The work of a notary

One of the most frequent documents notarised by us at Notary Co UK on behalf of individuals are Powers of Attorney; closely followed by making certified copies of various certificates.

We work with all sizes of international companies from ‘one man’ enterprises selling shares in a foreign registered company to multi nationals exporting all manner of goods and services.

You may need a notary when: -

• Buying or selling foreign property,


• When adopting children,


• Getting married abroad

Documents we notarise include:

* Corporate records * Contracts and different types of Declarations * International Affidavits * Sworn Statements * Depositions * Adoption Home Study Reports and related documentation * Documentation in connection with Bills of Exchange * Shipping documentation * Certified Translations * Fingerprinting confirmation * Lost Passports & Birth Certificates * Change of Name * Marriage Certificates & Confirmation of Single Status * Certified Copy Documents * Statutory Declarations * Authentication of identity and signatures * documents in connection with sponsoring relatives from abroad *

Legalisation
For some legal documents to be effective outside the United Kingdom, they must be ‘legalised’.

Legalisation is the official confirmation that the signature, seal and stamp of the notary is that of a genuine, practising UK notary public.

Stage one involves the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO): they verify the notary’s signature and attach an ‘Apostille’ to your document or to the Notarial Cover Sheet prepared by the notary. Stage two: some countries require a further verification process from their embassies or consulates. Notary Co UK can do all this for you, just ask.

What documents may be legalised?

If you want to legalise a certified photocopy of a document you should check with the end users of the document that this is acceptable to them; some documents must be originals.

As a guide, here is a list of some of the documents that may be legalised.

Document in connection with getting married abroad. For example UK Certificates of No Impediment (CNI) or 'No Trace' letters. Note only original CNIs and letters issued by the General Register Office confirming that there is no trace of an individual currently being married can be legalised.

The legal paperwork you need to complete for an overseas wedding can be confusing. Fortunately help can be found on the Foreign Office web site.

UK birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates: only original or certified copies of certificates issued by the General Registry Office (GRO) or local Registry Offices in the UK, or British Diplomatic Missions overseas can be legalised.

Only original death certificates issued by a UK coroner can be legalised.

UK Educational Documents. Educational documents which are not degrees, diplomas, certificates, qualifications or other awards may be legalised if they have been issued by an educational establishment in the UK. This includes school reports and letters concerning enrolling, attendance, fees and grades.

Documents which are degrees, diplomas, certificates, qualifications or other awards can be legalised if they were issued by a recognised educational establishment – we can advise in individual cases.

British passports: Only notarised photocopies of the bio data page of British and foreign passports may be legalised; original passports of any nationality may not be legalised.

Change of Name Deed Poll: originals as well as copies

Religious documents: the notary public will certify original documents as being genuine, and photocopies as being true copies of the original documents such as Islamic Marriage and Divorce Certificates issued by UK mosques, Jewish Divorce Certificates issued by a Jewish Court, Baptismal Certificates of any denomination.

UK County Court documents: certified photocopies or original documents issued by UK courts can be legalised.

Powers of attorney:

Wills: if you own property overseas it is a good idea to have your Will specifically mention the property and have the Will notarised. Many European countries have an official Registry of Wills; some property owners have separate Wills for their foreign estates. – we can advise in individual cases.

Affidavits, declarations and notarial acts

Certificates of incorporation and other documents issued by Companies House.

Export certificates.

Documents from HM Revenue and Customs: photocopies or original documents.

National Identification Certificates, Association of Chief Police Officer certificates and Disclosure documents: only original with an official signature can be legalised.

Medical documents, medical reports and letters issued by UK hospitals and NHS Trusts may be legalised as long as they have been signed by a UK doctor who is registered with the General Medical Council.

Foreign language translations of UK documents.

Foreign documents which require legalisation may be appended to a notarial coversheet, only the notarial certificate is legalised. Alternatively photocopies of foreign documents can be legalised as being true copies of the original document.