Embassy of Hungary London

Legalisation of signatures, translations and copies of documents

You can apply for legalisation at the Consulate, Honorary Consuls or Notaries Public. Please note that the possibilities for legalisation by Honorary Consuls and by Notaries Public are limited.

I., Legalisation at the Consulate

1., Appointment:

Appointments can be booked directly through our Appointment Booking System: https://konzinfobooking,mfa.gov.hu;
For further information please go to: ”Useful consular information”. For information about the fees please visit the following link: “Consular fees”.

If you need more than one document legalised, please amend the number of applicants accordingly.

2., Legalisation of signatures

There are two ways to have your signature legalised by the Consular Section of the Embassy of Hungary in London:

• you sign the document in the presence of the consul; or
• you recognise the signature on the document as yours in the presence of the consul.
Legalisation of a signature means that the consul checks the identity of the signatory person but does not take responsibility for the content of the document. The document should be prepared by the applicant in advance. The Consulate is not entitled to draw up the document. Should you need more copies of the legalised document, same day service cannot be guaranteed. In some cases, the legalised documents are returned via post within 10 calendar days. Information on the expected timeline can be provided at the time of the application. In order to avoid any inconvenience you are kindly requested to inform the consulate in advance on the number of the documents to be signed (consulate.lon@mfa.gov.hu)

The applicant should appear in person at the Consulate and should present his/her valid passport, ID card or driving licence. Please note that your application will be rejected if you fail to present one of these documents.

For information about the fees please visit the following link:“Consular fees”. (Fees vary on the basis of the number of the documents/signatories).

In case you would like to sign on behalf of a company (or other organisation) you should present the certificate of incorporation of the company. Certificate of incorporation shall have been issued within the previous 30 days.

2.a ) Life certificate

A Life Certificate is used by the the Hungarian Pension Fund Administration to check that a person living outside Hungary can still get a Hungarian state pension. To this end the Hungarian Pension Fund Administration sends a form for data reconciliation purposes every March to the pensioners. The form must be returned (accurately filled out, signed and authenticated) within one month of receipt. Please note that not only the consul is authorized to legalise the handwritten signature of the person entitled to benefits on the form, but also a British notary, pension insurance body, other British authority, pension fund, payment service provider (bank). If the pensioner is staying in a healthcare or social institution due to their health or social situation, the authenticity of the data can also be verified by the head of the institution or a doctor.

If you wish to have your signature legalised at the Consular Office you need to book an appointment through the online appointment booking system. The process is free of charge.

Please contact the Hungarian Pension Fund Administration directly with any questions regarding data reconciliation (e.g. whether they accept authentication from a specific British authority, deadlines, etc.). You can find their contact details by clicking here.

3., Legalisation of translations

The Consulate legalises translations English to Hungarian and Hungarian to English if the translation (prepared by a translator or by the applicant) should be used in Hungary and forms part of a consular procedure. The Consulate does not prepare translations (except for Certificate of good character).

Should you need an official translation to be used in the UK please contact an official translator in the UK. List of translators can be found on our website („Hungarian Translators and interpreters”).

If you need an official translation that should be used in Hungary but does not form part of a consular procedure you should contact the Hungarian Gazette Publishing Legal Translation Centre Ltd. (MKIFK) (previously known as Hungarian Office for Translation and Attestation Ltd (OFFI)) (http://www.offi.hu/en).

You should submit the original document together with the translation.

In accordance with Paragraph 2 of Article 5 of Regulation 1/2002 (23. January 2002) of KÜM-IM the consular officer may refuse to legalise translations which require specialized language skills.

You can submit your application for legalisation either in person (by appointment) or by post. Please note that due to high number of applications the Consulate can prepare the legalisation and post it to the applicant within 10 days, as a general rule.

Should you wish to submit your application by post, the consular fee should be sent by Postal Order payable to the ‘Embassy of Hungary’. Please ask for the correct amount in GBP by emailing konz.lon@mfa.gov.hu. Please make sure to include a self-addressed, pre-paid return envelope, as well as a cover note with your phone number or e-mail address. (We recommend that documents are sent to us by recorded or special delivery. We also recommend that documents are returned to you by the same means – please include a pre-paid recorded/special delivery self-addressed envelope.)

Please note that during the legalisation procedure the original document should be attached to the translation. In case you do not want the original (certificate, diploma, etc.) to be attached to the translation you are also required to send a copy of the document. Should you wish to have the copy legalised, as well, please mention it in your cover letter and include the corresponding sum in the Postal Order.

For information about the fees please visit the following link: “Consular fees”.
(Fees vary on the number of pages of the document.)
Applicants should present a valid proof of ID (ID card, passport or driving license) when attending the appointment. If the application is sent by post a copy of proof of ID should be enclosed.

4., Legalisation of copies

Legalisation of a copy: the Consulate legalises the copy the applicant made of an original document, upon presentation of the original.

Certified copy: upon presentation of the original document, the Consulate makes a certified/legalised copy of it.

You can submit your application for legalisation either in person (by appointment) or by post. Please note that due to high number of applications the Consulate can prepare the legalisation and post it to the applicant within 10 days, as a general rule.

For information about the fees please visit the following link:“Consular fees”.
(Fees vary on the number of pages of the document.)

Applicants should present a valid proof of ID (ID card, passport or driving license) when attending the appointment. If the application is sent by post a copy of proof of ID should be enclosed.

II., Legalisation at the Honorary Consul

Please note that only the honorary consuls in Belfast and in Sheringham are entitled to legalise signature or copies of documents.

1., Appointment

For appointment please contact the Honorary Consul. Contact details can be found on our website („Consular offices in the UK”).

2., Legalisation of signatures

Legalisation of a signature means that the honorary consul checks the identity of the signatory person but does not take responsibility for the content of the document. The document should be prepared by the applicant in advance. The honorary consul is not entitled to draw up the document.

The applicant should appear in person at the Honorary Consulate and should present his/her valid passport, ID card or driving licence. Please note that your application will be rejected if you fail to present one of these documents.
In case you would like to sign on behalf of a company (or other organisation) you should contact the Consulate in London, Manchester or Edinburgh!

3., Legalisation of translations
The Honorary Consuls are not authorised to legalise translations.

4., Legalisation of copies

Legalisation of a copy: the Honorary Consul legalises the copy the applicant made of an original document, upon presentation of the original.

Certified copy: upon presentation of the original document, the Honorary Consulate makes a certified/legalised copy of it.

You can submit your application for legalisation in person and and should present your valid passport, ID card or driving licence.

III., Legalisation by Notaries Public

Signatures and copies can be legalised by Notaries Public, as well. Please note that signatures and copies legalised by Notaries Public can only be accepted in Hungary if the document is further legalised with Apostille. For further information about Apostille in the UK please visit the following website: https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised.