Notary Services
For Individuals
Notary Services For Individuals
Certification, Verification and Signature of Documents.Â
Recipients and officials of other countries often require a Notary Public to certify, verify documents or confirm signatures were made in their presence in relation to all sorts of documents. The receiving authority will then rely on the certification of the notary to satisfy the requirements in their respective jurisdiction.
Academic and Professional Qualifications
Degrees, Transcripts and Qualifications
In respect of applications for work abroad, a receiving authority will often require degrees, transcripts and other qualifications to be certified and/or verified by a Notary Public.
In addition to academic and professional qualifications, this could include confirmation of attendance and letters of study etc.
Affidavits, Oaths and Declarations
Affidavits
An Affidavit is a formal statement which an individual will need to swear or affirm in front of a Notary Public. Affidavits are used in applications for visas, court proceedings, confirmation of marital status in probate matters and to release interests in assets in certain jurisdictions.
Oaths
An oath is where a person swears a particular statement is true using particular prescribed wording in front of a Notary Public by reference to their religious belief.
Statutory Declarations
A Statutory Declaration is a declaration made under a particular statute (in the UK being the Statutory Declarations Act 1835) confirming that a particular matter is true. It is common to use these to supplement an application, for example, where identification documents have different names (which could be due to marriage) or to confirm there is no impediment to a marriage.
Powers Of Attorney
Powers of Attorney
A power of attorney is a legal document that gives one person (the attorney) the power to act on behalf of another person (the principal). The power of attorney can be general, giving the attorney broad powers to act on the principal’s behalf, or it can be specific, giving the attorney limited powers to act on the principal’s behalf in certain matters. Examples of where a Notary Public is asked to become involved include the sale and purchase of property or in relation to court proceedings (used to appoint a foreign lawyer) the appointment of tax advisors or appointing a friend or relative in a foreign jurisdiction to act on your behalf.
Criminal Records Checks
Criminal Records Checks
The UK Criminal Records Office, or ACRO is the official UK government agency responsible for the police records of individuals. Often, where you are applying for a job abroad, the receiving authority will require a criminals record check to be authenticated by a Notary Public. There are various different forms and grading of criminal records checks so it is important to make sure you have the correct one. Examples are ACRO or DBS checks.
Property/Real Estate
UK Documents
Certain HM Land Registry documents require a Notary Public to confirm a person’s identity when making applications to HM Land Registry. An example is an ID1 form.
Irish Documents
The sale and purchase of property in Ireland requires a Notary Public to be involved where the person signing the document is in England. Examples are deeds relating to the sale/purchase and oaths for administration bonds where a probate matter is involved.
US Documents
Where a person buying or selling a property is outside the United States, the deed that needs to be signed needs to be authorised by a Notary Public. It is also common for a Notary Public to be asked to certify the signature to US bank documents relating to property transactions.
Marriages and Weddings
Apostilles for Marriage Certificates
It is common that a foreign official will require a UK marriage certificate to have an apostille applied by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. This will often require a Notary Public to obtain a duplicate marriage certificate from the General Records Office and certify it in order that the apostille can be obtained.
Certification, Declarations and Affidavits of No Impediment
A Certificate of No Impediment is a document provided by the appropriate registry office that states that a person is legally allowed to get married or get a civil partnership abroad.
It is also common for certain countries that the parties getting married are required to sign an affidavit or declaration in front of a Notary Public confirming there is no impediment to them getting married.
Wills and Probate
Affidavit of Release of Interest
Certain jurisdictions can impose onerous requirements on beneficiaries under an estate. In order to divest themselves of such responsibilities, legal documents such as affidavits of release of interest can be required to be signed in front of a Notary Public.
Foreign Wills
Each country will have specific requirements for the signing and witnessing of wills which need to be followed. For example, Spanish wills are often in what is known as “public form” which means that a Notary Public is required to take certain responsibilities for the will and its signature.
In order to be valid for use in foreign jurisdictions, some countries require that wills are authenticated by a Notary Public.
Passports & Travel Consents
Certification of Passports
Officials in other countries will often require ID documents such as a passport or ID card to be certified as being a ‘true copy’ of the original. This will require a certification by a Notary Public who will need to inspect the original document in order to ascertain it is valid.
Passport Applications
Where you are applying for a foreign passport there will often be requirements for particular documents to be included. This may include notarised copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates etc.
Child Travel Consent
A Child Travel Consent form is a document that is used to allow a minor to travel with a group, with a friend or family member, alone, with only one parent who shares custody, and abroad via any means. By having a Child Travel Consent form notarised, the authenticity of the document is guaranteed.
Insurance
Certificate of Life
Foreign pension providers will often require a Certificate of Life to be signed or certified by a Notary Public. This document confirms that the policy holder is alive. This is particularly the case if the policyholder lives in a different country than where the pension provider is based.
Submit An Enquiry
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