How Do I Legalise My Documents for Qatar?
Legalisation is a process through where a document is authenticated for use in another country. Every country has its own set of laws regarding document legalisation, depending on the documents in question and their intended use.
As Qatar is not a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, documents issued in the UK need both an apostille stamp from the FCO (Foreign & Commonwealth Office) and Legalisation by Qatar Embassy in London, before they can be used in Qatar. Various kinds of documents could require legalisation, ranging from personal documents, such as birth certificates and marriage certificates, to educational certificates, business documents and commercial documents. It is an important step in Qatar visa applications for UK citizens.
The Hague Convention of 1961 led to an agreement between the member countries to abolish the practise of consular legalisation of documents to be used within their borders. Instead, they would accept apostille certificates as proof of authenticity of documents issued by member countries. The apostille certificate is issued to UK documents by the FCO. After this, the requisite documents are submitted to the Qatar Embassy in London, for document legalisation.
The FCO further needs certain documents to be certified, signed and dated by a Notary Public or Solicitor in the UK, registered with the FCO and part of its London database. This process has to be completed before the regulatory body issues the apostille certificate to the documents. Additionally, commercial documents need to be stamped by the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in London, before legalisation by the Qatar Embassy.
So, the process of document legalisation for use in Qatar can be completed in three steps.
- Verification and attestation is completed by an accredited Notary Public or Solicitor in the UK
- Following this, the FCO issues an apostille certificate
- The final step is Qatar Embassy legalisation.
Legalisations.org.uk is known for its ability to ensure that the document legalisation process is completed seamlessly, in the least possible time. We take care of the entire process on your behalf. All you have to do is send the required documents to us, after which it is our responsibility to get these documents legalised by the concerned authorities on your behalf, while ensuring the safety of the documents.
Please see the process as below that we follow:
STEP 1
Send Us the
Original Document
STEP 2
We quality check
documents internally
STEP 3
The document is
solicitor certified and then
Apostilled 24 hours.
STEP 4
If required, we take the
document to the required
embassy for legalisation
STEP 5
Documents Returned
Back to you Domestically
or Internationally
Please use the dropdown menu’s for your document requirement. The pricing and document type will be generated after pressing the button below. Please note that to complete your order you will need to use the dropdown menus per document order. After the pricing table, you will then be taken to our order page. Following this you will be sent to our upload page to upload the documents which you can also complete later.
Service Inclusions:
- Solicitor Stamp
- FCO Submission and Collection
- Embassy Legalisations
- Precheck of documents
- Free Resubmissions
- Same Day Send Out
Start Legalisation Order
The button above will redirect you to our legalisation order form via our main RLS website. You will be able to select your service, your return address and method and make payment via it.
After making your order, we advise you contact our legalisation consultants by emailing your requirement to: applications@rapid-visas.co.uk.
Important Notes for Qatar Embassy Legalisation
Please note that foreign documents, i.e., documents issued outside the UK, except those issued in the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and British Overseas Territories, are not accepted by the Qatar Embassy in London for legalisation. With regard to those countries as well, the documents submitted must first be attested by the respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country of origin, prior to submission to the Qatar Embassy for legalisation.
The Embassy accepts various types of commercial documents for legalisation, such as commercial contracts, certificates of registration or incorporation, company financial reports, certificates of goods standing, memorandum and articles of association and more. These documents need to be stamped by the Arab-British Chambers of Commerce, prior to submission to the Embassy.
The Qatar Embassy will not accept documents that are notarised or apostilled in bundles. The FCO must issue an apostille certificate individually to each and every document.
Educational documents need to be supported by an academic transcript and covering letter, issued by the concerned educational institution in the UK, which issued the certificates. These supporting documents must mention the following points in detail:
- Location of study and examinations
- Duration of the course attended
- Mode of learning, such as distance or classroom, digital or face-to-face teaching
- Awarded title after completion of course
- Authenticity of awarded titles
- Modules and subjects studied in each term
- Grades awarded and levels of credit in each module
The covering letter and transcript need to be attested and notarised by the FCO separately. Also note that the Qatar Embassy in London does not accept educational documents pertaining to online or distance learning programs, except for post-graduate MSc and PhD degrees. Online course certificates will not be accepted by the Embassy, even if they have been apostilled by the FCO or attested by any other foreign affairs office.
The working hours for Qatar Embassy legalisation are 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Monday to Friday. The accepted methods of payment include company cheques or postal orders only.
Conclusion
Qatar Embassy document legalisation is required by anyone who wishes to relocate to Qatar for work or study, or wishes to travel to the country for business related purposes. Applicants for spouse visa or family visit visa also need certain documents to be legalised by the Embassy. The documents that require legalisation depend on the type of visa applied for, laws of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar and any additional requirements of the Qatar-based entities pertaining to the applicant. Through the legalisation process, the documents are imparted legal status, which is acceptable by all concerned authorities in Qatar, for relevant use. These could be companies, educational institutions, banks, housing societies, government departments and more.
Since Qatar is not a member of the Hague Convention of 1961, documents need additional consular legalisation, after being issued with the apostille stamp by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Legalisations.org.uk has years of experience in apostille, consular legalisation and certification of documents for use in various jurisdictions across the world. We work closely with individuals, companies, lawyers, qualified translators and consular and government departments in the UK, to make the whole process of legalisation as smooth and efficient as possible.
Our experts are up-to-date with changes in legalisation procedures of every jurisdiction, including Qatar. All your documents will be checked by us in detail to ensure that they meet all the standards set by the UK FCO and the Embassy of Qatar in London, so as to avoid rejection. If your documents require notarial services prior to FCO legalisation, we can take care of that as well. Apart from that, we have qualified translators, to meet any document translation requirements, which in this case would be taken up by experts in Arabic language.
The Qatar Embassy legalisation process can take up to a week, based on your requirements. We offer both next-day service and premium “within hours” FCO legalisation services, for which we will charge additional fees, along with the usual government attestation charges. We will take a complete look at all your requirements before letting you know the appropriate cost. You can trust us to provide the most efficient, prompt, fast and reliable services at the most competitive rates.
For any queries regarding document legalisation, kindly send us an email at info@legalisations.org.uk. You can also call us at 0845 224 9482. Fill this contact form, and one of our representatives will get back to you promptly.
The Most Common Documents We Legalise
Standard Personal Documents
- Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates
- HMRC letters
- ACPO, ACRO, Police Letters
- No Impediment Certificate
- Court Documents
Corporate Business Documents
- Incorporation Certificate
- Appointment Reports
- Mem & Arts
- Company Letters
- Companies House Certs
- Minutes & Resolutions
Educational Documents
- Degree, Masters, Diploma
- GCSE, CSE, O Level
- Professional Qualifications
- Training Certificates
- Transcripts & Reports
- School Letters
Frequently Asked Questions
Legalisations.org.uk is a trusted, professional document legalisation company, with wide expertise in apostille and consular legalisation. For years now, we have assisted individual and corporate clients with their document attestation, ratification, verification and legalisation requirements for use in various countries worldwide. Our clients vouch for our fast, efficient, reliable and cost-effective services.
When you submit your documents to us, our experienced professionals will take care of the entire process, including securing appointments with the right departments and getting the requisite certifications on your documents at the earliest. Our consultants make daily visits to the FCO legalisation office in Milton Keynes, as well as the consular department of the Qatar Embassy in London. If any of the documents require prior notarisation, we can take care of that as well.
Our company also offers an entire range of additional consultancy services, including pre-checking of your documents to ensure that they are compliant with the visa policy before being presented to the FCO or the Qatar Embassy for legalisation. Apart from this, legalisations.org.uk offers certified translation services for documents of any size or type, to be used in Qatar. Our qualified translators can help translate your English documents into Arabic, the official language of Qatar, for personal and business use.
We perform detailed checks of spelling, grammar, formatting, punctuation, completeness and accuracy, before delivering documents to the respective embassies and subsequently back to our clients.
We offer both standard (next-day service) and premium (within 2-3 hours) FCO apostille services. The standard service includes an apostille government fee of £30, whilst the premium service includes government fee of £75.
For Qatar Embassy legalisation, the consular fee is £25 per document, for personal and educational documents. For commercial documents, the fee is £38 per document. Consular legalisation services are also provided in terms of standard (next-day delivery) and premium (within 1-3 hours) service.
We might charge additional service charges, based on the services you choose on the application form, such as DHL Express courier service, Special Delivery Service, DHL International service and so on. The consular fees and service charges will be added once you complete the online application. You can make the payment via the order form and then send us the documentation. We will notify you regarding any additional charges, if any, based on your legalisation needs.
Since Qatar is not a member of the 1961 Hague Convention, documents to be used in Qatar needs additional legalisation by the Qatar Embassy in London, apart from an FCO Legalisation stamp, issued by the UK FCO.
The documents have to be first apostilled by the FCO, which may take anywhere from 2 hours to one day to be completed. If you choose the standard service, and submit your documents before 11 am to us, your documents will be apostilled within the next day. For premium service applicants, we can complete the process within 3 to 5 working hours, through the FCO legalisation premium office in London.
After FCO legalisation, the documents will be submitted for Qatar Embassy Legalisation in London. The turnaround time for consular legalisation is approximately 5 to 6 working days. The documents are accepted by the Embassy legalisation office on Mondays and Thursdays only.
Additional time might be required if your documents need notarisation as well.
If you are seeking employment in a Qatar-based company, you will be required to apply for a Qatar work visa or employment visa. The Qatari entity you are applying with needs to have block visa approval, issued by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs in Doha, prior to the application for the individual work visa. You also need to have a direct employment contract with the company, attested by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs in Doha, which you need to submit for Qatar Embassy legalisation as well.
For a work visa and residence permit in the State of Qatar, you need to get various personal and educational documents legalised by the Embassy. The documents that might be required are:
Personal documents
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce certificate
- Driver’s license
- Personal power of attorney
- Copy of passports
- Police clearance certificates (ACRO)
- Visa medical reports
- Change of name notification (if any)
- Inheritance will and court orders (if any)
- Fingerprints document
Educational documents:
- Post graduate degree
- Higher education degree
- A-Level, BTECH, NVQ, HNC, HND, Level 1-3 certificates
- Diploma and college certificates
- Secondary education certificates
- Primary school certificate per child; if you are applying for visas for your children, below 18 years.
Since 2016, the Qatar Embassy in London requires all educational documents to be submitted along with a cover letter from the issuing educational institution and an academic transcript. The cover letter must include:
- Location of the course of studies
- Start and end date of the course
- Nature of classes undertaken – full-time, part-time, distance learning or classroom learning
- Awarded title of the issued certificate
- Authentication of award title of certificate
The academic transcript or academic record should also list the following:
- Modules or subjects studied in each term
- Grades and marks awarded in each examination
- Credit value and level of each module
All academic transcripts must be printed on the official letter head of the institution and stamped or signed by the concerned registry. It should be noted that the Qatar Embassy in London does not accept distance learning certificates, unless it is for a postgraduate MSc or PhD degree.
Apart from the documents listed above, you may be asked to provide a letter of introduction from your UK-based employer, if you are being transferred to one of their branches, located in the State of Qatar.
All documents to be legalised for the Qatar work visa first need to be apostilled by the UK FCO office, before consular legalisation. You should check with the FCO office, as to what is required to use their services for getting the apostille stamp. Additionally, you should consult with your concerned sponsor company in Qatar, whether they need any other documents, besides your educational and identity documents.
In many cases of legalisation, the concerned embassy might ask for documents to be translated into their official language, before they can be used or legalised by the respective authorities These Arabic translation services must be performed by expert translators to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the relevant document.
Further, these services must be provided by an approved translation company, to be accepted by the UK FCO for apostille certification. Since the UK does not have a concept of a “sworn translator,” meaning that there is no official body that regulates the translation industry in the country, the credentials of the translator must be checked carefully.
In the case of Qatar, the official language of the country is Arabic. However, the Qatar Embassy in London does not have any requirements for documents in English to be translated into Arabic before legalisation.
However, please note that the Qatari entity, such as your Qatar-based employer or a business partner in Qatar, requesting for your legalised documents, might require a certified translation of your documents into Arabic. Some common documents that require translation are background checks, power of attorney agreements, trademarks, company bylaws, etc.
Legalisations.org.uk offers certified translation services for all types of documents, through a wide network of qualified and experienced translators. All our translators belong to the Institute of Translators and Interpreters as well as the Institute of Linguists. Further, these translations are certified by a UK Solicitor or Notary Public, to ensure their authenticity.
For any Qatar document translation request, kindly send us an email at info@legalisations.org.uk, along with copies of documents that require translation. Our consultants will get back to you with the appropriate quote and turnaround time, as soon as possible.
The address of the Qatar Embassy in London is:
1 South Audley Street
W1K 1NB
London UK
The consulate opening hours for visas and legalisation are Monday to Friday, 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.
The nearest tube stations to the Embassy of Qatar in London are Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria. Bus routes that pass close to the Embassy include 10, 137, 148, 6, 113 and 74. If you are travelling by train, Chiltern Railways, Southern and South-Eastern Railway routes will help you reach the Embassy. Popular landmarks situated close to the Embassy are Mayfair Islamic Centre and Mosque, Drama Park Lane and Stanhope Hertford.
Testimonials
Previous
Next
