Legalisation of certificates given by the Registrar of Companies

Certificates issued by Companies House are stamped or electronically signed but they will not be accepted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the purpose of issuing legalisation certificates.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office require that documents must have the original signature or seal of a British public official.

To obtain a certificate signed in person by a Companies House official, customers need to request a ‘certified certificate’.

‘Certified certificates’ can be ordered via:

• Companies House Contact Centre on 0870 33 33 636; or
• Cardiff , London or Edinburgh Information Centres (for more information visit http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/toolsToHelp/infocent.shtml)
• Companies House Direct (online service)

Certified certificate fees

4 working days service £15.00
24-hour service (if ordered before 2pm) £50.00
Additional fee for faxed copy of 24-hour service document £3.00

For more information about legalising documents please visit http://www.fco.gov.uk and click on 'legalisation' on left hand menu.