Privacy Policy

Contents: 1. What we collect · 2. How we use it · 3. Legal bases · 4. Who we share it with · 5. Transfers outside the UK · 6. How long we keep it · 7. Security · 8. Your rights · 9. Cookies · 10. Changes

1. What we collect

• Contact details: name, email address, phone number and postal address.
• Your documents and the information in them: for example birth, marriage and death certificates, degrees, passports and other identity documents, company documents, and powers of attorney.
• Criminal record information: where you ask us to legalise a police certificate, such as an ACRO, DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI certificate.
• Order details: the services you order, the destination country, delivery details, payments and correspondence with us, including WhatsApp messages.
• Website data: IP address, browser and device type, and how you use our website, collected through cookies (see section 9).

We don’t see or store your full card details. Card payments are processed by our payment provider.

2. How we use your information

• To provide the services you order: checking documents, arranging certification, apostilles, legalisation, translation and delivery.
• To communicate with you about your enquiry or order, by email, phone or WhatsApp.
• To take payment and keep accounting records.
• To prevent fraud and keep our systems secure.
• To understand how our website is used and improve it.
• To send you marketing, only if you have agreed to it. You can unsubscribe at any time.

3. Our legal bases

Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018) we rely on:

• Contract: to provide the services you ask for.
• Legal obligation: for example keeping accounting records.
• Legitimate interests: to run and improve our business, prevent fraud and answer enquiries, where this doesn’t override your rights.
• Consent: for marketing and non-essential cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Where documents contain criminal record information or other sensitive data, we process it only because you ask us to legalise that document, and only as needed to do so.

4. Who we share your information with

We share only what’s needed to provide the service, with:

• The FCDO, and the embassies, consulates and high commissions of the countries your documents are for.
• Solicitors, notaries and translators who work on your documents.
• Couriers and Royal Mail, to deliver your documents.
• Service providers who run our systems on our behalf, such as website hosting, our online application form and its database, email, payment processing and analytics.
• Authorities, where the law requires it.

We don’t sell your personal information.

5. Transfers outside the UK

When your documents are for use abroad, they go to that country’s embassy or authorities, which handle them under their own laws. This transfer is needed to provide the service you ask for. Some of our service providers may store data outside the UK. Where they do, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK-approved contract terms.

6. How long we keep your information

• Scans and copies of your documents: deleted once your order is complete, unless you ask us in writing to keep them.
• Order and payment records: kept for 6 years, as required for accounting and tax purposes.
• Enquiries that don’t become orders: kept only as long as needed to deal with them.

7. Security

We protect your information with appropriate technical and organisational measures, including restricted access, secure systems and encrypted storage. Physical documents are kept securely at our office and returned to you by the method you choose.

8. Your rights

You have the right to:

• access the personal information we hold about you
• have inaccurate information corrected
• have your information deleted, where we have no legal reason to keep it
• restrict or object to how we use it
• receive your information in a portable format
• withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent

To use any of these rights, email info@apostilleandcertification.com. We’ll respond within one month.

If you’re unhappy with how we handle your information, please contact us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

9. Cookies

• Essential cookies make the website work, for example the order form and checkout. They can’t be switched off.
• Analytics cookies (Google Analytics) help us understand how visitors use the website.
• Marketing cookies may be used to show relevant adverts on other websites.

We only set analytics and marketing cookies with your consent. You can change your choice at any time through our cookie banner or your browser settings.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated.