How cookies are used on the Verify Apostille service
For general information on cookies and how they're used on GOV.UK pages, visit GOV.UK (opens in new window) .
Measuring website usage (Matomo)
We use Matomo Analytics software to collect non-personally-identifying information — such as browser type, language preference, referring site, and the date and time of each visitor request. This helps us better understand how people use the Verify Apostille service.
From time to time, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office may release aggregated, non-personally-identifying information — for example, by publishing a usage trends report.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _pk_ref | Tracks how you arrived at the site | 2 years |
| _pk_cvar | Tracks custom variables | 2 years |
| _pk_id | Tracks individual visitor sessions | 2 years |
| _pk_ses | Tracks session activity | 30 minutes |
You can opt out of Matomo Analytics cookies. If you're using an unsupported browser (e.g. Internet Explorer 6 on Windows Vista), we won’t track your usage and the opt-out page may not display.
Cookies that store your apostille verification progress
When you use the Verify Apostille service, we set a cookie to remember the details you're looking up. This cookie is essential to the service and enables us to perform our official functions. It is deleted after 30 minutes of inactivity.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| apostille.sid | Stores apostille data for lookup | 30 minutes of inactivity |
Introductory cookie message
When you first visit the service, we show a cookie message. We then store a cookie so that this message is not shown again.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| seen_cookie_message | Remembers that you've seen the cookie message | 28 days |