Power of Attorney — Europe

All 27 European Union member countries are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. For the most part, a UK apostille is therefore all that is required for documents to be accepted across the EU, and embassy legalisation is rarely required. The receiving authority may still have its own requirements for translations or the form of a document, so these should be confirmed before it is submitted.

Power of Attorney for use in Europe

Powers of Attorney usually need to be signed in the presence of a solicitor or notary and then apostilled before they can be used in the EU. The exact wording, the witnessing requirements and whether embassy legalisation is also needed depend on the authority in the EU receiving the document.

How it works

Confirmation of the destination country and the receiving authority's requirements
Solicitor certification of your document, where required
Apostille legalisation through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Return of the legalised document, ready for use in the relevant European country

Fees

Documents that require apostille only£150 no VATDocuments that require a certification plus Apostille£180 no VATProcessing a document through any Embassy in London£50 per document

Note: These fees would be in addition to the fees Embassies and Consulates charge for processing and legalising documents. Every Embassy has their own fee structure depending on whether documents are commercial or personal. The exact costs can be confirmed if required.

Most European destinations accept a UK apostille without further embassy legalisation. Translation or another local requirement may still apply, depending on the country and authority receiving the document.

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