Notarial and documentary services guide for Azerbaijan
Documents, certificates, letters and notes available at the British Embassy Baku.
Appointments for notarial and document services are limited to once a week (Tuesdays only). 24 hour support is available by telephone (+994124377878). When calling out of hours, please stay on the line and select the option for ‘calling about an emergency involving a British national’ to speak to an officer.
Overview
The British embassy provides a limited range of notarial and documentary services for British nationals in Azerbaijan.
If there is no specific formal requirement for a notarial service or certificate to be provided by the consular section, a UK notary local notary or local lawyer may be able to provide the service more conveniently, quickly and cheaply.
Please use the links after each service to make an appointment. Before booking, make sure you have selected the correct service and that the document(s) will be accepted by the relevant authority. This information cannot be verified by the embassy.
Should you need to contact us prior to making an appointment, send an enquiry using our contact form.
We are unable to provide notarial and documentary services to Commonwealth or Azerbaijani nationals.
Services we provide in Azerbaijan
Consular staff in Azerbaijan can:
- make a certified copy of a document
- administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit
- issue a certificate of no impediment for British national wishing to marry.
- witness a signature
- unite documents
- prepare a document in English or the local language
The British embassy will provide these services for private individuals only where there is a direct connection to the UK and where we assess that we have competence to perform the service. We reserve the right to decline services where these conditions are not met.
What to bring to your appointment
See the individual services below for details of supporting documents to bring. Make sure you have acceptable proof of address and identity, and payment for any fees. See the current consular fees list.
Payment
We accept payment by Visa, Mastercard or cash in the local currency (AZN). Please bring exact amount if you would like to pay in cash.
Please note that consular fees are not refundable. While consular staff will give you as much advice as they can, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are obtaining the correct service.
Proof of address and identity
For all appointments, you will need to bring acceptable proof of your identity. We accept passports as proof of identity. We accept confirmation of registration with the Migration Service, local residency card, renting contract, hotel reservations or employer’s letter as proof of your address.
Make a certified copy of a document
The Consular Section of the British embassy can provide certified copies of the following documents:
- British passport
- British driving licence
- British divorce decrees
- UK educational document, i.e. issued in the UK by a recognised institution and listed in the Legalisation office tool
The embassy is not able to provide certified copies of the following:
- British marriage, birth and death certificates. You should apply to the General Register Office for copies of these documents
- non-UK documents including ID documents, passports and driving licences
Please note that if you would like a certified copy so that it can be legalized in UK, you will need to get a copy certified by a UK notary public or solicitor.
What you will need to bring with you:
- the document that you need a certified copy of
- proof of identity/address
- the correct fee – see the list of consular fees
Each appointment is dedicated to provide a certified copy of one document only. You need to make separate appointments for each additional document.
Book an appointment to make a certified copy of a document in Baku
Marriage: affirmation for marriage
Prior to making an appointment please read our guidance on getting married abroad.
What you will need to bring with you:
- the documents listed in the guidance
- proof of identity/address
- the correct fee – see the list of consular fees
Book an appointment at the Embassy in Baku
In an attempt to exercise due diligence on the Consular assistance requests and check the willingness of both sides, the British Embassy Baku requires couples with the request of an Affirmation of Marital Status to be both physically present at the Consular Counter when they hand in their documents for processing.
We also request the British national to collect the ready document as his/her signature is needed on the Affirmation of Marital Status.
Administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit
This service is for people who need to swear an oath, make an affirmation or make an affidavit in front of a consular officer.
The consular section will not draft documents for you. Prior to making an appointment, please check with the consular section what format they need and then have the document drawn up or checked by a professional.
This service is not provided for commercial cases and applies only to individuals (not companies). Please note that the document should be written or printed on both sides of the paper and with no blank sheets and contents are to be divided into numbered paragraphs. If the document consists of several pages there will be a further fee for uniting. We can only deal with documents in English. Prior to making an appointment, please check with the consular section that they are able to provide this service for your specific document.
What you will need to bring with you:
- the oath, affirmation or affidavit that you will swear or affirm
- proof of identity/address
- the correct fee – see the list of consular fees
Book an appointment to administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit in Baku
Witness a signature
This service is for customers who need to sign a document and have their signature witnessed by a consular officer. The document must be prepared before your appointment, but must not be signed. We do not handle wills or probate, or witness deed polls or powers of attorney.
Please do not sign the document before your appointment.
This service is not provided for commercial cases and applies only to individuals (not companies). Please note that the document should be written or printed on both sides. If the document consists of several pages there will be a further fee for uniting. We can only deal with documents in English. Prior to making an appointment, please check with the consular section that they are able to provide this service for your specific document.
What you will need to bring with you:
- the document that you will sign before a witness
- proof of identity/address
- the correct fee – see the list of consular fees
Book an appointment to witness a signature in Baku
Unite documents
This service joins documents together using ribbon and a seal and is usually only needed for legal reasons.
What you will need to bring with you:
- the documents to be united
- proof of identity/address
- the correct fee – see the list of consular fees
Book an appointment to unite documents in Baku
Prepare a document in English or the local language
In a limited number of cases consular staff can write a statement of fact (“preparing certificate”) to help British nationals with various local authorities. The wording must be cleared with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London, which means these documents take longer to prepare. We can only provide this service if we have proof that the wording/content you require is correct and unambiguous.
This service is provided at the discretion of consular staff and we can refuse to provide it. Please contact the Embassy before making an appointment. We can prepare these documents in English or in Azerbaijani. Please ensure you select the correct service and note the difference in fees.
What you will need to bring with you:
- the wording or content and proof it is correct and unambiguous
- proof of identity/address
- the correct fee – see the list of consular fees
Book an appointment to prepare document
Services provided elsewhere
- legalising UK documents/certificates: Legalisation Office
- information on marriage in the UK: GOV.UK
- certify your fingerprints: Metropolitan Police UK
- pension certificates:Department for Work & Pensions
- taxation and UK national insurance contributions certificates: HMRC
- renew British driving licences or provide certificates regarding British driving licences: DVLA
- certificates confirming British nationality: UK Border Agency
- pension certificates: DWP
- provide good conduct certificates: CRB
- certificates proving you are not British: UK Border Agency
- renunciation, naturalisation or registration as a British citizen: UK Border Agency
Informative notes and letters
The British Embassy Baku provides a number of free informative notes that can be downloaded and used in place of some certificates which may otherwise be charged for:
Data protection
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK government departments and public authorities.
Disclaimer
This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the embassy by the relevant authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice. Accordingly, the FCDO and the British embassy will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information.
For all notarial and legalisation services it is the responsibility of the customer to ascertain the precise requirements of the person requesting the notarial or legalisation service and to satisfy themselves that the service provided by the embassy will be accepted.
Updates to this page
Last updated 10 May 2022 + show all updates
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thursday was changed to tuesday for the opening of embassy
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Information added requiring British nationals to collect the affirmation of marital status
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change on the public notice
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Changed FCO to FCDO on the notarial page
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Updated information - August 2020
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First published.