What is the role and duty of a Notary Public?
A Notary Public is a public officer and is a specialist lawyer authorised to witness, authenticate or certify documents for use in countries around the world. Solicitors and Barristers in the England and Wales, owe a duty of care towards their clients. In contrast a Notary Public owes a duty of care to the document he is notarising.
Can a Notary Public notarise documents in foreign languages?
The short answer is yes. In certain instances it may be necessary to change a lettered translation of the document into English. Our Notary Public can advise you on whether this is required – If this is required the Notary can assist with obtaining a certified translation. If you do require notarisation of a document which is in a foreign language, please do contact our Notary Public who will be happy to explain any specific requirements.
Who do you provide your notarial services to?
We provide notarial services to individuals and business clients. We have the necessary experience in accommodating the needs of both of our individuals & corporate institutions. Please visit our pages Notarial Services for Individuals and Notarial Services for Business Clients for more details.
What is an Apostille and do I need it?
The Apostille is a stamped certificate affixed to UK issued documents by The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (commonly referred to as the FCDO). The FCDO will check the document has been issued by a UK Notary Public/official and verify whether the signature, stamp or seal is genuine.
The word is derived from the French word “Apostille” meaning “a marginal note” – itself derived from the Latin post (“after”) + illa (“these”) + verba (“words”). The term began to refer to the authentication of documents following the introduction of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents in 1961. Signatory countries to the convention agreed to recognise public documents issued in other signatory countries if they are authenticated by the attachment of an internationally recognised form of authentication known as the “apostille”.
The Apostille is required for use in most countries worldwide. Typically, Commonwealth countries do not require the Apostille on documents notarised in the United Kingdom. However, on occasions it is still asked for. If a country has not signed up to the Hague Apostille Convention, a document must be first apostilled and then legalised by the UK consulate of that country.
Our Notary Public will be happy to advise you on whether the recipient of the document will require an Apostille. If an Apostille is required, our Notary Public can advise you on the process of obtaining one, the cost and can arrange this for you accordingly.
Do I need Consular or Embassy legalisation for the country where my document is going to be used?
Although many countries are members to The Hague Apostille convention of 1961 – there still remains many countries around the world that are not members of the convention. This means that if your document is being received in a country who is not a member is it likely that further legalisation of the document will be required by the consular or embassy of the receiving country.
Our Notary Public has comprehensive knowledge of the consular legalisation requirements for all the countries around the world and will be happy to advise you accordingly in relation to your specific requirements.
Do you provide express legalisation services?
We cater for all your urgent notarial needs and have a robust system in place to cater for your urgent needs. Our courier will ensure that if required with an additional fee, the Apostille and/or country specific consular or embassy legalisation can be obtained by quicker means by using our express service.
Do I need to bring identification documents with me when coming to notarise my documents?
A Notary Public must be able to confirm your identity. Our Notary Public would expect you to bring with you your current unexpired Passport or your full photo card Driving licence as a proof of identification. You will also be expected to produce proof of residency which is no more than 3 months old – this can be by way of bank statement or utility bill issued to you.
For more information on specific identification requirements please check our ID Requirements page.
Do you provide home visits/ visits to my office/ weekend/ evening appointments?
We provide a Mobile Notary Service whereby our Notary Public can do office visits, home visits or out of hours service (including weekends) by prior appointment. This service will incur on additional charge. Please let us know if you require our out of hours and office/home service.