Notarisation

Why and when do I need to see a notary? What does a notary do? What is notarisation?

If you want to buy or sell property in another country, open a business, a bank account or sign a contract, if you want to get married or divorced abroad, or if you want to emigrate to another state, you will have to prove various things during the relevant procedures.

For example, you may be asked to sign a power of attorney so that your lawyer in another country can sign the property purchase or sale contract on your behalf. Or you may need to prove that you are not married to anyone else in England and that you can marry your loved one in a foreign country. Or you may need to swear an affidavit for use in court proceedings in your home country. If you are applying for a visa in another country, you will need to present various documents to the immigration department in that foreign jurisdiction.

The end user of these documents, which can be an authority, a company, a bank, a court of law, a notary or a solicitor in another state, needs the certainty that the documents you produce are authentic, or true copies of the original. This certainty is given by the notary public, who is a highly qualified and trusted lawyer. The notary public is the one who certifies that he has met you, that he has identified you with your passport, that you have read the document before signing, that you have understood the content of that document, that your free will was to sign, and that you have signed that document yourself, with the notary himself as a witness to your signature. The notary is also the one who certifies that a copy of a document used by you overseas is a true copy of an original, genuine document.

The process by which the notary certifies all these things is called notarisation.

What kind of documents need to be notarised?

Here is a list of the most common documents that need to be notarised:

Power of Attorney

Affidavit

Statutory Declaration

Consent of travel for minor child

Passport

Driving licence

National ID Card

Change of name deed

Utility bill

Bank statement

Employment contract

Employment evidence (letters issued by employers)

Certificate of good standing

Payslip

Court order

Decree absolute

Degree certificate

Educational certificate

Transcripts

Various letters

HMRC document

Companies House certificate

Company documents

Sometimes, birth, marriage or death certificates (but usually they only need an apostille, i.e. to be legalised).

How do I find a notary?

You have just found a notary, but if you want to look for others, perhaps closer to the area where you live, you can use this search engine from the Faculty Office (the regulator of the notarial profession in England) or this one on the website of the Notaries Society (the professional association of notaries in England and Wales).

What are the stages of notarisation?

The first step is to contact me, email me the documents that require notarisation, as well as any instructions you have received from your foreign lawyer or from the end user of the documents (such as a foreign authority, company, bank or notary to whom you are going to present those documents).

The second step is for me to explain what we need to do, how much my services cost and what the associated costs are, and, if you wish to proceed, to set up an appointment date and time.

The third step is for you to come to that appointment and have the documents notarised.

Sometimes there is a fourth step, to send the notarised documents to the Legalisation Office for apostille, and, if necessary, to the consulate or embassy of the country where you are going to use the documents, for an extra-legalisation or super-legalisation (“consular legalisation”).

How much does it cost to get a document notarised?

You may want to visit the Fees page on this website to see what fees I charge and what costs are associated with the notarisation process.

I was told that all I need is a signature and a stamp from a notary. What you are saying here seems too complicated. Do you want to overcharge me?

The truth is that a notary does not have a stamp that he randomly puts on documents. A notary signs and affixes his seal to documents that he has previously carefully verified, for which he is prepared to assume responsibility. A notary in England is not a simple witness to signatures, he is a highly qualified lawyer who is expected by the end user of the document (the receiver of the document in a foreign country) to certify that the document can be trusted, and that action can be taken relying on that document. Hence, anyone who told you that you need a simple signature or stamp from a notary does not know exactly what the very important role of a notary is in international transactions, and how skilled that notary is.

How quickly can I get an appointment with you?

I am very flexible and will try to fit you into my work schedule on short notice. Depending on availability, I might be able to see you late at night, after hours, or on weekends.

Can I just pop in at your office without an appointment?
No, because I cannot guarantee that I will be available and this could have an unpleasant effect on my clients who have an appointment. If we agree to meet, I will send you an email confirming the exact address of the office you need to get to, the date and time of that appointment and providing you with all the necessary information.

What do I need to bring to the appointment?

You will receive written instructions from me regarding the documents you need to bring to your appointment. This usually includes your passport, driving licence, or other forms of proof of identity and address, and any documents that need to be notarised (unless they are prepared by me, in which case you will find them printed and ready to be signed when you visit me).

Do I need to email you documents before the appointment?

If you email me your documents before the appointment, I will be able to tell you whether or not I can assist you, and if I can, I will be able to prepare the documents for notarisation before you arrive, thus minimizing the time you have to spend at my office.

Can I get a document notarised online?

When you need to sign a power of attorney, an affidavit or a declaration, you will need to do it in my presence. If what you are asking me to do is to certify a copy of a document, then we can collaborate remotely. Some of my clients are not in England, they live thousands of miles away and it would be impractical to ask them to travel to my office to have a document certified.

How long is a notarised document valid for?

It depends on the type of document. For example, a power of attorney may have a time limit within which the attorney must act on your behalf. A declaration in which you give your consent for your minor child to travel abroad without you may have a time limit set by you or by the law of your child’s country of citizenship. Other documents do not have an expiration date. The certification that I give, as a notary, clearly indicates the date on which I witnessed the signing of a document or certified a copy of a document.

What if I have questions about the document I need to get notarised?

Please ask me, I will answer you as directly, clearly and quickly as possible. I assure you that the answer will come within a few minutes or hours, depending on how busy I am that moment or day. If you write to me late at night, I may reply to you first thing the next morning. You won’t have to wait days to hear from me, that is for sure. The consultation is free.