We are a firm of Notaries serving Coulsdon and London.
Croydon, Coulsdon, Carshalton, Epson, Sutton, Merstham, Banstead, Purley, Kenley, Wallington and the surrounding areas.
Click on a link below for more information.
- What does a Notary Public do?
- Seeing a Notary Public
- What is the difference between a Notary and a Solicitor?
- What is Legalisation or Apostille?
- Documents in a foreign language
- What identification does a Notary Public require?
- What does it cost?
- Data Protection Privacy Notice
More information can also be found on our main website.
What does a Notary Public do?
A Notary, or Notary Public, can authenticate or witness most documents. A Notary can also arrange legalisation ( Apostilles) if needed. You will normally require the services of a Notary Public when you have documents which are to be used abroad. The Notary's signature and seal will verify to the authorities in that country that any relevant checks have been carried out and that the document has been properly signed. A Notary has limited knowledge of foreign legal systems and is therefore usually unwilling to draft technical documentation for use abroad.
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Seeing a Notary Public
You may need to see a Notary to:
- Get a certified copy of a passport
- Certify copies of other documents
- Sign documents with regard to the purchase, sale or transfer of foreign property
- Sign a Power of Attorney for use abroad
- Make a statutory declaration or swear an oath or affidavit
- Confirm your single status in order to marry abroad
- Obtain duplicate documents for lost passports or your other important documents
- Get an Apostille (legalisation)
- Have your contracts authenticated by a Notary
- Have a commercial translation certified by a Notary
- Assign patents, trade marks or domain names
- Any other documents for use abroad, which require Notarisation
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What is the difference between a Notary and a Solicitor?
Notaries form a small, highly specialised branch of the legal profession, whose area of specialisation is the certification of documents so that they may be used effectively abroad.
Solicitors form by far the largest part of the legal profession. They provide advice and representation to their clients on a wide variety of legal issues, usually within the legal framework of their country of residence.
One important difference between a Notary and a Solicitor is that whereas a Solicitor's primary duty is to his client, the Notary's primary duty is to the transaction and the authenticity of the documents. As Notaries Public are recognised worldwide, they have to maintain absolute integrity and impartiality to maintain the standing of the Notarial profession.
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What is Legalisation or Apostille?
Many countries also require notarised documents to be 'legalised'. This is a system which exists all round the world, not just in the UK. Legalisation is a double check to make sure that the Notary's signature is genuine. All Notaries' signatures and seals are recorded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Once the authenticity of the signature is confirmed a certificate is attached, called an "Apostille". Documents may also need to be checked by foreign embassies to make sure that the Notary's signature matches the one on their records. The requirement for this will depend on the foreign country involved.
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Documents in a foreign language
If a document requiring notarisation is in a foreign language it may be necessary for the document to be translated by an official translator who will then have to sign a statutory declaration certifying that it is a true translation.
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What identification does a Notary Public require?
One essential part of a Notary's work is to identify the people whom they see. This has always been a part of the Notary's records to ensure that documents are correctly signed and may be relied on by persons overseas.
Following the implementation of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, Notaries are now obliged to keep sufficient evidence on their files of the identity and the address of all their clients before they undertake any work.
Each person whose signature they are to certify must provide eg. one of the following original identification documents at the time of the appointment:
- Valid passport
- Full Driving Licence showing photograph
In addition, they require proof of residence, which can be one of the following original documents:
- Up to date printed Bank statement
- Recent Inland revenue tax demand or self assessment statement
- Current Utility bill
When a Notary Public is acting for a corporate client, evidence of the due incorporation of the company or entity is required. The Notary will usually wish to make their own enquiries of the Companies Registry to obtain some documents such as:
- Extract from the company register
- Certificate of incorporation
- Latest report and audited accounts
- Up to date certified copy of partnership agreement
- Evidence of being regulated by a regulatory body
In addition to the above, each individual signatory will need to produce one of the identification documents mentioned above.
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What does it cost?
An early indication of the costs can usually be given in advance but so that we can establish the charges please tell us the following:
- What service you need - witnessing signatures, certifying copy documents, obtaining Apostille etc
- The type of documents concerned - e.g. is it a Power of Attorney?
- Who is signing or presenting the documents - are they personal papers or for a Company?
- How many documents are there?
- Which country they are to go to.
Please visit the contact us page to obtain a quotation.
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