Same-Day Express Apostille

Last updated 4 October 2026 · Official fees checked on GOV.UK 4 October 2026

The FCDO’s apostille speeds

Source: GOV.UK “Get your document legalised”, checked 4 October 2026. GOV.UK warns any service may take longer, for example if a signature has to be verified. Return courier for paper: £6 UK, £32 most of Europe, £42 rest of the world, per 1.5kg.

What “same day” really involves

A same-day apostilled company document needs three things to line up: the certified Companies House document already in hand, a business route into the FCDO’s Restricted Urgent service with pre-approval, and a recipient who accepts a paper apostille. If the certificate has not yet been ordered, the realistic best case is an express Companies House order before 11am (dispatched the same working day by first class post), then an expedited apostille once the paper arrives. That is days, not hours.

Express Companies House dispatch and express apostille are different things. The express Certificate of Good Standing (£129 ex VAT through UKCOGS, including the £65 Companies House fee) speeds up the certificate. The apostille is a separate FCDO stage.

The fastest realistic routes

1. e-Apostille accepted: express certificate, then a UK solicitor or notary e-signs a PDF, then a £35 e-Apostille (up to 2 working days). Usually the quickest overall where the recipient accepts digital files.
2. Paper required, business route available: express certificate, then a £40 Next-Day paper apostille, then courier.
3. Genuinely urgent and pre-approved: express certificate, then a £100 Restricted Urgent paper apostille on the day, then courier.
4. Standard: standard or express certificate, then a £45 standard paper apostille, usually up to 25 working days plus courier.

We confirm which of these is actually available for your job before quoting. Nothing on this page is a promise of same-day turnaround.

Worked example

A UK company signing a contract in Germany finds out on a Tuesday that the counterparty needs an apostilled Certificate of Good Standing by the following Monday. The director orders an express COGS before 11am, which Companies House dispatches the same day. The German counterparty confirms by email that it will accept an e-Apostille, so a UK solicitor certifies and e-signs a PDF, and the £35 e-Apostille is requested. GOV.UK’s timescale is up to 2 working days, so the file reaches Germany before the deadline. If the counterparty had insisted on paper, the realistic option would have been a business-only Next-Day apostille plus courier, which would have been tight.

Common mistakes when time is short

• Treating “express” Companies House dispatch as an express apostille.
• Ordering after 11am and losing a day on the certificate.
• Choosing an e-Apostille without checking the recipient accepts it.
• Forgetting that an embassy stage, for countries outside the Hague Convention, often takes longer than everything else.
• Not checking filings first. Overdue accounts stop the summary statement; run the free filings checker.

Plan the timeline with the cost estimator and the processing times guide. Need several documents? The company documents pack keeps them on one timeline.