General
In this country, a notary’s main function is to authenticate documents for use in other countries. This can involve, for example, witnessing signatures to documents and certifying copies of documents.
Documents which could normally in this country be certified by a solicitor often require notarising for use in overseas countries where the Notary Public, is known as the holder of an internationally recognised public office.
A notary does not advise on the content or effect of documents he is asked to authenticate. His duty is limited to ensuring that you understand the nature of the documentation being signed. A notary ‘notarises’ a document by adding his signature and seal, sometimes direct to the document and sometimes by attaching a certificate.
Contact
My notarial practice is conducted from the offices of Chubb Bulleid, solicitors in Wells, Street and Somerton where I am a consultant. I am able to see you by appointment in any of these offices but can also visit you at your home or offices or arrange to meet with you at any mutually convenient location
Mobile: 07887 854539
E-mail: michael_evans@chubb-bulleid.co.uk
Legalisation
1.What is legalisation?
Some countries are content to accept that ‘notarised’ documents (ie. showing the notary’s signature and seal) have been sufficiently authenticated for them to rely on.
Others, however, wish to be sure that the notary is properly authorised to act as a notary and require a further procedure, known as ‘legalisation’.
Many countries rely on a certificate issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, confirming the authenticity of the notary’s signature and seal – known as an ‘Apostille’.
A few countries require not only that a notary’s signature and seal are supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s certificate but that the document is in addition presented to their embassy or consulate in London.
2.Legalisation Services
I can arrange for legalisation – either with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or both with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the appropriate embassy or consulate as required.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently charge £28 per document for issuing an Apostille and operate a postal service. Normally they process legalisation of a document within about 10 days but occasionally backlogs slow this time scale down. If a document is needed urgently, I can make arrangements for my Agent, based close to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes, to take documents to the Legalisation Office by hand in which case the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provide a 24 hour service.
Alternatively, you can take notarised documents yourself to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Legalisation Office. Processing is dealt with on a ‘while you wait’ basis and depends on the length of the queue of people waiting. It is unlikely to be less than 45 minutes and, if the office is busy, can be considerably longer.
For further information about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and legalisation services, you can visit www.fco.gov.uk.
Where legalisation by an embassy or consulate is required, procedures and fees vary considerably. Some will not accept postal applications and I need then to arrange for an agent to make a personal application. Embassy fees vary considerably – from £5 to hundreds of pounds in some cases. I check the embassy or consulate’s exact requirement and fees as necessary.
Fees
My fees are based on the amount of time I spend on a matter. An estimate of fees – including any legalisation or agency fees – can be given when I have basic details of the documentation requiring notarising and know for which country it is required.
Procedures
A notary requires you to supply suitable identification – normally a current passport together with evidence of you current address – eg. a current driving licence or a recent council tax or utility bill.
In the case of companies, I will make a search at Companies House to check the company’s status and the names of its officers. It may also be necessary for the company to produce a copy of its constitution (ie. its Memorandum & Articles of Association) and copies of resolutions covering the documentation requiring notarising.