Egypt Consulate in London Legalisation

UK documents intended for official use in Egypt generally require authentication before they can be accepted by Egyptian authorities.

For most personal documents, the usual route is an FCDO Apostille followed by legalisation at the Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt in London. The Consulate’s current guidance confirms that UK-issued documents should first complete the appropriate FCDO stage.

Different procedures apply to UK educational documents. These normally go through the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau (ECEB) instead and do not require an FCDO Apostille before the Egyptian Consulate stage.

Commercial documents have more than one possible route. Depending on the document, businesses can use the FCDO route or, for eligible notarised documents, the Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce (EBCC) route.

Ginkgo Advisory can assist with the entire process or with the Egypt Consulate legalisation stage only where the preliminary authentication has already been completed.

Egypt document legalisation at a glance

Document type	Typical route
Personal UK document	FCDO Apostille → Egypt Consulate legalisation
Employment / experience letter	Authenticity verification by solicitor/notary → FCDO Apostille → Consulate
UK educational document	ECEB verification and attestation → Egypt Consulate legalisation
Commercial document – FCDO route	Notarisation where required → FCDO Apostille → Egypt Consulate
Eligible notarised commercial document – EBCC route	Notarisation → EBCC certification → Egypt Consulate
Certificate of Origin / commercial invoice	EBCC certification → Egypt Consulate
Certain private Powers of Attorney	Personal attendance may be required
Sales contract	Fee assessment required before submission

The intended use and document type should be established before notarisation or Apostille work begins.

What is Egypt Consulate legalisation?

Egypt Consulate legalisation is the authentication of a document by the Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt in London.

For an ordinary UK private document, the process commonly follows:

UK document → certification or notarisation where required → FCDO Apostille → Egypt Consulate legalisation

Some public documents can go directly to the FCDO.

Private documents, copies and certain company documents may first require a solicitor or Notary Public to certify the relevant signature or document.

Is an FCDO Apostille enough for Egypt?

Normally, no.

The Egyptian Consulate’s current legalisation guidance states that UK documents should first be apostilled by the FCDO and then submitted to the Consulate for further legalisation.

An Apostille is therefore usually an intermediate stage rather than the end of the authentication process for Egypt.

Educational documents are a significant exception because they follow the ECEB route.

Certain eligible notarised documents can also use the EBCC process instead of obtaining an FCDO Apostille.

Already have an FCDO Apostille?

Where a document already carries the correct Apostille, that stage does not normally need to be repeated.

Ginkgo Advisory can assess the document for Egypt Consulate legalisation only.

Send us:

1. A scan of the complete document
2. A scan of the FCDO Apostille
3. The intended use in Egypt
4. Details of the receiving authority
5. Any instructions received from Egypt
6. Your required completion date

Educational documents should be identified before posting because they normally require a different route.

Which documents can require Egypt Consulate legalisation?

Egyptian legalisation applies to many personal and business documents.

Personal documents

Common examples include:

• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Divorce documents
• Death certificates
• ACRO Police Certificates
• DBS certificates
• Medical certificates
• Affidavits
• Statutory declarations
• Deed polls
• Change-of-name documents
• Powers of Attorney
• Employment letters
• Experience certificates
• Other UK public documents

The Consulate currently lists £47 per legalisation for personal documents under its detailed legalisation procedure.

Commercial documents

Typical corporate documents include:

• Certificates of Incorporation
• Certificates of Incumbency
• Companies House documents
• Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Board resolutions
• Shareholder resolutions
• Annual returns
• Accounts
• Tax documents
• Commercial Powers of Attorney
• Business contracts
• Agency agreements
• Distribution agreements
• Licences
• Bills of Sale
• Certificates of Free Sale
• Product lists
• Commercial invoices
• Certificates of Origin
• Export documents

The EBCC currently identifies these among the document types handled through its commercial legalisation service.

Two routes for commercial documents

Commercial documents can follow different authentication chains.

Route 1 – FCDO Apostille

A common route is:

Commercial document → notarisation where required → FCDO Apostille → Egypt Consulate legalisation

The Consulate confirms that commercial contracts and trade-related documents can be legalised once they have received the appropriate FCDO Apostille.

This route may be preferred where the Egyptian recipient specifically requests an Apostille.

Route 2 – Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce

Eligible notarised documents can instead follow:

Notarisation → EBCC certification → Egypt Consulate legalisation

Under this procedure, an FCDO Apostille is not required.

The EBCC specifically states that notarial documents certified through its scheme can proceed to the Egyptian Consulate without the FCDO stage.

This can reduce both the number of authentication stages and the overall processing time.

EBCC Notary Onboarding Form

A Notary Public using the direct EBCC route must first be onboarded with the Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce.

The EBCC provides a dedicated onboarding form for notaries.

Its current form asks for details including the Notary’s registration information, company details and signed declarations relating to documents subsequently submitted through the Chamber.

Ginkgo Advisory can provide the appropriate form where this route is suitable.

Not every commercial document should automatically use the EBCC route. The receiving authority’s requirements should be checked first.

Documents that may specifically require EBCC certification

Certain trade documents are routinely processed through the Chamber.

The Consulate’s current legalisation page specifically identifies:

• Certificates of Origin
• Commercial invoices
• Trade documents

as documents legalised after certification by the Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce.

Other commercial documents can sometimes be accepted through either route.

Where there is uncertainty, the exact requirement may only become clear after the document has been reviewed by the Consulate or Chamber.

Egypt Consulate legalisation fees

For personal documents, the Consulate’s current detailed legalisation page lists:

£47 per document.

Commercial fees are less clear because the currently published sources do not all show the same figure.

The Consulate’s detailed legalisation page currently lists:

£125 per commercial legalisation.

The EBCC’s current commercial service page instead quotes an Egyptian Consulate charge of:

£130 per commercial document.

Recent specialist operational guidance also uses £130.

For that reason, the exact commercial consular fee should be confirmed before payment or submission.

Why different Egyptian Consulate fees appear online

The Consulate’s own website currently contains more than one fee schedule.

Its general Consular Fees page displays £110 for commercial documents and £40 for non-commercial documents, while the newer detailed legalisation section lists £125 and £47 respectively.

Meanwhile, the EBCC currently uses £130 commercial and £47 personal within its legalisation service.

We therefore recommend checking the applicable fee for the specific submission rather than relying on an older general fee table.

EBCC commercial legalisation charges

The EBCC charges separately for its certification and handling service.

Its current commercial page lists:

£59 + VAT

for EBCC certification and handling, in addition to the Egyptian Consulate fee and any FCDO costs where that route is used.

For eligible documents using the notary onboarding route, the EBCC currently lists its certification and handling charge as approximately:

£58.80 including VAT.

Because the Chamber’s own pages currently use slightly different figures and routes, the total should be confirmed from the actual document.

UK educational documents for Egypt

Educational documents follow a completely different procedure.

They should first be submitted to the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau (ECEB).

The ECEB verifies the qualification or educational record directly with the UK issuing institution. Once satisfactory confirmation has been obtained, the document is certified for the Egyptian Consulate stage.

The route is therefore:

UK educational document → ECEB verification and attestation → Egypt Consulate legalisation

No FCDO Apostille is normally required for this process.

Which educational documents use the ECEB route?

The process is not limited to university degrees.

It can apply to:

• Degree certificates
• Master’s degrees
• PhD certificates
• Diplomas
• Academic transcripts
• Professional qualifications
• School certificates
• GCSE documents
• A-level documents
• School reports
• Attendance reports
• Enrolment letters
• Certificates of attendance
• Certificates of completion
• Primary-school documents
• Secondary-school documents

The EBCC’s current educational legalisation guidance specifically includes transcripts, degrees, diplomas, school reports and professional qualifications.

The Consulate also confirms that educational certificates and enrolment letters must be certified by the Egyptian Cultural Office.

No FCDO Apostille for educational documents

Obtaining an Apostille before the ECEB stage is generally unnecessary.

The current educational procedure specifically removes the FCDO stage.

Instead, the ECEB checks authenticity with the school, university or awarding institution before issuing its attestation.

This means applicants should identify educational documents at the beginning of the process.

Paying for solicitor certification and an FCDO Apostille unnecessarily can increase both cost and processing time.

ECEB consent form

The ECEB uses a consent form so that it can contact the educational institution.

The current form asks for:

• Student’s full name
• Date of birth
• Email address
• Contact number
• Name of school or university
• Institution’s verification email address
• Student or university ID number where applicable
• Description of the document requiring authentication

The applicant must sign the consent by hand.

The ECEB’s current form expressly states that electronic signatures are not accepted.

ECEB educational attestation fee

The current ECEB certification fee published through the EBCC educational-document service is:

£50 per document.

The subsequent Egyptian Consulate legalisation fee is separate.

EBCC professional handling is also additional where the Chamber is instructed to manage the educational process.

How long does ECEB verification take?

The timeframe depends mainly on the issuing institution.

The EBCC currently states that its educational process can take around seven days, but warns that it may take longer where a school or university is slow to verify the document.

Recent specialist guidance recommends allowing approximately 12–20 working days for ECEB attestation where external verification is required.

The Egyptian Consulate itself warns that responses from schools can take anywhere from 1 to 30 days.

For planning purposes, applicants should therefore allow sufficient time for institutional verification rather than relying on a guaranteed fixed turnaround.

Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau address

The ECEB is located at:

Egyptian Cultural Centre & Educational Bureau
4 Chesterfield Gardens
London W1J 5BG

The current ECEB consent form confirms this address.

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7491 7720
Email: legalisation@uk.cdm.edu.eg

Employment and experience letters

Employment documents have a particularly strict certification requirement.

Since July 2023, the Egyptian Consulate has required all employment and experience letters to be authenticated by a Notary Public or practising solicitor before the FCDO stage.

The certification must clearly confirm that the lawyer or notary has:

• Verified the authenticity of the employment or experience letter; and
• Confirmed that it is a genuine document.

Simply certifying that a letter is an original document or a true copy is not sufficient.

The full route is therefore:

Employment letter → issuing institution verification → solicitor/notary certification confirming authenticity → FCDO Apostille → Egypt Consulate legalisation

Why employment letters should be verified first

The Consulate’s requirement goes beyond ordinary copy certification.

A solicitor or Notary Public should have evidence from the employer or issuing organisation confirming that the letter is genuine.

The resulting certification must make that verification clear.

An incorrectly worded certification can result in rejection even where an FCDO Apostille has already been obtained.

Verification should therefore be completed before the document reaches the FCDO.

Private Powers of Attorney

Power of Attorney requirements depend on the nationality of the executant and the nature of the transaction.

For Egyptian nationals, the Consulate’s current official guidance states that Powers of Attorney must be completed in person at the Consulate.

Applicants need a valid Egyptian passport or national ID together with the details of the appointed attorney.

Where property or a vehicle is involved, supporting ownership documents can also be required.

Property and inheritance Powers of Attorney

Private Powers of Attorney involving inheritance or property transactions can attract additional personal-attendance requirements.

Current specialist operational guidance states that the executant must attend the Consular Section with the original passport, acknowledge the contents before the consular officer and provide the relevant property registration document.

Agent submission should not be assumed to be available for this category.

The document should be reviewed before notarisation because property-related Egyptian POAs can require specific wording and supporting evidence.

Powers of Attorney for non-Egyptians

The Consulate does not itself issue Powers of Attorney for non-Egyptian nationals.

Instead, its current guidance instructs non-Egyptians to:

1. Have the Power of Attorney prepared by a solicitor or Notary Public
2. Obtain FCDO legalisation
3. Follow the normal Egyptian Consulate document-legalisation procedure

A commercial Power of Attorney attracts the commercial legalisation fee rather than the ordinary personal fee.

Sales contracts

Sales contracts require additional fee assessment.

The Egyptian Consulate states that a copy should be provided before the legalisation application so that the correct fee can be established.

The amount may differ from the standard personal or commercial legalisation charge.

Applicants should therefore avoid assuming a fixed consular fee for a property or other sales contract.

Can documents be bundled under one Apostille?

Current official guidance indicates that bundling should not be relied upon.

The Egyptian Consulate now states that composite notarised documents must be:

1. Individually apostilled by the FCDO; and
2. Separately legalised by the Egyptian Consulate.

This conflicts with older operational guidance suggesting that certain personal documents could share one notarial certificate and Apostille.

For current applications, the safer approach is to treat each underlying document separately unless the Consulate confirms otherwise in writing.

Commercial documents must be processed separately

Businesses should not bundle unrelated commercial documents simply to reduce legalisation costs.

Current specialist operational guidance states that commercial documents should be processed separately before submission to either the Consulate or EBCC.

Separate processing also avoids uncertainty over whether each document has received the correct Chamber or FCDO authentication.

Certificates of Origin and commercial invoices

The Egyptian Consulate specifically identifies Certificates of Origin, commercial invoices and trade documents as documents requiring EBCC certification before Consular legalisation.

Businesses exporting goods to Egypt should therefore confirm the documentation requirements before shipment.

Supporting trade documents may also be required by the Chamber.

The commercial-document route should be planned alongside the export transaction rather than after goods have already been dispatched.

Egypt Consulate processing time

For personal and commercial documents submitted directly to the Consulate, a practical planning period is approximately:

2–3 working days

The Consulate itself states that some documents may take up to three working days.

Current specialist guidance also uses approximately 2–3 working days for direct legalisation.

This period excludes FCDO, notarial, verification and delivery time.

EBCC processing time

Commercial documents using the EBCC route generally require additional processing.

Recent operational guidance suggests approximately:

4–6 working days

for the full Chamber-related legalisation route.

The EBCC itself promotes a process of fewer than five working days for eligible notarised documents using its direct onboarding system.

Actual timing depends on the document, preliminary certification and the Consulate’s workload.

Payment methods

Payment arrangements depend on how the document is submitted.

Current specialist counter guidance reports card payment for direct legalisation applications.

For applications sent by post, however, the Consulate’s official procedure requires an exact-value Postal Order made payable to the Egyptian Consulate General.

Cash and cheques should not be sent with postal applications.

Applicants should therefore confirm the correct payment method for their chosen submission route.

Legalisation by post

The Egyptian Consulate currently permits qualifying documents to be sent by post.

For postal applications, its published requirements include:

• Document already apostilled by the FCDO where required
• Exact legalisation fee by Postal Order
• Self-addressed return envelope
• Sufficient return postage
• Registered or Recorded Delivery rather than ordinary post

Educational and EBCC-route documents should first complete their applicable preliminary stages.

Egypt Consulate legalisation opening hours

The Consulate’s website currently displays slightly inconsistent public counter times.

Its detailed legalisation page states:

Submission: 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
Collection: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Monday to Friday.

Elsewhere on the website, the general contact information lists slightly different opening times.

For that reason, legalisation counter hours should be reconfirmed before travelling.

Egypt Consulate address in London

The Consulate General is located at:

Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt
2 Lowndes Street
Belgravia
London SW1X 9ET

The current Consulate website confirms this address.

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7235 9777

Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce address

The EBCC is located at:

Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce
17 Hanover Square
London W1S 1BN

Its current website confirms the London office at this address.

Documentation enquiries: documentation@theebcc.com

General enquiries: info@theebcc.com

Common reasons Egypt legalisation is delayed

Applications can encounter problems where:

• The FCDO Apostille is missing
• The wrong preliminary legalisation route has been used
• An educational document was Apostilled instead of going through ECEB
• The university or school has not replied to ECEB verification
• An employment letter was only certified as a true copy
• Authenticity was not verified with the employer
• The solicitor or notary certification wording is inadequate
• A commercial document requires EBCC certification
• A Notary Public has not completed EBCC onboarding
• A Certificate of Origin lacks the required Chamber stage
• A commercial document was incorrectly bundled
• A Power of Attorney requires personal attendance
• Property ownership evidence is missing
• A sales contract has not been assessed for the correct fee
• The wrong payment method has been prepared
• An outdated Consulate fee has been relied upon

Reviewing the document before legalisation can prevent unnecessary Apostille and consular costs.

Can I submit directly to the Egypt Consulate?

Yes, where the document has completed all required preliminary stages.

For a standard personal document, this normally means that the FCDO Apostille is already attached.

Commercial documents may require FCDO or EBCC authentication first.

Educational documents must complete the ECEB verification process before the Consulate stage.

Certain Powers of Attorney require the executant to attend personally.

Egypt Consulate legalisation only

Clients who already have the correct preliminary authentication can instruct Ginkgo Advisory for the remaining Consulate stage.

We can review:

• Document type
• FCDO Apostille
• ECEB certification
• EBCC certification
• Consular fee
• Personal-attendance requirements
• Supporting documentation
• Current submission procedure

This is particularly useful where the document has already been prepared but the applicant does not wish to manage the Consular submission and collection.

Full Egypt document legalisation service

Where the document has not yet been prepared, we can assess the complete process.

Depending on the case, this may include:

• Document review
• Solicitor certification
• Notarial certification
• Authenticity verification
• FCDO Apostille
• ECEB educational verification
• EBCC certification
• Egypt Consulate legalisation
• Consular submission
• Collection
• Completion scan
• UK return delivery
• International courier delivery

The correct route depends primarily on whether the document is personal, educational or commercial.

Frequently asked questions

Does a UK document need an FCDO Apostille for Egypt?

Most personal UK documents do.

The usual route is FCDO Apostille followed by Egypt Consulate legalisation.

Educational documents follow the ECEB route instead.

Is an FCDO Apostille enough for Egypt?

Normally, no.

The document generally needs further authentication by the Egyptian Consulate in London.

How much is Egypt Consulate legalisation for a private document?

The Consulate’s current detailed legalisation page lists:

£47 per personal document.

How much is commercial document legalisation?

Current sources are inconsistent.

The Consulate’s detailed legalisation page lists £125, while the EBCC’s commercial page currently lists a £130 Egyptian Consulate charge.

The applicable fee should therefore be confirmed before submission.

How long does Egypt Consulate legalisation take?

Allow approximately:

2–3 working days

for documents submitted directly once all preliminary authentication has been completed.

Do UK degree certificates need an FCDO Apostille for Egypt?

Normally, no.

UK educational documents first go to the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau for verification and attestation.

They then proceed to the Egyptian Consulate.

Does the ECEB route apply only to university degrees?

No.

It also covers school documents, transcripts, enrolment letters, attendance records, diplomas and other UK educational documents.

How much is ECEB attestation?

The current published ECEB certification charge is:

£50 per document.

How long does educational verification take?

There is no guaranteed fixed period because the ECEB depends on the issuing institution.

Around 12–20 working days is a sensible planning period where verification is required, although cases can be faster or slower.

Can commercial documents avoid the FCDO Apostille?

Some eligible notarised documents can.

A Notary Public onboarded with the EBCC can certify documents through the Chamber before Egyptian Consulate legalisation, avoiding the FCDO stage.

Does the notary have to register with the EBCC?

For the EBCC direct notarial route, yes.

The Chamber currently provides a dedicated Notary Onboarding Form.

Can employment letters simply be certified as true copies?

No.

The solicitor or Notary Public must verify the authenticity with the issuing employer and clearly state that the document is genuine.

Can several personal documents share one Apostille?

This should no longer be assumed.

The Consulate’s current detailed guidance states that composite notarised documents must be individually apostilled and separately legalised.

Does a Power of Attorney require personal attendance?

Some do.

Egyptian nationals issuing Powers of Attorney are required to attend the Consulate in person under the current official procedure.

Property and inheritance matters can carry additional attendance and supporting-document requirements.

What happens with a property Power of Attorney?

Current operational guidance states that the executant may need to attend with the original passport and provide the relevant property registration document.

Does a sales contract have a fixed legalisation fee?

Not necessarily.

A copy should be submitted for assessment first because the applicable fee can differ from the standard legalisation charge.

Where is the Egypt Consulate in London?

The Consulate General is at:

2 Lowndes Street, Belgravia, London SW1X 9ET.

Where is the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau?

The ECEB is at:

4 Chesterfield Gardens, London W1J 5BG.

Where is the Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce?

The EBCC is at:

17 Hanover Square, London W1S 1BN.

Can you provide Egypt Consulate legalisation only?

Yes.

Where the document has already completed the correct FCDO, ECEB or EBCC stage, we can assess it for the remaining Consular legalisation.

Arrange Egypt Consulate legalisation in London

Send Ginkgo Advisory a clear scan before posting the original document.

Please provide:

1. The complete document
2. Existing FCDO Apostille, if any
3. ECEB certification, if applicable
4. EBCC certification, if applicable
5. Intended use in Egypt
6. Details of the receiving authority
7. Any instructions received from Egypt
8. Your required completion date

For educational documents, include the name of the school or university.

For commercial documents, tell us whether the Egyptian recipient has specified an FCDO Apostille or EBCC route.

For employment letters, provide the issuing organisation’s verification contact details where available.

We can then identify the appropriate process before unnecessary certification or legalisation work is undertaken.

Egyptian Consulate, ECEB, EBCC and FCDO requirements can change without notice. The Consulate’s currently published fee and opening-hours pages contain some inconsistent figures, so the applicable charge and counter arrangements should be reconfirmed for each submission. Final acceptance remains subject to the Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the receiving authority in Egypt.

---