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⚖️ Decree Absolute & Final Order Apostille

Apostille Decree Absolute
& Final Order — Priced
by Destination

We apostille UK decrees absolute and final orders of divorce for use in 120+ countries — remarriage abroad, visa and residency files, name changes and property. You do not need to post the sealed original: a PDF is enough. What it costs depends entirely on where the document is going, so talk to us before you send anything.

FCDO-Registered Service
A PDF Is Enough — Keep Your Original
Priced by Destination Country
Same-Day FCDO Submission
Written Quote Before You Commit
View Packages & Prices 📞 Call Us Now
Free, no-obligation quote

Email or WhatsApp us a PDF of your decree absolute or final order and tell us which country it is going to. We will confirm the exact certification chain, the total cost and the timescale in writing — before you pay anything or send anything.

Get a Free Quote → 💬 WhatsApp Us
Who We Help

Why You Might Need an Apostille on a Decree absolute

A foreign authority will not simply take your word that a previous marriage has ended. An apostille is how a UK court order becomes usable overseas.

💍
Remarriage Abroad
Registrars in Spain, Italy, the USA, the UAE and most other countries require an apostilled decree absolute or final order before they will marry someone who has been divorced.
Common destinations
SpainItalyUSAUAEGreece
🛂
Visa & Immigration Files
Spouse and settlement visa applications routinely ask for proof that any previous marriage has legally ended. An apostilled court order is the accepted proof.
Common visa types
Spouse VisaSettlementFamily Reunification
🏠
Residency Applications
Spanish residency, NIE and Golden Visa files, and Gulf family sponsorship, all commonly include the divorce order among the supporting documents.
Common applications
Spain NIEPortugalQatarUAE
📝
Reverting to a Maiden Name
Foreign banks, employers and immigration offices often want the apostilled order as the legal basis for a change back to a previous surname.
Typically needed by
BanksEmployersPassport Offices
🏦
Property & Financial Settlements
Transferring or selling jointly-held property abroad after a divorce requires the foreign notary to see a legalised copy of the order.
Common destinations
SpainFrancePortugalCyprus
🌍
Foreign Recognition of the Divorce
Some countries run a formal recognition procedure before a UK divorce takes effect locally. That procedure always begins with an apostilled court order.
Common uses
Court RecognitionCivil Registry
Packages & Prices

Decree Absolute Apostille — Fixed Prices

Two worked examples of what clients actually pay. The apostille is the same in both; the certification in front of it is what changes.

Most Common Route
Greece, China, Bulgaria, Cyprus & Malta
Solicitor certification, then the FCDO apostille
£95
 total, per document
How that breaks down
  • ✓ Solicitor certification — £20
  • ✓ FCDO apostille — £79
  • ✓ Bundle price — you save £4
  • ✓ Works from a PDF — keep your original
  • ✓ Pre-check, tracked return, status updates
Check My Country →

⏱ Indicative — confirm with us first

Spain
Spanish authorities normally require full notarisation before the apostille
£225
 total, per document
How that breaks down
  • ✓ Notarisation — £150
  • ✓ FCDO apostille — £79
  • ✓ Bundle price — you save £4
  • ✓ Works from a PDF — keep your original
  • ✓ Sworn Spanish translation available
Get a Spain Quote →

⏱ Indicative — confirm with us first

Anywhere Else
Every other destination — including the UAE, Qatar and other non-Hague countries
Ask Us
 written quote, no obligation
What you get
  • ✓ We check what your destination actually requires
  • ✓ Exact chain and total confirmed in writing
  • ✓ Embassy attestation handled if needed
  • ✓ No charge for the advice
Tell Us the Country →

⏱ Usually answered within the hour

These are worked examples, not a price list. The certification a country demands changes from time to time and differs by document — send us a PDF and the destination and we will confirm your actual total before you commit.

How It Works

From Decree absolute to Apostille in Four Steps

1
Send Us a Photo
Message or email a picture of the document and tell us the destination country. We confirm the price, the turnaround and whether an embassy step is needed.
2
Get the Document to Us
Post it by Royal Mail Special Delivery, drop it at our Guildhall Yard office, or ask us to arrange a courier collection.
3
We Pre-Check and Submit
We check the document will be accepted before it goes anywhere, then submit it to the FCDO Legalisation Office and keep you updated.
4
Returned to You
The apostilled document comes back by tracked post, or you collect it from our City of London office — whichever suits you.
Before You Send

What We Can Work From

This is the part that surprises people. You do not have to part with the sealed original — but the document does have to be the final one.

DocumentNotes
✅  A PDF or scanWe can work from a PDF. The copy is certified by a solicitor or a notary — which one depends on the destination country — and the FCDO apostilles that certification. Your original never leaves your hands.
✅  Decree Absolute (before 6 April 2022)The order issued by a divorce county court or the Family Court, as a sealed original or as a PDF.
✅  Final Order (from 6 April 2022)Under the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 the decree absolute was renamed the Final Order. Same document for our purposes, same process.
✅  Final Order of dissolution (civil partnership)Dissolution orders ending a civil partnership are treated identically.
❌  Decree Nisi or Conditional OrderThis is the provisional stage — the marriage has not ended yet. Foreign registrars reject it, and it is the single most common mistake we see. Check the wording before you send it.
❌  Orders from courts outside England & WalesScottish decrees of divorce and Northern Irish orders can be legalised too, but through their own route. Tell us which court issued it and we will confirm the process.
⚠
Why We Will Not Quote You a Flat Price — and Why You Should Ask First
The same piece of paper can cost £95 or £225 depending on where it is going, because each country decides how much certification it wants to see before the apostille. Greece, China, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta are generally satisfied with a solicitor's certification; Spain normally insists on full notarisation, which is the expensive step. Get that wrong in either direction and you either pay for certification you did not need, or the document is rejected abroad and you start again. It takes us a couple of minutes to check — send us a PDF and the destination country and we will tell you exactly what is required and what it will total, in writing, before you commit to anything.
Transparent Pricing

Decree Absolute Apostille — All-Inclusive Pricing

Indicative totals only. The FCDO apostille is constant; what varies is the certification the destination country insists on beforehand.

ServiceWhat's includedPriceTurnaround
Greece, China, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta & most othersSolicitor certification (£20) + FCDO apostille (£79), discounted£9572 hoursIndicative
SpainNotarisation (£150) + FCDO apostille (£79), discounted£22572 hoursIndicative
Non-Hague destinationsCertification + FCDO apostille + embassy attestation (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, China and others)QuoteVaries by embassyCountry-specific
Sworn or certified translationAdded where the receiving authority requires itQuoteRuns alongsideOptional
Why Us

A City of London Office, Not a Postal Middleman

🏛
FCDO-Registered Agent
We are registered with the FCDO Legalisation Office and submit in person from Guildhall Yard, EC2V 5AE — a few minutes from the office.
✅
We Pre-Check Everything
Most rejected applications fail on the document, not the paperwork. We check yours will be accepted before it is submitted, and tell you if it will not.
💰
Fixed, All-Inclusive Prices
The government fee is inside our price. No surcharges appear later.
⚡
Genuine Next-Day Option
Documents received before 10am go to the FCDO the same day and come back the next working day.
🌐
Embassy Work Under One Roof
If your destination needs more than an apostille, we handle the embassy stage too — you send the document once.
💬
A Person Who Answers
Phone, email or WhatsApp during working hours. You deal with the same people from quote to return.
Questions

Decree Absolute Apostille — Common Questions

It depends on the destination, and the difference is large. Greece, China, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta and most other countries accept a solicitor's certification, which comes to £95 all in — £20 for the certification and £79 for the apostille, which we discount to £95. Spain normally requires full notarisation instead, which takes it to about £225 — £150 for the notary and £79 for the apostille, which we discount to £225. Those are worked examples rather than a price list. Tell us the country and we will confirm your actual total in writing before you commit to anything.
No. We can work from a PDF. A solicitor or notary certifies the copy — which one depends on where the document is going — and the FCDO apostilles that certification. Your original stays with you, which also means nothing irreplaceable goes in the post.
Yes. For divorces started in England and Wales on or after 6 April 2022 the document is called a Final Order; before that it was called a Decree Absolute. Both are handled in exactly the same way.
No — and no foreign registrar will accept one. A decree nisi (or conditional order) means the divorce has been provisionally approved but not finalised. Check the wording on your document before you send it; if it says nisi or conditional, you need to go back to the court for the final order first.
Because the country receiving the document decides how much certification it wants to see before the apostille, and that is the part that varies — from £20 for a solicitor to £150 for a notary. Quoting one flat figure would mean overcharging some clients and under-quoting others. It takes us a couple of minutes to check your destination properly, and it costs you nothing to ask.
The FCDO apostille itself runs on a 72-hour turnaround, with next-day available if you need it. Certification beforehand usually adds a day for a solicitor, or a little longer where notarisation is required. Once we know the destination we will give you a realistic date, not an optimistic one.
For the 120+ members of the Hague Apostille Convention, yes. The UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, China and a few others require embassy attestation after the apostille. Tell us the destination when you enquire and we will confirm the full route and total cost before you commit.
Usually, yes, if the receiving country's language is not English. Spain and Greece generally want a sworn translation; the UAE requires a legalised Arabic translation. We arrange these alongside the apostille.

Tell Us Where It Is Going — We Will Price It Before You Send Anything

Send a PDF and the destination country. We confirm the exact certification chain, the total and the timescale in writing. No obligation, no charge for the advice.

Get a Free Quote 💬 WhatsApp Us

Or call +44 (0)20 3538 2848 — Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:00