Apostille Translation Services – Certified & Legally Recognised
As an Accredited Member of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC), Business Language Services has been providing certified translation services for over 30 years. We regularly translate all kinds of certificates and legal documents requiring certification and offer all four main types of certification available in the UK.
Apostille translation is essential for documents that require legal validation for use overseas. At Business Language Services (BLS), we specialise in providing certified translations that meet the strict requirements for Apostille certification, ensuring your documents are accurate, compliant, and accepted by authorities worldwide.
Apostille translation services in just four simple steps!
Quick, Simple and Reliable: Certified Translations Made Easy
Our certified translation services are designed to make the entire process – from getting a quote to delivering high-quality translations – as simple and seamless as possible:
Submit Documents
Send us a scan or photograph of your certificate(s), either by email or via the online quote form.
Project Assigned
A project manager oversees your translation from start to finish, starting with a certification consultation.
Quote Preparation
We analyse the document(s), determine the word count, and prepare a quote for cost and turnaround time.
Approve & Pay
If you are happy with the quote, you make your payment. We then get your translation underway.
What Is Apostille Translation?
Apostille translation involves translating a document that will receive an Apostille certificate — a form of international authentication required for official documents under the Hague Convention. To be accepted, the translation must be:
- Certified as accurate by a qualified linguist or translation agency
- Legally valid in the country of use
- Accompanied by a certificate of accuracy, which confirms the translation is a true and faithful representation of the original document
Apostille translations from £348!
Exact certification requirements depend on the type of document, the language/country, and the receiving organisation.
Our expert project managers are always happy to advise you on the level of certification you might need.
Legalised/Apostilled translation
Legalisation (also known as apostille) is the highest level of certification typically available in the UK. Legalisation (apostille) is normally required if you plan to use your documents outside the UK in countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. Legalised (Apostilled) Translation involves:
- Translation by a native-speaking professional
- Editing by a second experienced linguist
- Proofreading and formatting checks by your project manager
- Certification using our ATC stamp and verification letter
- Notarisation by our trusted Notary Public
- Legalisation by the FCDO
- Delivery of scanned copy by email, hard copy via first-class post to your UK address
Sworn (in-country)
Although the concept of ‘sworn’ translation does not officially exist in the UK, many other countries may require the translation to be completed by a ‘sworn’ translator.
‘Sworn’ translation is only needed in countries where the concept exists and when specifically requested by the organisation to which you are submitting the translation. ‘Sworn’ Translation involves:
- Translation by a native-speaking professional
- ‘Swearing’ of the translation in front of a solicitor, if applicable in that jurisdiction
- Delivery of scanned copy by email, hard copy via first-class post to your UK address
Every project is unique, so the above prices are estimates only. In order to provide an accurate quote for the cost and turnaround time for your translation, we will need to analyse your document(s).
We provide language services for nearly every language
We have expert linguists for just about all languages used today – from Arabic to Zulu, and everything in between.
Our top 10 most requested languages for certified translations are:
How long does certified translation take?
Standard Certified Translation of a one-page certificate typically takes around a full working day to translate, edit, proofread and certify, so you can expect to receive the translation 2 working days after we receive the source file.
If Notarisation is needed, this usually adds an extra working day on top of the standard certification timeline, so notarised translations are generally completed in a total of 2–3 working days.
Legalisation (apostille) takes longer still, as this requires paper copies to be posted to the FCDO. This generally adds around a week to the turnaround time after the translation is completed. It is possible to get your translations legalised independently, but our express service is significantly quicker.