Vietnam Consular legalization of UK documents is the process through which the diplomatic agencies of the UK and Vietnam authenticate the legality of seals and signatures on documents. Most documents issued or made in UK that are intended for legal use in Vietnam need to undergo consular legalization procedures. Please note that the entire process of consular legalization will be conducted in the UK and cannot be carried out in Vietnam. 

In this guide, Nova Law will walk you through the detailed steps to legalize the UK documents for officially using in Vietnam. 

Step 1. Check the UK documents 

The documents below will be directly legalized by the Legalisation Office (Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office) if they are in their original or certified copies form and issued by: 

• Court and sealed with a wet ink court seal; 

• Public registry, such as a birth/marriage/death certificate, or a company certificate issued by Companies House; 

• Government department and signed by an official, such as a letter of confirmation of tax registration; 

• Registered doctor, such as a medical certificate signed by a doctor. 

Other documents such as a power of attorney, a contract, a qualification certificate, or copies of a passport or a driver license, first require the notarial certificate by a UK public official (UK notary or solicitor). 

Outcome of Request: Notarial Certificate attached to the document. 

Step 2: Legalization of documents by the Legalisation Office 

After completing Step 1 (if required), documents need to be submitted to the Legalisation Office (Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office) for legalization. This step is also called Apostille. 

There are 02 types of Apostille, which are paper-based and e-Apostille. You can apply for both types online. However, to use the document in Vietnam, it must then be legalized at a Vietnamese diplomatic authority. Therefore, the paper-based Apostille is required.

1. Location

The Legalisation Office (Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office) 

You will have to apply for legalization online via the official website of the the Legalisation Office. To apply, you will need:  

• The documents you want to legalize; 

• A Credit or Debit card to pay the fees. 

After you apply, you will be told how to submit your documents. If you send in documents by post, your legalized documents will be returned by courier or post the address you register.

2. Legalization Fees and Processing Time

(*) All these services may take longer, for example if there’s a signature that needs to be verified. The Legalisation Office will let you know if this happens. 

Note: Vietnam is not a party to the Hague Convention. After obtaining Apostille stamps from UK, the documents must be further legalized by a Vietnamese diplomatic authority for use within Vietnam. 

Step 3: Consular Legalization by Vietnamese Diplomatic Authority 

The UK documents, legalized by the Legalisation Office, can be legalized by the Vietnamese diplomatic authority in London to verify the seal and signature of the Legalisation Office.

1. Location

Embassy of Vietnam in London, the UK 

• Address: 12-14 Victoria Road, London W8 5RD 

• Phone: 020 7937 1912 

• Email: consular@vietnamembassy.org.uk 

• Opening hours: 09:30 am – 12:30 am (morning only), Monday to Friday

2. Process of Consular Legalization

For legalization at the Embassy of Vietnam, you need to submit the application to the Consular Section in person or post it by mail. The application includes the following documents: 

• Legalization Application Form; 

• Documents with original Apostille stamp; 

• Copy of documents with Apostille stamp; 

• A self-addressed envelope if you want your documents to be returned by post; 

Before visiting the Vietnamese diplomatic authority for consular legalization procedures, please schedule an appointment and bring all necessary documents. 

Outcome of Request: Legalization stamp from the Vietnamese consular office affixed on the documents. 

Step 4: Notarized translate into Vietnamese 

Legalized documents in English language must be translated into Vietnamese by a certified translator and notarized in Vietnam before submission to the competent Vietnamese authority. 

Processing time: 2 business days. 

Outcome of request: A Vietnamese notarized translation of all pages of the consular legalized documents. 

Conclusion 

The total processing time for legalization of UK documents for use in Vietnam typically ranges from 2 weeks to 1 month. Once consular legalization and translation into Vietnamese are completed, the documents will be recognized and usable in Vietnam. 

The consular legalization process for the UK documents for using in Vietnam can be complicated and time-consuming, as it requires many steps with authorities in both countries and must be carried out fully in the UK. To save time and effort, please send the UK documents to email: info@novalaw.vn to receive a service quotation from Nova Law.