These signatures are currently only accepted from notaries or solicitors. This is what I refer to a digital or e-notarisation. You may have seen on the FCDO website that they are an option, are cheaper and are faster to obtain, however, they will reject your document if it has not been signed correctly or has no digital signature at all. An e-apostille is the verification of that digital signature in the document and is verifiable via gov.uk.
If you take a look at my other article called 'What is the difference between notarisation and e-notarisation?' it discusses in depth what types of documents can have these signatures attached. Briefly, you cannot digitally notarise birth, marriage or death certificates or other documents subject to Crown Copyright. Certain jurisdictions will also not accept them, as they cannot be legalised by their embassies or consulates. In my experience, they are most commonly used on education certificates within Europe, but they have been used in other regions for other matters such as establishing a corporate identity or confirming residency for taxation.
As with all notarisations, the use of an e-apostille will need to be checked with the recipient that they are acceptable by the recipient and those that rely on it. This is to make sure that they aren’t rejected. The FCDO clearly states on their website that if it is rejected, you won’t be able to refund you.
The use of an e-apostille is certainly cheaper and faster to obtain, but we need to be mindful of the acceptability and the content of the document.
If you are considering using an e-apostille and would like further information, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me.