Request a quote
Apostille, embassy, same-day FCDO and translations are quote-only / coming soon. Official FCDO fees: paper £45 · e-Apostille £35.
Short answer: UKCOGS quotes apostille, e-Apostille, embassy legalisation, translations and destination packs on request; there is no buy-now price for these. Official FCDO fees are £45 per paper apostille and £35 per e-Apostille (confirm on GOV.UK). Our handling is quoted separately, and we confirm we can fulfil before you pay anything for legalisation. Companies House documents such as the Certificate of Good Standing (£79 standard / £129 express ex VAT) can be ordered now.
Official FCDO fees: paper £45 · e-Apostille £35 (confirm on GOV.UK). We confirm fulfilment before taking legalisation money.
Quote FAQ
How much does an FCDO apostille cost?
Official FCDO fees on GOV.UK (last checked 18 September 2026): paper (standard) £45 per document plus courier or postage; e-Apostille £35. UKCOGS agent handling is separate and quote-only — we confirm fulfilment before anyone pays for legalisation.
Is apostille buy-now on UKCOGS?
No. Paper apostille, e-Apostille, embassy legalisation, translations and same-day FCDO routes are quote-only. Companies House originals (COGS £79/£129, pack £249–£299, certified copies) are buy-now ex VAT.
How long does FCDO legalisation take?
GOV.UK publishes working-day guidance that can change. As of the week of 18 September 2026: standard paper usually up to about 25 working days plus courier/postage; e-Apostille up to about 2 working days. We quote current expectations — not a guaranteed same-day promise.
Paper apostille or e-Apostille?
Ask the recipient in writing. Paper still dominates for many foreign banks. e-Apostille is only for eligible digitally signed PDFs and is not universally accepted. We will not choose for you as legal advice.
Are you the FCDO or an FCDO-listed partner?
No. UKCOGS is a private document agent operated by Pasecom Group Ltd. We do not claim FCDO-listed or partner status. The FCDO issues apostilles; we quote arrangement when we can fulfil.
When should I order a Certificate of Good Standing first?
When the recipient list asks for a company certificate / good standing. Order COGS buy-now (£79/£129 ex VAT; CH £22/£65 separate), then request an apostille quote if legalisation is also required.
What about embassy legalisation?
Some countries need steps beyond a Hague apostille (e.g. UAE). Embassy and consular stages are quote-only and destination-specific. Share the written checklist.
Do you handle personal documents?
Our catalogue focus is UK company documents from Companies House. Personal documents are outside our core buy-now catalogue — ask via the quote form if unsure.
Are you Companies House or a law firm / SRA practice?
No. We order official Companies House documents as a private agent. We are not the registrar, not a law firm and not an SRA-authorised practice. Notary/solicitor certification, if required, is a separate step.
Can you fulfil apostille today?
Apostille and embassy fulfilment await a contracted partner arrangement. Quotes are still welcome — we confirm whether we can fulfil before taking legalisation money. Buy-now CH SKUs ship now.
What does a quote request cost?
Nothing. A quote request is an enquiry only. We reply by email with the route, official fees and our handling fee, and nothing is charged unless you accept and we have confirmed we can fulfil.
Can I order the Certificate of Good Standing now and the apostille later?
Yes. The Certificate of Good Standing is buy-now at £79 standard or £129 express ex VAT, with the official Companies House fee of £22 or £65 shown separately. You can request the apostille quote at the same time or once the certificate arrives.
What happens after you send a quote request
A quote request is an enquiry, not an order. Nothing is charged when you submit the form. We read the request, check which documents are involved and which route the receiving country or organisation has asked for, and reply by email with what we can do, what it is likely to cost, the official fees that apply and a realistic timescale. If we cannot fulfil a route ourselves at that point, we say so plainly rather than taking money and hoping to find a way later.
For most company requests the route is built in steps. First comes the underlying document from Companies House, for example a Certificate of Good Standing or a certified copy of the Certificate of Incorporation. Those are buy-now products on UKCOGS and can be ordered straight away. Then, if the recipient needs it, comes an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office. For a small number of countries that are not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, an embassy or consular stage follows the apostille. Translation, where needed, is usually the last step and is often done in the destination country.
What to include so we can quote accurately
- The company name and number exactly as shown on the Companies House register.
- The document list from the recipient, ideally copied from their email or checklist word for word. Phrases like “certificate of good standing”, “certificate of incumbency” and “certified copy” mean different things to different organisations.
- The destination country and the recipient (a bank, a free-zone authority, a court, a foreign registry or a lawyer).
- Whether the recipient accepts an e-Apostille or insists on paper. Ask them in writing if you are unsure.
- Your deadline and the delivery address for the finished documents.
The clearer the recipient’s written instructions, the fewer surprises there are later. If the list is vague, we will tell you which questions to put back to the recipient before anything is ordered.
Paper apostille or e-Apostille?
The FCDO issues two kinds of apostille. A paper apostille is a certificate physically attached to the document and costs £45 per document in official fees, plus postage or courier. An e-Apostille is attached to an eligible, digitally signed PDF and costs £35. An e-Apostille is generally faster, but not every country or organisation accepts it, and not every document is eligible. Many foreign banks and registries still expect paper. We do not choose for you: the recipient decides what they will accept, and we quote for that route.
Why apostille is quote-only on UKCOGS
We sell what we can fulfil today. Companies House documents fall into that category, so they have fixed published prices. Legalisation depends on the FCDO’s current processing times, courier logistics, the recipient’s rules and, for embassy work, the requirements of a foreign mission that can change without notice. Rather than publish a price that might not hold, we quote each request and confirm fulfilment before taking any legalisation payment. UKCOGS is a private document agent operated by Pasecom Group Ltd. We are not the FCDO, we are not Companies House and we do not claim FCDO-listed or partner status.
Timescales to plan around
Allow for each stage separately. Standard Companies House certificates aim for dispatch within about 10 working days, and express certificates follow Companies House’s before-11am rules. After we receive the paper we typically scan and send it on within 1–3 working days. FCDO timescales are published on GOV.UK and change from time to time. Paper apostilles take longer than e-Apostilles. Embassy stages add their own time. If your deadline is tight, tell us in the form and we will say honestly whether it looks achievable.
What we do not do
We do not give legal, visa, immigration or bank-account advice, and we do not act as a notary or solicitor. If the recipient asks for a notarised copy or a solicitor’s certification, that is a separate step with a separate professional. We can explain where it usually sits in the chain, but the recipient’s instructions are what count.