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). 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.
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.

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 consul in Sheringham is 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!

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.