VIETNAM EMBASSY IN THE UK
NOTICE on the Application of the Apostille in Place of Consular Legalisation as from 11 September 2026
1. General information
Viet Nam has acceded to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention). The Convention enters into force for Viet Nam on 11 September 2026. From that date, public documents executed in one Contracting Party and produced for use in the other require only a single certificate, the Apostille, in place of the previous consular legalisation procedure, in relations between Viet Nam and the Contracting Parties for which the Convention is in force with Viet Nam.
An Apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the public document bears. An Apostille does not certify the content of the document.
2. Change at Vietnam Embassy in the UK
As from 11 September 2026, Vietnam Embassy in the UK will cease to accept applications for consular legalisation of public documents issued by the competent authorities of the UK.
This applies to public documents falling within the exemption from consular legalisation established by the Apostille Convention. For documents outside the scope of the Convention, Vietnam Embassy in UK continues to provide consular legalisation as set out in section 5 below.
3. Documents issued in the UK for use in Viet Nam
Please apply directly to the competent authority for the issuance of Apostilles of UK indicated in section 7 below. A public document bearing a valid Apostille may be used in Viet Nam without any further certification. Where the document is not drawn up in Vietnamese, a Vietnamese translation, notarised or certified in accordance with the law of Viet Nam, is required.
4. Vietnamese documents for use in the UK.
Vietnam Embassy in the UK does not issue Apostilles. Vietnamese public documents are to be submitted to the competent authority designated by Viet Nam for the issuance of Apostilles. Information on the receiving authority, the required documents, the fees and the processing time is available at apostille.lanhsuvietnam.gov.vn.
5. Cases in which consular legalisation continues to apply
Vietnam Embassy in UK shall continue to receive and process applications for the legalization of documents issued in UK that fall outside the scope of application of the Apostille Convention and, therefore, are not eligible for an Apostille certificate issued by the competent authorities of UK, but are certified under the traditional legalization procedure. Such documents may include administrative documents directly related to commercial or customs activities, in accordance with the domestic law of the country concerned.
Whether a document falls within the scope of the Convention is determined by the law of the State in which it was executed. Any document bearing an Apostille issued by the competent authority of UK may be used in Viet Nam without consular legalisation.
6. Documents legalised before 11 September 2026
Documents legalised through consular channels before 11 September 2026 remain valid for use in Viet Nam. There is no need to repeat the procedure in the form of an Apostille. Apostilles issued by foreign competent authorities before 11 September 2026 are likewise accepted for use in Viet Nam.
7. Competent authority for the issuance of Apostilles in the UK
Name of the authority: FCDO Legalisation Office
Website: www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised
Where the UK has designated more than one competent authority, or where a territory has its own competent authority, please contact the authority corresponding to the place where the document was issued.
8. Contact
For further information, please contact the Consular Section, Vietnam Embassy in the UK; Add: 35 Victoria Road, W8 5RF, UK; tel: 02079371912; email: consular@vietnamembassy.org.uk; website: www.vietnamembassy.org.uk