Personal Documents
Practical guides to preparing personal documents for use in the UK and overseas.
Explore birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce records, passport copies and proof of address.
Ask about your documentCivil certificates
Birth, marriage & death.
Guides to replacement certificates, GRO records and preparing official documents for overseas use.
Replacement certificates & apostilles
Obtaining a full birth certificate and preparing it for overseas use, with a focus on Portugal Golden Visa applications.
Read guideGRO records & overseas use
Finding an index reference, ordering a marriage certificate from the GRO for England and Wales, and arranging an apostille.
Read guideCertificate searches & legalisation
Locating GRO death records for England and Wales, obtaining a replacement certificate and preparing it for use abroad.
Read guideDivorce & family records
Preparing court documents.
Understand the document you hold and the preparation required for its intended use.
Decree Absolute & Final Order
Reviewing paper and electronic court documents, verification, certification and the legalisation stages that may apply to overseas use.
Read guideUK divorce documents for China
A focused guide to divorce documents for remarriage, civil records, property matters and other procedures in Mainland China.
Read guideIdentity & address
Certified copies, clearly explained.
Information for banking, compliance and other applications involving identity or address evidence.
Certified documents for KYC & AML
An introduction to identity documents, proof of address and certification for individuals completing customer due-diligence checks.
Read guideSolicitor-certified true copies
Explore our certification service for suitable passports, identity records, address documents and other supporting material.
View certification serviceAsk the receiving organisation which documents, certifier and certification wording it accepts before arranging a certified copy.
Country guides
Start with the destination.
Explore the relevant guide alongside the receiving authority’s current requirements.
Using UK documents in Thailand
Read about preparing UK documents for Thailand, including apostille, consular legalisation and translation considerations.
Read country guideUsing UK documents in Malaysia
An introduction to UK document preparation and the apostille stage. Confirm the complete legalisation route with your recipient.
Read country guideBefore you arrange the work
Confirm three things with your recipient.
A guide is a useful starting point. The organisation receiving your document determines what it will accept.
The document
Do they need the original, an official replacement or a certified copy?
The preparation
Have they specified certification wording, an apostille, translation or a consular stage?
The format
Will they accept an electronic document, or do they require a paper version?
Need help with your documents?
Tell us what you need to use, and where.
Share the document type, destination, intended use and any instructions from the receiving organisation. We can review the requirements and explain the next steps.