Notary Public Norwich
Please visit the contact page to obtain advice or to arrange Notarisation or Legalisation.
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?
What does a Notary Public do?
A Notary, or Notary Public, can authenticate or witness most documents. A Notary can also arrange legalisation or obtain Apostilles, if needed. You will often require the services of a Notary Public when you have documents which are needed 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.
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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 such as examination certificates
- buy or sell property abroad
- transfer property
- set up 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 or 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 a Notary stamp
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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 preparation and 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 Notary Publics 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.Back to top of Notary Public Norwich
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.In some cases the Notary may be able to watch the signing of a foreign document and then prepare a covering certificate on which they fix their seal of office and signature to confirm that they have witnessed the signing and checked identity. The Notary must be completely satisfied that the person signing is fully conversant with the language of the document and has been properly advised on its contents.
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What identification does a Notary Public require?
One essential part of a Notary's work is to identify the people who 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. Plus following the implementation of the Money Laundering Regulations 2003, 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 one of the following original identification documents at the time of the appointment.
- valid passport
- driving licence (paper copy with photo card)
- national identity card (EEA state members)
- an armed forces pass (with photo and signature)
- firearms licence (with photo and signature)
- other government issue ID (with photo and signature)
- residence permit
- benefit book or original notification letter from Benefits Agency
- Bank statement
- Utility bill or council tax bill (not mobile phone bill)
- Tenancy agreement or Housing Association rent card
- Inland revenue tax demand or self assessment statement
- 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 such as the Law Society or FSA.
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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 - for instance is it a Power of Attorney that you need witnessing
- 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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