Return Delivery for Legalised Documents
Having successfully legalised your documents, there is one final stage of the process left to complete. We need to return your important documents to you.
When ordering online you can provide a return delivery address anywhere in the world and select your preferred delivery option. Customers can choose to have documents returned in the UK or we can deliver documents internationally.
Customers can choose the delivery method that is most suitable to their needs.
Return of Documents in the UK
When delivering documents to an address in the UK we offer two options:
- Royal Mail First Class Post – which is included in the service, or
- UK Next Working Day Courier* – for an additional fee
Royal Mail is normally a very reliable postal service with the vast majority of documents arriving without any issues. However, it is important customers recognise the limitations of first class post. Items cannot be tracked, there is no insurance, and delivery is not guaranteed. First class post deliveries are usually delivered in around 1-3 days, however, this is dependent on Royal Mail. If choosing first class post for the return of documents, we ask all customers to understand the risks associated with this choice. We will obtain proof of dispatch (this is not a tracking reference) for first class post to prove we have sent an item.
Our UK Next Working Day Courier Service provides a quick and secure delivery. Documents are delivered the next ‘working day’ (Monday to Friday) after dispatch to ensure a swift service. Each shipment is provided with a unique tracking reference so that customers can monitor the progress of their delivery. In the event of any problems with the return of your order by next day courier you can contact the courier firm and they will look into this for you. The use of the courier service also ensures that the documents are signed for upon delivery, this is for security purposes and to try and ensure the documents do not end up with the wrong people. In the unlikely event that a shipment was not delivered using our UK next day courier option the cost of repeating the order is covered.
For UK deliveries we do not offer Royal Mail recorded delivery as there is minimal insurance and no guaranteed delivery time and the delivery system used is the same as for standard Royal Mail post. It is important to understand that first class post is only as good as Royal Mail on a given day.
International Return of Documents
For clients who wish for their items to be returned to an address overseas we offer two options:
- Airmail, or
- DHL Courier Service
The Airmail option provides you with a budget international delivery service with a limited tracking reference. However, this is only a very basic level of tracking and does not work in many destination countries. Airmail delivery is dependent on the national delivery service available in the destination country. When these packages arrive overseas, they are passed onto a local postal service in that specific country. Not all postal services around the world are comparable to Royal Mail in the UK. Services and delivery times vary so we ask all customers to check if Airmail is suitable for their circumstances. Airmail deliveries are not insured so we are unable to cover the cost of repeating an order if an item fails to be delivered by Airmail. We ask all customers to understand the risks associated with this choice.
The DHL Courier service is more expensive than the airmail option. However, this is a lot more secure and ensures a much faster service for overseas deliveries. Similar to the UK Courier service, DHL provide a specific tracking reference number for each individual shipment. This tracking reference allows you to track items right up to when they have been successfully delivered and signed for.
Most DHL deliveries are delivered in around 1-2 days but this is country specific and some more remote locations will take longer. Please note that airmail deliveries can take 5-10 working days and potentially even longer if the postal service overseas is not very reliable. For some countries, Airmail can take around 4 weeks.
It is important to ensure that your documents are returned safely once the fast apostille service has been completed so that you can present them to the authorities overseas. For a safe, guaranteed delivery we recommend selecting our courier service for peace of mind. We do not insist customers upgrade to courier services and allow you to choose your preferred delivery method. Some customers also enclose pre-paid envelopes with their orders and take responsibility for the return of their own documents.
*The majority of next day deliveries are dispatched and received by customers the next working day. We use third party courier services to deliver documents and occasionally they may experience delays getting documents to you (traffic incidents, vehicle breakdown, weather etc.). In the event that the courier cannot deliver the document to you on the next working day we will refund the delivery fee when notified by the customer.
Delivery Deadlines and Timescales
When we quote a delivery timescale this must be treated as an estimate and not a guaranteed date of completion or delivery. We always try to give very realistic completion estimates and delivery timescales and they are usually accurate in the vast majority of cases. There is however always a possibility that it may take a little longer than expected to complete or be delivered as we are working with third parties such as solicitors, embassies and couriers to process and deliver documents. Please ensure you send your documents to us in good time to complete the process before you need them. We are unable to accept responsibility for the consequences of a delayed completion or delivery as we do not guarantee any completion dates.
