 1XX. You can opt for a standard seven to ten working day turnaround or a faster two to three working day express service through the same process.
Romanian receiving office rules
The consular legalization for Romania path might be needed if your file is very niche. For regular uses, the paper you get back from Milton Keynes is sufficient for Romania, even though it lacks embassy stamps. This is because the country bases its acceptance on a system that trusts the source. The one blot: if your paper comes with a foreign public officer's signature, such as a notary attestation, check with the person reviewing your file in Romania whether they really need more stamps. Most do not, but in borders and probate courts, occasionally a clerk might ask for extra proof that the foreign notary is legitimate.
When Romania might need full consular legalisation
In a tiny handful of edge cases, you might still need to legalize documents for Romania with embassy attestation for Romania following the standard multi-step chain. For example, if an inheritance case involves assets in Romania and a contested will, the court there could ask for every paper crossing borders to bear the highest level of verification — even though this is not common. Such extra steps would mean the file stops at the Romanian diplomatic mission in London before it can be used. The mission's own clerks check each stamp in the chain to confirm they are real. However, do not assume your case falls into this bracket just because it is important — ask your receiving office in Romania plainly and demand they write back ruling it in or out, as most modern procedures no longer demand it.