A notary is a legally trained public official who issues public instruments or makes public certifications of agreements, statements and other documents both for use in the UK and overseas. When providing legal paperwork for use abroad, a notarial public instrument or certification may be required by the receiving jurisdiction.
The office and seal of a notary is recognised as a symbol of public authority and authenticity around the world. Therefore, the involvement of a notary can assist in documents being accepted overseas and, in some cases, is a requirement of foreign legal systems in order for a document to be valid.
When issuing a public instrument or making a public certification, notaries seek to verify and/or authenticate matters such as the identity of the parties appearing before them, their authority to do so, their capacity, free will and understanding of the nature and effect of what they are doing. In this way, the notary’s instrument or certification creates legal certainty in the form of reliable documentary evidence of the informed and voluntary participation of a party in a legal act or transaction. The notary’s aim, in this regard, is to prevent disputes arising in relation to the validity or accuracy of the matters recorded by them.
Our notary is able to draft documents in both English and Spanish and can deal with documents in others language if an appropriate translation can be obtained.
It is generally necessary to appear before a notary in person. This would usually be at our offices in central London but, if necessary, arrangements can be made to do this at other appropriate locations.
In some circumstances, it may be possible to appear before a notary remotely and/or sign a document using an electronic signature. However, this is not always possible and you should discuss any requirements in this regard with our notary.
Our layers of expertise
Our notarial services are provided by a notary whose practice is regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Further information on our fees, third party costs, the stages involved in a notarial matter and redress procedures can be found here.
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