When it comes to your TEFL Certificate, there are a few steps that you have to take care of after you’ve done all the hard work of obtaining one. Arguably the most important step after you’ve obtained your TEFL certificate is getting your TEFL certificate legalised.
Why you need to get your TEFL certificate legalised
Once you have a job offer for a teaching position, it is then that you need to think about getting your TEFL certificate legalised. Getting your TEFL certificate is also referred to as an Apostille. The reason for it is to prove that your documents are genuine and can be recognised as genuine outside of the UK.
This process not only applies to your TEFL certificate but also to your degree, your criminal records check from the police and your DBS check. Documents must be legalised by the country that has issued them.
How long does it take?
Depending on what time of year, it can take anywhere up to 10 working days in order to get your TEFL certificate legalised.
Notary vs Legalisation
You may be familiar with the process of getting a document notarised, but may not have heard of legalisation. The two processes are not the same. However, before a document can be legalised, it must be notarised.
Getting your documents notraised
If you have never had a document notarised before, then you’ll find our article How do I get my TEFL Certificate Notarised? will walk you through the process. If you are looking for a notary public in your area, you can simply search for local notary public or notary public in x area to find one. Make sure that you have all the documents ready to notarised and have checked which documents that your employer needs to see.
You should also note that only hand-written signatures on the original document will be accepted. Electronic and scanned signatures are not accepted either from the notary or when they are legalised.
How do I get my TEFL and other documents legalised?
In order to get your documents legalised, simply visit https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised.
This section of the GOV.UK website is dedicated to the legalisation of documents. Once on this page, select the option “Start a standard application” and then “Educational Certificate (UK)” from the list of documents. This is for your TEFL certificate and your degree. The other papers that you need legalised will require you to select a different option from the list.
You will be asked to confirm that your certificate has been notarised, and so make sure you have that done before starting the legalisation process online. You will also be asked to confirm your personal details, and where you want the legalised documents to be returned to. This means entering your contact details.
Finally, you will be asked to review your application. Make sure you do this carefully. Once you have confirmed everything is correct, then you will be directed to the payment page. The current charge for legalising a document is £30 per document using if you are using the standard application service.
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