What Can Cause Delays
We aim to complete all orders in just 1-2 days! Around 98% of documents complete in 2 full working days from receipt in our office.
However, there are exceptions to this and occasionally documents can take a little longer. Delays are normally beyond our control, but you can help limit the chance of a delay to your order.
Below are some of the reasons your document may be delayed.
Avoid delays with your document!
Document Issues
- Your document is not prepared correctly! This could include not being signed or an incorrect signature (e.g. it has a PP signature or it is signed in a firm’s name) not being dated, not including a correct certification.
- The signatory on your document is not known to the FCDO. The FCDO keep an extensive database of signatures of thousands of solicitors, notaries public, doctors, registrars and government officials from which to verify signatures as being authentic. If the signature on your document is not on the database it can take several days for the FCDO to request this. This is common for medical notes in particular.
- Document queries. We may need to raise questions with you and need replies to communication.
- You provide a copy of a document that can only be processed as an original certificate.
- Your document needs to be verified with the issuing organisation (e.g. employment letters, contracts, some academic certificates).
External Factors
- The post does not arrive before 10.30am allowing us to get your document into that day’s processing.
- If there is a problem with the FCDO completing an order or our courier has a delay attending the FCDO.
- We are human. Our team work incredibly hard for you, but occasionally we have more orders than staff available.
- If we experience an unexpected high volume of orders, it may be physically impossible to process all orders that day, adding just one more day to our service.




