A Statutory Declaration is a statement or fact that is created and signed in the presence of a UK solicitor, Notary Public or anyone who is authorised by law to hear it. Statutory Declarations are signed in the presence of a UK official to ensure that the written statement does not contain any false information or material. The person making the declaration is made aware of their responsibilities. To knowingly make a false declaration could result in legal proceedings being taken against that person.

Documents often need to be signed by a solicitor or notary public before the apostille can be issued.

The apostille certificate is added to a document that bears the signature of a public official or the seal of an official document. Many documents do not have a public signature or seal and need to be certified by a solicitor or notary before they can be legalised legalised by apostille.