How do I legalise my documents for The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?
For any document to be used in a country other than the country of its origin, it has to be given legal status. This process of verification and attestation is known as legalisation. The 1961 Hague Convention abolished the practise of consular legalisation for foreign public documents to be used in the member countries. This means that public documents issued in one member nation can be recognised in another, with just an apostille certificate. Apostille is a special form of certification that imparts legal status to a multitude of documents used in cross border transactions, such as international relocation, foreign business transactions, foreign legal proceedings and so on. In the UK, the apostille certificate is issued by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO).
However, if you would like to present your documents for relevant use in Saudi Arabia, you would need legalisation by the Saudi Arabia Embassy in London. This is because Saudi Arabia is not a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Documents will need to be first issued with an apostille certificate by the FCO, prior to submission at The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London. Additionally, notarisation might be required prior to an apostille for certain documents. Unless the document is not issued by the UK Registrar’s Office, it has to be notarised by a registered Notary Public or Solicitor in the UK, for the FCO to apostille it. Examples of some documents that do not require notarisation are UK issued birth certificates, marriage certificates and death certificates.
Thus, Saudi Arabia document legalisation consists of three steps: notarisation, apostille certification and Saudi Arabia Embassy legalisation.
It should be noted that some commercial documents, intended for use in the Kingdom, will require attestation by the Arab-British Chambers of Commerce (ABCC) and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), before submission to the Saudi Arabian Embassy.
The process can be long and complicated. The Legalisations.org.uk team can help with the entire process, right from getting the documents organised in the right format to submitting and retrieving them personally from the concerned authorities. If the Embassy requires the documents to be translated into the official language of Arabic, we can take care of that as well.
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 Legalisation by the Saudi Arabia Embassy in London:
In cases of legalisation of power of attorney documents, the signatory’s passport number has to be typed in or written under their power of attorney, authorisations of agent and agreements. If a Saudi Arabian national has been mentioned in the power of attorney, the ID number should be mentioned against each name. The same holds true for any Saudi company mentioned in the document, in which case, the company’s registration number has to be mentioned.
For any type of document being submitted for legalisation, a copy of the applicant’s passport must accompany it. Also note that the name and address of the consignee in Saudi Arabia should be mentioned on each document.
In case of legalisation of educational documents and work permit applications, the requisite documents need to be presented through the Saudi Arabian Cultural Attaché, instead of the consular section.
For commercial documents, attestation by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) is required, prior to legalisation by the Saudi Arabia Embassy. Three photocopies of each commercial document are required to be submitted.
Conclusion
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a prominent destination for UK citizens, for the purposes of tourism, business and employment. In various matters of visa applications and subsequent transactions within the Kingdom, UK-issued documents need to be presented to the Saudi Arabian authorities. To impart authenticity or legal status to these documents, the Saudi Arabia Embassy legalisation in London is a must. Since the Kingdom is not a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, the legalisation process becomes lengthier, with documents needing both FCO apostille certification and Saudi Arabia Embassy legalisation.
Legalisations.org.uk has for years dealt with document legalisation needs for multiple countries across the world. Our clients include individuals as well as top corporate entities. We understand that the entire process of legalisation could be cumbersome. There are various facets of getting the process completed correctly, including prior notarisation of select documents, translation services in certain cases, adhering to specific document formats and obtaining appointments from various UK government offices and consular departments.
Our agents will work tirelessly to ensure that all your requirements are completed in the fastest time possible. We will collect the documents from you and submit them to the concerned authorities, after detailed pre-checking. These documents will again be collected by our consultants to be delivered to you safely. To achieve the fastest turnaround times, we work with a vast network of Notary Public and Solicitors, lawyers, individuals, consular and government officials. Our agents are always up to date with all the changes in the Middle East visa policies and Embassy document legalisation requirements.
Legalisations.org.uk is a professional, experienced and reliable service. We host prompt customer services and ensure we are cost effective for our clients best interest. We review each document and obtain the apostille certification, the correct format, translate the documents if necessary and further submit the documents to the Saudi Arabia Embassy for legalisation, and minimise the chances of rejection.
If you wish to request for our consultancy services, you can send us an email at info@legalisations.org.uk. You can also call us at 0845 224 9482. Alternately, you can fill our contact form, and one of our representatives will get in touch with you soon.
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
In order to legalise UK-issued documents for use in Saudi Arabia, you will need to visit the FCO office for apostille certification, prior to submitting the documents at the Saudi Arabia Embassy in London. For this, you will need to book an appointment at the FCO and then the consulate department.
However, if you choose the services offered by Legalisations.org.uk, our consultants will complete all the formalities on your behalf. We will obtain appointments with the required departments, such as the FCO office in Milton Keynes and the Saudi Arabia Embassy at Mayfair, London. Our consultants will visit each office to submit your documents and collect them after legalisation. If any document requires prior notarial certification, we will contact accredited Solicitor and Notary Public in our network to get the documents notarised at the earliest. After legalisation, the documents will be safely delivered to you.
Legalisations.org.uk is known for its utmost discretion in handling confidential documents. Trust our vetted consultants to offer you reliable, prompt, efficient and cost-effective services at all times.
Documents have to be apostilled by the FCO, prior to submission to the Saudi Arabia Embassy in London. If your documents need FCO legalisation, we offer a standard package (next-day delivery) and a premium package (within 2-3 hours delivery). The apostille fee for the standard package is £30 and for the premium package is £75.
The consular fee for legalisation of personal documents is £45 per document for the first document and £21 for subsequent ones. For commercial documents, the fee is £68.40, which includes the LCCI and ABCC attestation fees.
Legalisations.org.uk will charge additional service fees, based on your requirements, such as special delivery, DHL delivery and so on. After you fill your order form, we will add in the consular and government fees, along with the service charges, to offer you a quote. You can make the payment through the order form, and then send us the requisite documents for legalisation.
Please note that our team will inform you regarding any additional steps that might require extra charges during the process, and advise on the same.
The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) will need to issue an apostille certificate to the documents before they can be submitted to the Saudi Arabia Embassy in London for legalisation. Documents can be provided an apostille stamp within a few hours by the FCO. However, it may take up to a day, depending on the service package you choose.
After we submit the documents for Saudi Arabia Embassy legalisation, the consulate department may take 3 working days for legalising personal documents and up to 5-6 working days to legalise commercial ones. In total, your documents consider an approximate period of a week, within which we will get your documents legalised. If the documents need additional attestation by the Arab British Chambers of Commerce (ABCC) or notarisation, this period might be extended.
We would recommend you to consider any public holidays, such as UK national holidays or Saudi Arabian religious holidays, when the concerned departments will remain closed. Documents for intended use should be submitted well in advance.
One of the top 20 economies in the world and the biggest economy in the Middle-East, Saudi Arabia is a hub for foreign investments. Under the Vision 2030 program, the KSA government is working to diversify its economy into other sectors, apart from its dominant oil and gas industry. UK graduates and postgraduates find opportunities to work in many sectors in the Kingdom, such as oil and gas, telecommunications, banking, education, tourism, healthcare and engineering. Most of these jobs are in international companies located in the capital city of Riyadh and in other popular cities, such as Jeddah and Dammam.
If you would like to work in the Kingdom, you will first need an employment contract directly with a Saudi Arabia-based corporate entity to apply for a work visa with residence permit. Visa applications have to be submitted to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London, which will require legalisation of several documents.
Both personal and academic documents require legalisation. The Personal Documents that need legalisation are:
- Copy of passport
- Birth certificate
- UK police clearance certificate (ACRO)
- Marriage certificate
- Driver’s license
- Adoption papers and divorce decree (if required)
- Visa medical certificates
- Original signed employment contract
- Personal power of attorney
If you are sponsoring the residence visa of your family members, including spouse and children (below 18 years), you will have to submit their personal documents as well, as mentioned in the list above.
The Embassy will also verify your educational qualifications, which makes you fit for the job application. Educational certificates issued by UK-based institutions will need to be attested first by the Saudi Arabia Cultural Bureau in London, before submission for Saudi Arabia Embassy legalisation.
Academic Certificates
- College degree certificates
- Post-graduate certificates
- A-Level, BTECH, NVQ, HNC, HND, Level 1-3 certificates
- Training certificates
- PGCE, QTS, Teaching certificates
- Primary school certificate and high school certificate (for sponsoring children below 18 years). UK school transcripts need to be authenticated with the Saudi Arabia Cultural Bureau in London.
If you are applying for a work visa to relocate to one of your company’s branches in Saudi Arabia, you will need to present a letter of introduction, issued by your UK-based employer, for legalisation.
We would recommend you to get in touch with your Saudi Arabian sponsor company, to know of all the document legalisation requirements beforehand. It is possible that the company might require certain documents to be translated into Arabic, which our certified translators can take care of.
The diplomatic missions of many countries might ask for documents to be translated into their official language, before legalisation. The United Kingdom does not have a regulating body for translators, otherwise known as “sworn translators.” This is why translation services should be availed after careful checking of credibility. Legalisations.org.uk has a team of certified translators who are experts in various languages including Arabic.
The Saudi Arabia Embassy in London does not have any requirements to have your documents translated into Arabic for legalisation purposes. However, many Saudi Arabian entities, such as companies, trade bodies and government departments, might need your documents to be translated into Arabic for relevant use. Some examples of documents that often require translation are police background checks, trademarks and patents, company financial reports, and power of attorneys.
Our networks of professional and qualified translators belong to the Institute of Translators and Interpreters as well as the Institute of Linguists. To guarantee accuracy and quality of the documents they perform detailed checks of spellings, grammar, formats, sentence structure, punctuation, completeness and more, so that the documents remain true to the original. The translated documents are further certified by accredited Notary Public and Solicitor in the UK, to prove their authenticity.
If you require our translation services, kindly mail us your requirements, along with the documents, at info@legalisations.org.uk. We will get back to you regarding the price and turnaround time at the earliest.
The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London is located at:
30 Charles Street,
Mayfair,
London W1J 5DZ
United Kingdom
The working hours of the Embassy are from Monday to Thursday, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (lodging) and 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (collection). On Fridays, the timings are 9:00 am to 11 am (lodging) and 2 pm to 3 pm (collection). The Embassy remains closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Bus numbers 2, 38, 9 and C2 can be taken to reach the Embassy. You can also travel via the tube. The nearest tube stations to the Embassy are Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria. The South Eastern and Southern railways lines can be used to reach the destination too.
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