by Apostille Service
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Apostilles for British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
When presenting official documents abroad from a British Overseas Territory or Crown Dependency, it’s important to understand how apostilles and embassy legalisation work for these jurisdictions. While the UK is responsible for their international relations, these territories and dependencies issue their own apostilles, and the requirements for embassy attestation can vary.
Apostilles from British Overseas Territories
Each British Overseas Territory is responsible for issuing its own apostilles. These apostilles confirm that a document has been properly signed and sealed in that territory. However, if you need to submit the document to an embassy in the UK for further legalisation (often required for use in non-Hague Convention countries), additional steps may be needed.
Additional UK Apostille Often Required for Embassy Legalisation
For the following British Overseas Territories, both the local apostille and a UK apostille are typically required before the document can be attested by an embassy in the UK:
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Gibraltar
- Anguilla
- British Antarctic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- Falkland Islands
- Montserrat
- Pitcairn Islands
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Cyprus)
- Turks and Caicos Islands
Apostilles for Crown Dependencies
The Crown Dependencies – Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man – also issue their own apostilles. Most UK-based embassies will accept the Crown Dependency apostille directly, and no UK apostille is usually required for further embassy attestation.
Exception: Malaysia
Malaysia is a notable exception. If you are submitting a document from Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man to the Malaysian High Commission, you must obtain both the local apostille and a UK apostille before the embassy will legalise the document.
Summary
The following table highlights when you will need two apostilles on your document.
| Territory/Dependency | Issues Own Apostille | UK Apostille required For Embassy Attestation |
|---|---|---|
| Bermuda | Yes | Yes |
| British Virgin Islands | Yes | Yes |
| Cayman Islands | Yes | Yes |
| Gibraltar | Yes | Yes |
| Anguilla | Yes | Yes |
| British Antarctic Territory | Yes | Yes |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | Yes | Yes |
| Falkland Islands | Yes | Yes |
| Pitcairn Islands | Yes | Yes |
| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Yes | Yes |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Yes | Yes |
| Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Cyprus) | Yes | Yes |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Yes | Yes |
| Montserrat | Yes | Yes |
| Jersey (Crown Dependency) | Yes | No (except Malaysia) |
| Guernsey (Crown Dependency) | Yes | No (except Malaysia) |
| Isle of Man (Crown Dependency) | Yes | No (except Malaysia) |
Quick Apostille Service
- We provide a fast UK apostille in just 1-2 days
- We can add the UK apostille to your British Overseas Territories document
- Obtain your British Overseas Territories apostille first, we then add the UK apostille
Contact Us for Help
If you need a document attesting at an embassy in the UK, we can help. Providing both the UK apostille and the embassy attestation, we can legalise your British Overseas Territories document. It must already have the British Overseas Territories apostille attached for us to assist.
