Apostille Service for Sets of Academic Documents
Customers often contact us with several academic certificates that need to be legalised with the apostille. This could be a degree and transcript or a set of A Level certificates. People often asked, ‘can one apostille cover all documents?’.
The answer depends on several factors-
1. What the documents are?
2. Which country has requested them?
3. Will they accept a set of legalised academic certificates with one apostille?
We recommend you check the final point with the person asking for the documents.
There are two ways we can legalise your documents
Apostille on Each Document – We can issue an apostille on each academic certificate or document. This includes checking the documents, solicitor certification and attaching the apostille to each document.
Creating a Set of Documents – When a group of academic documents are in one person’s name we can create a set of documents with one apostille attached. Our solicitor will check the documents and prepare a cover sheet detailing what documents are contained in the set. The cover sheet is then certified by our solicitor and added to the set of documents that we legally bind together.
It is essential that you check if a set of documents will be suitable for your circumstances. Some authorities may not accept sets of documents and may request that each document has its own apostille.
Apostille Prices
Simple pricing for your fast 1 to 2 day document legalisation. Choose from the paper apostille or electronic apostille services.
Apostille in Days, Not Weeks
Document Legalisation, Simplified
Points to Consider When Preparing Document Sets for Apostille
One set, one apostille, one simple solution.
Binding documents into a ‘set’ and adding one apostille can save a lot of money.
It is essential that you check what is being asked of you. We are happy to offer advice and to discuss your documents, but we cannot speak for every company or organisation in every country.
If in doubt, process each document with its own apostille or talk to the person asking for your documents.
Documents That Cannot Be Included in a Set
Many official or government-issued documents must be legalised individually and cannot form part of a set. Examples include:
- Birth, marriage, death, and civil partnership certificates
- Certificates of No Impediment / “No trace” of marriage documents
- ACRO police certificates, NPCC and DBS certificates, and fingerprint documents
- Medical notes and health certificates
- Court documents bearing ink stamps
- Ink-signed solicitor documents and notarised documents
- Signed HMRC and Companies House documents
In general, we only prepare sets of academic certificates as they relate to one person’s qualifications. Government issued documents should not be included in sets.
A document that has previously been signed by a solicitor or notary should not be bound into a set. For example, a power of attorney document that has been witnessed by a notary should not be included in a set. This should have its own apostille to verify the power of attorney was signed and witnessed by a practising notary.
Not all countries allow bound sets!
It is not suitable to bind documents into a set for some countries. To confuse matters more, individual organisations may not allow sets to be submitted with one apostille.
For example, the UAE do not allow bound sets of documents. Every document must have its own apostille and embassy stamps. Likewise, Qatar insist on every document being attested separately and may ask for additional supporting documents.
Will bound sets be accepted in your circumstances?
The simple answer to this is to ask the person requesting the documents if they will accept a set. There is no official answer and requirements vary by organisation and by country. We can offer advice on how to order a set of documents but each customer should check on their own circumstances.
What does a bound set of documents look like?
Our solicitor will check all of your documents and prepare a cover sheet.
The cover sheet will state who the documents are for and where they were issued. The solicitor may vary the description depending on the documents.
