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When applying to a UK university, particularly for distance learning, most applications ask for original versions of your academic documents.  If you are worried about sending these via international mail, you may wish to mail certified copies instead.  

The British Council Romania provides a certification service, which is a confirmation that a photocopy is a true copy of an original document.  Please note that this is not a confirmation of the authenticity of the original certificate.  At the moment we do not provide legalisation service.

This certification service is available in our centres in Bucharest, Iași and Cluj-Napoca.

Due to the current Covid-19 situation our certification services have reduced availability. Please contact us for further information regarding appointments at:

To have your documents certified, please follow these steps

Step 1: Print and complete the Certification Request Form or send us an email at contact@britishcouncil.ro with your request.

Step 2: Bring the following documents to the British Council (during the operating hours when this service is available at each center):

  • The original documents*
  • The fee of 20 lei per copy. This can only be paid via bank transfer, and you need to send us the proof of payment by email at contact@britishcouncil.ro and mention the number of copies you need. The account for payment is as follows: RO07CITI0000000826012005, BRITISH COUNCIL. Please mention the payment details as follows: document certification service + your full name.

*Please check the list below for documents that cannot be certified.

What are the documents that cannot be certified?

The following are not eligible for this service:

  • IELTS Test Report Forms
  • Passports or Identity documents
  • Marriage certificates
  • Photocopies or Certified Photocopies
  • Scanned images
  • Other non-academic documents

The British Council reserves the right to reject certification of any document if the document is found to be too old, altered or defaced in any way or if there is any question regarding the originality of the document.

If you have further queries, please contact us.

What is the difference between certification, verification and legalisation?

The British Council Romania provides certification service but not verification or legalisation of documents.  

Please see below for an explanation for the difference between the three terms.

  • Certification: Certification is confirmation that a photocopy is a true copy of an original document. The British Council will not be responsible for confirming the authenticity of the original certificate. 
  • Verification: Verification is the process of ensuring that original documents are genuine.
  • Legalisation: Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a public document is genuine. 

 If you have further queries, please contact us.

Please read our Fair Collection Notice

Privacy notice

Purpose and legal basis
The British Council will use the data you provide to process your application for certification of documents submitted. Our legal basis for processing your data is the performance of a service contract, see www.britishcouncil.ro/en/study-uk/certification.

Data sharing
We will share your data with the UK educational institutions/UK examination bodies mentioned in the submitted documents for the purpose of verification.

Data retention
We will keep a record of your contact details and a copy of the submitted documents for a period of ten (10) years from the agreed date of delivery of the documents.

Data protection
The British Council complies with data protection law in the UK and laws in other countries that meet internationally accepted standards. You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold on you, and the right to ask us to correct any inaccuracies in that information. If you have concerns about how we have used your personal information, you also have the right to complain to a privacy regulator.

For detailed information, please refer to the privacy section of our corporate website at www.britishcouncil.org/privacy or contact the British Council in Romania.

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