Overview
Copies of certificates: Copies of British birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates are available from the relevant General Register Office or National Records Scotland in the United Kingdom. For all appointments for notarial services, you will need to bring acceptable proof of your identity and address. We accept passports or national identity cards as proof of identity. You may need to make an affirmation or affidavit of marital status in order to get married in the Dominican Republic. See getting married abroad to find out what you need to do. A certificate showing whether you have a criminal history in the United Kingdom is available on request from ACRO Criminal Records Office.
Services we provide in the Dominican Republic
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.
- administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit
- witness a signature
- make a certified copy of a document
Registration: Find out how to register an overseas birth or death, and what processes you may need to follow if you want to get married abroad. We no longer witness life certificates for British nationals claiming a British pension abroad. Please refer to the list of people working in a recognised profession who can do this for you.
What to bring to your appointment
This service does not verify or authenticate your documents. You will be provided with a photocopy of your document with a confirmation that it is a true copy of the original. It is your responsibility to check that a certified copy will be accepted by the requesting authority.
Payment
Please do not sign the document before your appointment.
Proof of address and identity
What you will need to bring with you:
Administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit
Consular staff in the Dominican Republic can: The Legalisation Office will check the document, including whether the signature, stamp or seal is genuine. They will legalise the document by attaching a stamped official certificate (Hague Apostille) to it. If you cannot find the service you are looking for on this page, please visit our services section at the British Embassy Santo Domingo. We accept payment by Visa or MasterCard.
- the oath, affirmation or affidavit that you will swear or affirm
- the correct fee – see the list of fees
- proof of identity/address
- the document that you will sign before a witness
- the correct fee – see the list of fees
- proof of identity/address
Make a certified copy of a document
We accept payment by Visa or MasterCard.
- the document that you need a certified copy of
- the correct fee – see the list of fees
- proof of identity/address
The Embassy will not draft documents for you. First, check with the Embassy what format they need and then have the document drawn up or checked by a professional.
Services provided elsewhere
Life certificates for British pensions
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 full list of consular fees.
Legalisation of UK documents
You can get certain official UK documents ‘legalised’ by asking the Legalisation Office to confirm that the signature, stamp or seal is from a UK public official. 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, as we will not draft documents for you. We do not handle wills or probate, or witness deed polls.
Births deaths and marriages
Where local notaries can provide services, the British Embassy will not provide them. In many cases local notaries or lawyers can provide services more cheaply, quickly and conveniently. What you will need to bring with you:
UK police certificates
What you will need to bring with you:
Data protection
For information about documents relating to marriage, such as a certificate of no impediment (CNI) and affirmations or affidavits of marital status, see getting married abroad.
Disclaimer
Before booking, make sure you have selected the correct service and that the document will be accepted by the relevant authority. This could be the local town hall, registry office, tax authorities, immigration office or another authority either in the Dominican Republic, the UK or a third country.
