Important Note

Legalization of Documents and Implementation of the 'Apostille' Convention:

1. India and the UK are members of the Hague 'Apostille' Convention of 1961, abolishing the requirement of further legalization of foreign public documents that are already apostilled. As such, High Commission of India, London or its Consulates in Birmingham or Edinburgh will not re-authenticate a public document that has been apostilled (i.e. legally attested, authenticated) by the competent authorities of the UK government.
2. A document apostilled by thecompetent authorities of UK Government is entitled to recognition in India and no further attestation or legalization of the apostilled document by the High Commission of India in London or its Consulates in Birmingham or Edinburgh is required.
3. Similarly, a document apostilled by the competent authorities of Indian Government is entitled to recognition in UK and no further attestation or legalization of the apostilled document by the High Commission of India in London or its Consulates in Birmingham or Edinburgh is required.
4. Therefore, it is not mandatory for UK nationals, Indian nationals and other foreign nationals to have the apostilled documents(apostilled either in India or in UK and to be produced before authorities either in India or in UK) counter attested by the High Commission of India or its Consulates in Birmingham or Edinburgh.
5. However, the High Commission of India or its Consulates in Birmingham or Edinburgh can counter attest a document that has been attested by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India or by any of the MEA's authorized Branch Secretariats in India if the document in question is to be presented before the Missions/ Posts (in the United Kingdom) of countries, which are not members of the Hague 'Apostille' Convention of 1961 and where apostille is not accepted.

Relevant portions abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents in case of contracting states are contained in Article 1 of the Hague Apostille Convention, and are re-produced below:

Article 1

The present convention shall apply to public documents which have been executed in the territory of one Contracting State and which have to be produced in the territory of another Contracting State. For the purposes of the present Convention, the following are deemed to be public documents:  

• documents emanating from an authority or an official connected with  the courts or tribunals of the state, including those emanating from an   public prosecutor, a clerk of a court or a process-server (‘huissier de  justice'):
• administrative documents:
• notarial acts:
• official certificates which are placed on documents signed by persons in their private capacity, such as official certificates recording the registration of a document or the fact that it was in existence on a certain date and official and notarial authentications of signatures.

However, the present Convention shall not apply:

• to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents;
• to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or  customs operations.

For more details, please refer websites http://www.state.govt/m/a/auth/c16921.htm and www.hcch.net