Apostille San Francisco
Taking new files today(415) 439-0289
Apostille for United Kingdom · from California documents
United Kingdom.
United Kingdom.
Hague since 1965.
No consulate step.
The United Kingdom has been a Hague party since 1965. The FCDO legalises only UK-issued documents and states that a document issued in another country must be legalised in the country that issued it. For a California record that is the Secretary of State’s apostille. We check the certified copy underneath before the fee.
At a glance
RouteHague apostille · California Secretary of State
ConsulateBritish missions do not legalise U.S. documents; gov.uk: legalise in the issuing country
DocumentsBirth, marriage, death certificates · degrees and transcripts · FBI background checks (federal route) · powers of attorney · corporate documents · probate papers
TranslationDocuments are in English; none needed. gov.uk requires a certified translation only for documents not in English or Welsh.
Price$180 mail-in · $450 same-day · $650 for 3
Before you send anything
What the counter accepts for the UK.
Each line is a real rejection we screen for in the $45 Document Check.
01Certified copy from the county recorder or CDPH, not a hospital or informational copy.
02Current signing official. The Secretary of State authenticates only signatures it has on file.
03Notarized first if it is a power of attorney, affidavit or copy certification.
04Send exactly what the UK office named. UK receiving offices, whether the Home Office, a register office, a solicitor or a university, name the document they want and the form it takes. We confirm the list and whether an original, a certified copy or an apostilled copy is being asked for before filing, and route FBI records by the federal channel.
$6503 documents · one emergency trip · filed together
Visa and settlement sets
Birth, marriage and degree records for visa, marriage and probate filings in the UK, filed together in one Sacramento trip.
Returned tracked, with status updates, to the UK or wherever you are. Price confirmed before any work begins.
Asked on nearly every the UK call.
01Does the British consulate in San Francisco need to legalize it?
No. The United Kingdom has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 24 January 1965. gov.uk states that documents issued outside the UK cannot be legalised through the FCDO service and must be legalised in the country that issued them; for a California record that is the California Secretary of State apostille.
02Do I need a certified translation for the UK?
Not for a California certificate, which is in English. gov.uk asks for a certified translation only when a document is not in English or Welsh, and for that it requires the translator to confirm in writing that it is a true and accurate translation, with the date, their full name and contact details. Translation is Quoted per document by page and language before anything starts; delivered certified with a signed certificate of authenticity.
03My FBI background check is in the same file. Does it go to Sacramento too?
No. An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal record, so its apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, not the California Secretary of State. We run both routes in parallel and assemble the finished set for the UK, so one shipment leaves with everything in it.
04I live in the UK already. Can you do the whole thing without me?
Yes. Order the certified copy from the county or the state and have it shipped to our office at 416 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, or mail us what you already hold. We check it, file it, and ship the finished apostille tracked to your address in the UK. International delivery is quoted per destination before we start, and we can keep you updated by WhatsApp if you prefer.