How to Apostille or Legalize UK Documents for Use in Vietnam

Most eligible public documents issued in the United Kingdom can be used in Vietnam after receiving an Apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office. From 11 September 2026, additional legalization by a Vietnamese embassy or consulate is not normally required when the Apostille Convention applies. Some documents must first be certified by a UK notary, solicitor or other public official.

Before applying for Vietnam work permit or getting married in Vietnam or any other official purposes, the documents originating from the United Kingdom will need to go through the consular legalization process.

1. What Is an Apostille or Consular Legalization of UK Documents for Use in Vietnam?

An Apostille for a UK document is a certificate issued by the FCDO Legalisation Office. It authenticates the signature, the signer’s official capacity and any seal or stamp on an eligible public document. When the Convention applies, Vietnam accepts that authentication without an additional Vietnamese consular legalization step.

Consular legalization is the traditional authentication route for a document that cannot use the Apostille Convention. The authorities check the signatures and seals through a chain of authentication before the document is submitted in Vietnam. Neither an Apostille nor legalization verifies the truth of the document’s contents.

Either way, an Apostille or legalization only confirms who signed the document and that the seal is genuine, it doesn’t confirm that the information inside the document is accurate.

👉 See How different are Apostille and Legalization?

Unsure which stamp you should get for your documents? Feel free to send us a scan for a free review at [email protected] or (US)+1.341.999.4099 | (VN)+84.387.285.099 (WhatsApp 24/7 available).

What are UK Documents for Legalization?

There are a lot types of documents issued in the United Kingdom that are required to be legalized to be used in Vietnam. But, in general, they fall into the following two types:

• Personal documents: It can be Degree or Master Certificate, PHDs or Diploma Qualifications or other Academic Reports, National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) or Disclosure Scotland, etc.
• Business documents: It can be Certificate of Incorporation, Power of Attorney, Tax Returns, Partnership Agreement, VAT Certificate, Company Registers, or Certificate of Name Change, etc.

2. Can I Get My UK Documents Apostilled or Legalized in Vietnam?

No. The UK embassy in Vietnam, from November 13, 2017, no longer provided the apostillation or consular legalization service. As such, all documents originating from the UK to be used in Vietnam will need to go through the legalization process in the UK.

3.  Is the UK Apostille-Eligible for Use in Vietnam?

Yes. The UK has been a member of the Hague Apostille Convention since it was first adopted in 1965, and Vietnam’s own accession took effect on 11 September 2026. Once both countries are Convention members and no exemption blocks your specific document, a UK Apostille is recognized directly in Vietnam.

Three conditions decide whether your document qualifies:

1. Is it a public document? ‘Public document’ under the Convention covers civil-status certificates (birth, death, marriage), court documents, notarial acts, and documents issued by a public authority. A purely private document usually needs notarization first to qualify.
2. Is the Apostille relationship between the UK and Vietnam in force? Yes, it has applied since 11 September 2026.
3. Does an exemption or objection apply? Vietnam has recorded objections against three countries – Germany, Austria and Czechia – so documents from those countries still need traditional legalization. The UK isn’t on that list, so this condition doesn’t block your document.

The Apostille authenticates the origin of a public document, including the signature, capacity and seal or stamp. It does not verify the truth or legal effect of the document content.

4. Popular Purposes of Using UK Documents in Vietnam

The documents issued in UK are often used in Vietnam for the following purposes:

• Getting Vietnam work permit,
• Getting Vietnam work permit exemption certificate,
• Getting married with a Vietnamese.
• Applying for a Vietnam temporary residence card
• Registering a UK-based company’s investment or representative office in Vietnam

5. How to Legalize UK Documents for Use in Vietnam

Your document only needs one of the two routes below, not both. Check which one applies before you start.

For public documents

👉 Step 1: Notarize your documents (only if required)

This step is waived for a UK Birth Certificate, UK Marriage Certificate, UK Police Clearance Certificate (ACRO only), UK Death Certificate, and a UK Medical Report signed by a UK Doctor. Otherwise, have your document certified by a UK Solicitor or Notary Public.

👉 Step 2: Get the Apostille from the UK Legalisation Office

Submit your notarized document to the FCDO (for the UK), the Department of Foreign Affairs (for Ireland), or the relevant Crown Dependency’s Legalisation Office. Documents from UK Overseas Territories need territory-level legalization first. Processing normally takes about 2 working days, or up to 10 days during peak periods around Easter and summer; you can receive your documents by courier to an address in Vietnam or the UK.

👉 Step 3: Translate into Vietnamese and certify your documents

This is the final step of your UK document apostillation for use in Vietnam. Have it translated into Vietnamese if the receiving authority requires it, then submit it directly – no further Vietnamese consular step is needed. You can use your documents in Vietnam now.

If your document needs traditional legalization

👉 Step 1 – Get your document notarized in UK

In this step, you need to have your UK document certified by a UK Solicitor or Notary Public.

However, this step is waived for the following documents:

• UK Birth Certificate
• UK Marriage Certificate
• UK Police Clearance Certificate (ACRO only)
• UK Death Certificate
• UK Medical Report signed by a UK Doctor

👉 Step 2 – Get your document legalized by British Authorities

You now will need to submit your notarized document to:

• the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (for United Kingdom),
• the Department of Foreign Affairs (for Ireland), or
• the Legalization Offices in the UK Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man).

(hereinafter referred to as the Legalization Office).

The Legalization Office will check your document, including whether the signature, stamp or seal is genuine, and then legalize it by attaching a stamped official certificate (an ‘apostille’) to it.

The processing time by this office is normally 2 working days, or up to 10 days during peak periods around Easter and summer.

You can then receive your documents by courier to your address in Vietnam or UK, including the Vietnam Embassy in UK.

Note: The documents from UK Overseas Territories (Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Island, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Turks and Caicos Islands) must be legalized by the Legalization Office in the Overseas Territory concerned before being legalized by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

👉 Step 3: Get your document legalized by the Vietnam embassy

You, in this step, can send the following documents to the Consular Section of the Embassy of Vietnam in UK in person or by courier:

• Legalization Application Form: Click to download: WORD format, PDF format
• Documents (original or copy) with ORIGINAL apostille stamp
• Copy of documents with apostille stamp
• A self-addressed envelope if you want your documents to be returned by post. The address can be in the UK or in Vietnam upon your request.

After receiving your documents, the Vietnam embassy in UK will verify the signature and seal (excluding contents of documents) of the legalization office.

Once being verified, the Vietnam Embassy in the UK will officially apply authenticated seal and signature to your document(s), which will be ready for use in Vietnam.

The processing time is around 5 working days.

So, we have taken you through 3 steps of consular legalization of UK documents for use in Vietnam. As this process is required to be completely done in the UK, we highly recommend you to legalize all necessary documents before departure for Vietnam.

In case you are in Vietnam and find it hard to complete the procedure, you have us as your personal assistant.

6. UK Document Legalization Service in Vietnam

The process of Apostillation or legalizing UK documents for use in Vietnam is lengthy and time consuming one, and can be daunting, especially for those in Vietnam. As such, it is the best to have our legalization service to undertake it on your behalf and leave you a completely stress-free experience.

With more than 10 years’ experience and 1,000+ expats in Vietnam assisted, our team checks which route applies to your document before you pay for anything, manages notarization (if needed) through to the Apostille or full legalization at the Vietnamese Embassy in London, and delivers the finished document to your address.

Our professional legalization service completes this process in 3 extremely easy steps:

Our Full-package legalization service fee for UK documents to be used in Vietnam

Document type	Fee (USD)	Services included	Processing time
UK documents (standard)	$305 – 315/document	✅Notarization (if required) ✅Apostille from the Legalization Office in the UK ✅Legalization by the Vietnam embassy/Consulate General in the UK ✅Fees for delivering documents from our office in Vietnam to the UK and vice versa	4 weeks
UK Overseas Territories documents (e.g. British Virgin Islands)	$331–335/document		5 weeks

Common documents we have received from our customers are:

• Birth Certificates
• Marriage Certificates
• Death Certificates
• Divorce Decree
• Single Status Affidavit
• Power of Attorney
• Copy of Passport
• Diplomas, certificate, academic transcript
• Employment confirmation
• Articles of Incorporation
• Certification of Free Sale
• Certification of Origin
• Commercial Invoice

Need assistance in legalizing your UK documents for Vietnam, connect with us via:

• Hotline: (US)+1.341.999.4099 | (VN)+84.387.285.099 (WhatsApp available)
• Email: [email protected]
• Offices:
  • In Hanoi: 23rd Floor, TASCO Building, Pham Hung road, Tu Liem
  • In Ho Chi Minh City: 6th Floor, VIPD Building, No. 4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Sai Gon Ward