City St George’s, University of London Degree Certificate: Verification, Solicitor Authentication, Solicitor Certification, UK FCDO Apostille and Embassy Legalisation

If you want to use a City St George’s, University of London degree certificate overseas, a simple copy is often not enough. Many employers, regulators, embassies, licensing bodies, and foreign authorities ask for a document that has been properly verified, solicitor-authenticated, solicitor-certified, apostilled, and, where required, embassy legalised.

What is City St George’s, University of London?

City St George’s, University of London is a UK government-recognised degree-awarding institution. It was formed when City, University of London and St George’s, University of London merged on 1 August 2024.

For verification purposes, the route depends on which legacy institution issued the award.

Important: the verification route depends on the campus history

Former City, University of London awards

Use HEDD for third-party degree verification.

This usually applies to awards linked to the Clerkenwell and Moorgate campuses.

Former St George’s, University of London awards

Use direct verification with the university.

Do not use HEDD for these awards. Verifications for the former St George’s, University of London side are handled through Student Systems directly.

Why this matters

Many solicitors and agents only issue a basic statement such as:

“certify this is a printout presented to me”

That wording is often too weak for overseas use.

A stronger route is to build a proper authenticity trail first, then certify the document on that basis. That is why the best order is usually:

1. Verification
2. Solicitor authentication
3. Solicitor certification
4. UK FCDO apostille
5. Embassy legalisation / attestation, if required

Verification options for City St George’s degrees

1. HEDD verification

For many awards from the former City, University of London side, HEDD is the correct third-party verification route.

HEDD can usually confirm:

• whether the candidate studied there
• the award granted
• the grade
• the attendance dates

2. Direct verification with the university

For awards from the former St George’s, University of London side, the correct route is usually direct verification with the university, rather than HEDD.

This is especially important because using the wrong verification route can delay the legalisation process.

Solicitor authentication and solicitor certification

After verification, the next step is usually solicitor authentication and solicitor certification.

At Ginkgo Advisory, we do more than a basic copy certification. We can prepare certification that reflects the underlying verification trail, whether that comes from:

• HEDD, or
• direct confirmation from the university

This creates a stronger and more credible document pack for overseas use.

UK FCDO apostille

Once the document has been properly verified and solicitor-certified, it can usually go to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for apostille.

The apostille confirms the authenticity of the UK solicitor’s signature and status for overseas use.

We can also offer a 2 working day UK apostille service in many cases.

Embassy legalisation / attestation

If the destination country asks for more than a UK apostille, the document may also need embassy legalisation or consular attestation.

This often applies when the document will be used in countries that require an additional embassy stage after apostille or after solicitor certification, depending on the route.

How Ginkgo Advisory can help

Ginkgo Advisory helps clients put the document pack together in the right order.

Ginkgo Advisory can help with:

• checking whether HEDD or direct university verification is the correct route
• arranging the verification step
• solicitor authentication
• solicitor certification based on authenticity verification
• UK FCDO apostille
• embassy legalisation / attestation

We do not rely on the weak approach used by some agents or solicitors who only state that a document is a copy shown to them. We focus on a stronger authenticity-based certification route.

Best order for City St George’s degree legalisation

For most overseas use cases, the practical order is:

Degree verification via HEDD or direct university route → Solicitor authentication → Solicitor certification → UK FCDO apostille → Embassy legalisation / attestation if required

Need help with a City St George’s degree certificate?

If you are using a City St George’s, University of London degree certificate overseas, the safest starting point is to confirm which side of the merged university issued the award and then follow the correct verification route from the start.