Aug 15, 2026

Notary vs Solicitor vs Apostille vs Attestation: What’s the Difference?

If you’ve ever needed a document verified for use abroad — a power of attorney, a degree certificate, a business contract, or even a simple ID copy — you’ve probably run into four terms that get thrown around almost interchangeably: notary, solicitor, apostille, and attestation. They sound like they might all mean the same thing. They don’t. And using the wrong one, or assuming one step covers what another actually requires, is one of the most common (and most frustrating) mistakes people make when preparing documents for international use.

This guide breaks each term down clearly, explains how they relate to one another, and helps you figure out exactly what your document actually needs — before you waste time, money, or an appointment on the wrong service.

The Short Version

Before we go deep, here’s the quick summary:

A notary authenticates and certifies documents, mainly for use outside the UK.
A solicitor gives legal advice and handles legal matters that stay within the UK.
An apostille is a certificate confirming a notary’s (or other official’s) signature is genuine, accepted by countries in the Hague Convention.
Attestation is a broader legalization chain — often involving embassies — required by countries that are not part of the Hague Convention.

Now let’s unpack each of these properly.

What Is a Notary Public?

A notary public is a qualified legal professional, but their role is distinct from a solicitor’s. In England and Wales, notaries are appointed by the Master of the Faculties, and their entire job revolves around authenticating documents so they can be trusted and legally relied upon in another country.

When you sit in front of a notary, they’re not there to advise you on the contents of your document or argue your case — they’re there to verify who you are, confirm you understand and are willingly signing what’s in front of you, and then apply their official seal and signature. That seal is what gives your document international credibility.

Notaries typically handle things like:

Certifying passports, driving licences, or other ID documents for use abroad
Witnessing Powers of Attorney intended for use in another country
Certifying academic certificates for overseas study or employment
Authenticating business documents for international transactions, like proof of company structure or director authority

If a foreign bank, university, employer, or court has asked you for a “notarised” document, this is who you need.

What Is a Solicitor?

A solicitor is the professional most people think of first when they hear “lawyer.” Solicitors in England and Wales are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and their work covers a huge range of legal territory: conveyancing, wills and probate, family law, criminal defence, and business contracts, to name just a few.

Unlike a notary, a solicitor’s core job is to give you legal advice and represent your interests. They’ll help you understand your rights, draft agreements, negotiate on your behalf, and if necessary, represent you in court. Their focus is almost entirely on matters that stay within the UK legal system.

This is really the crux of the difference: a solicitor helps you navigate the law itself, while a notary exists to certify that a document is genuine so it can be trusted somewhere else in the world.

Notary vs Solicitor: Why People Mix Them Up

It’s an easy mistake to make, and understandably so. Many notaries in the UK are also qualified solicitors — a solicitor can go on to take additional training and become appointed as a notary, layering the two roles into one career. Some law firms even have both professionals working under the same roof.

But holding a solicitor’s title doesn’t automatically make someone a notary. It takes separate, formal appointment. And practically speaking, whether you need a notary or a solicitor comes down to one simple question: is your document staying in the UK, or is it going abroad?

If it’s staying in the UK — a property purchase, a will, a business dispute — you want a solicitor.
If it’s heading overseas — a Power of Attorney for a property purchase in Portugal, a certified copy of your degree for a job in Singapore, a company document for a new office abroad — you want a notary.

Get this wrong, and the consequences aren’t just inconvenient. A document notarised when a solicitor’s certification was all that was needed is a wasted expense. Worse, a document only signed off by a solicitor when a foreign authority specifically required a notary will very likely be rejected outright, sending you back to square one.

So Where Does an Apostille Fit In?

Here’s where things often get confusing, because notarisation on its own usually isn’t the final step for documents heading abroad. Once a notary has verified and sealed your document, most countries will want an extra layer of confirmation — proof that the notary themselves is legitimate, properly registered, and authorised to notarise documents in the first place.

That’s what an apostille does. It’s a standardised certificate — recognized under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention — that verifies the authenticity of the notary’s (or other official’s) signature and seal. Once your document carries an apostille, any other country that’s also part of the Hague Convention is obligated to accept it without any further legalization.

In the UK, apostilles are issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). A solicitor generally can’t submit documents for an apostille themselves — this step almost always requires the document to have gone through a notary first.

Countries like Spain, France, Germany, and the United States are all part of the Hague Convention, which means a notarised UK document with an apostille attached is typically all that’s needed for it to be accepted there. Simple, relatively fast, one extra step.

And Where Does Attestation Come In?

This is the part that trips people up most, especially when dealing with countries in the Middle East, like the UAE, Qatar, or Saudi Arabia. These countries are not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, which means an apostille alone won’t be recognized there. Instead, documents need to go through a longer process called attestation (sometimes referred to as embassy legalization).

Attestation typically follows this general sequence:

Notarisation — a notary public verifies and certifies the original document.
Apostille or FCDO legalization — UK authorities confirm the notary’s signature is genuine.
Embassy attestation — the destination country’s embassy in the UK reviews and stamps the document, formally acknowledging it on behalf of their government.
Attestation in the destination country — once the document arrives in the destination country, its own Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or equivalent authority) often applies a final attestation stamp before the document is considered fully valid for local use.

In other words, attestation is essentially the non-Hague equivalent of an apostille — except it’s a longer, multi-stage chain involving more institutions, more fees, and more time. If you’re sending a document to a country outside the Hague Convention, don’t expect a single stamp to do the job. Budget in extra weeks, not days.

Notary vs Apostille vs Attestation: How They Actually Connect

It helps to think of these not as competing options, but as sequential steps in a chain — most of the time, they build on each other rather than replacing one another:

Notary → verifies the document and the signer, applies their seal
Apostille → verifies the notary’s signature and seal (for Hague Convention countries)
Attestation → a broader multi-step legalization process, including embassy involvement (for non-Hague countries)

A solicitor sits slightly outside this chain. Solicitors handle UK-based legal matters and can sometimes draft the underlying document (a Power of Attorney, for instance), but once that document needs to go abroad, it’s the notary — not the solicitor — who carries it into the apostille or attestation process.

A Practical Example

Let’s say you’re a UK resident who’s just accepted a job in Dubai, and your new employer has asked for a notarised and attested copy of your degree certificate. Here’s roughly how that plays out:

You take your original degree certificate to a notary public, who verifies it’s genuine and applies their seal.
Because the UAE isn’t part of the Hague Convention, an apostille alone won’t be enough — so the document needs full attestation, not just an apostille.
The document goes to the UAE Embassy in London for embassy attestation.
Once it arrives in the UAE, it goes through final attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Notice that a solicitor doesn’t appear anywhere in this chain — unless, for instance, you’d also needed a solicitor earlier to help draft an accompanying legal document. The certificate itself only needed a notary and the attestation chain that followed.

Now compare that to a UK resident buying a holiday home in Spain. Since Spain is part of the Hague Convention:

A notary certifies the Power of Attorney authorizing someone to sign on your behalf at the Spanish notary’s office.
The document goes to the FCDO for an apostille.
Done. No embassy involvement, no additional country-level attestation required.

Same starting point — a document that needs to work abroad — but a very different (and much shorter) path, purely because of which country it’s headed to.

Common Mistakes People Make

A few missteps show up again and again:

Going to a solicitor when a notary was required. This almost always results in rejection once the document reaches its destination.
Assuming an apostille is enough for every country. It only works for Hague Convention member countries — anywhere else, you’ll likely need full attestation.
Not checking the destination country’s specific requirements early. Attestation chains can vary slightly by country, and some require additional translations or specific document formats.
Underestimating the time involved. Notarisation might happen same-day, but full attestation — especially with embassy involvement — can take days to several weeks.
Sending copies instead of originals. Most notaries require the original document, not a scan or photocopy, to begin the process.

How to Decide What You Actually Need

If you’re not sure where to start, ask yourself these questions:

Is the document staying in the UK, or going abroad? UK-only → solicitor. Going abroad → notary.
Which country is the document going to? Check whether it’s a Hague Apostille Convention member. If yes, an apostille after notarisation will likely be sufficient. If no, you’re looking at full attestation.
What does the receiving authority specifically require? Always check the exact wording of what’s been requested — universities, embassies, and employers often specify precisely which certifications they need.
Do you need legal advice on the document’s content, or just verification that it’s genuine? Advice → solicitor. Verification for international use → notary.

When in doubt, it’s always worth asking the organization requesting the document directly, or working with a legalization specialist who handles this daily and can map out the exact chain of steps your specific document needs — saving you from costly guesswork.

Final Thoughts

Notary, solicitor, apostille, and attestation aren’t interchangeable terms — they’re four distinct pieces of a process that only makes sense once you see how they connect. A solicitor advises you and handles UK legal matters. A notary certifies documents for international use. An apostille confirms the notary’s authority for Hague Convention countries. And attestation is the longer legalization chain required for everywhere else. Get clear on which one your document actually needs before you start, and you’ll save yourself a lot of time, money, and unnecessary rejected paperwork.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What’s the main difference between a notary and a solicitor? A solicitor gives legal advice and handles matters within the UK, while a notary authenticates and certifies documents mainly for use outside the UK.

2. Can a solicitor also be a notary? Yes, many notaries are also qualified solicitors, but becoming a notary requires additional formal training and appointment — not every solicitor is authorized to notarize documents.

3. What’s the difference between an apostille and attestation? An apostille is a single certificate that verifies a notary’s signature for countries in the Hague Apostille Convention. Attestation is a longer, multi-step legalization chain — often including embassy involvement — required for countries outside that convention.

4. Do I need an apostille or attestation for the UAE? Since the UAE isn’t part of the Hague Apostille Convention, documents typically need full attestation rather than a simple apostille.

5. Can a solicitor arrange an apostille for me? Rarely. Most apostille applications require the document to have been notarized first, and foreign authorities generally expect to see a notary’s certification rather than a solicitor’s alone.

6. How long does attestation take compared to an apostille? An apostille can often be completed in a matter of days. Attestation, involving embassy and destination-country steps, usually takes considerably longer — from several days to a few weeks.

7. Do all documents going abroad need to be notarized first? Most do, especially official documents like Powers of Attorney, certified copies, and academic certificates. It’s always worth confirming the exact requirement with the receiving authority, since requirements can vary.

8. How do I know if my destination country needs an apostille or attestation? Check whether the country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. If it is, an apostille after notarization is generally sufficient. If it isn’t, you’ll likely need the full attestation process.

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