Have you been asked to get an apostille on a UK tax document? When submitting UK tax documents overseas, for example, to prove income for visa applications or residency, you may be asked to provide them with an apostille certificate. This ensures the document is officially recognised outside the UK.

However, HMRC documents such as personal tax returns or PAYE history cannot be apostilled in their original digital form. Before the apostille can be issued, the document must first be certified by a UK solicitor. HMRC do not provide signed tax returns or certified PAYE income history documents. They are downloaded from your HMRC account.

Options for Apostilling HMRC Tax Documents

There are two main ways we can handle solicitor certification before applying for the apostille:

1. Verification via HMRC Account

You can provide us with access to your HMRC account (with your permission). One of our trained legalisation team will log in, access your tax return or PAYE document, and print this out for you. Our solicitor will then certify the document for legalisation. Once we have accessed the HMRC account, you can change the login details.

2. Verification via Your Accountant

Your accountant can email your tax return directly to us and confirm in writing that it is a genuine copy. With this confirmation, our solicitor is able to certify the document and proceed with the apostille.

Alternative Option: Pre-Certification by Your Solicitor

If you prefer, you can arrange for your own solicitor to pre-certify the tax return before sending it to us. Visit the solicitor and ask them certify the document, sign and date it. Once certified, we can then submit the document to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for the apostille.

Why Certification is Required

HMRC documents are usually issued electronically, without a wet-ink signature. The FCDO will only accept them for apostille once a UK solicitor has add a certification to the document.

Our Service

Most customers prefer our complete service with solicitor certification AND apostille. You can get an apostille from us, without leaving the house.

We can guide you through whichever option is most convenient, ensuring your tax return or PAYE history is correctly prepared and quickly legalised. Once complete, we return the apostilled document to you, ready for use overseas.