Notary Public Nottinghamshire, Notary Public Retford

I offer Notarisation services to clients throughout the Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire areas including Newark, Mansfield, Worksop, Southwell, Bawtry, Grantham and Nottingham

I offer appointments at a location to suit you or at my home in Retford and either of my offices in Southwell and Newark.

I am happy to arrange appointments out of office hours or over the weekend.

To arrange an appointment or to request a quote please visit the contact page.

Click on a link below for more information.

What is a Notary Public?
Notary services
Foreign Languages
What is Legalisation or Apostille?
What identification does a Notary Public require?
What does it cost?
Independence and Rules
Public Records kept by a Notary
Regulation and Complaints procedure

What is a Notary Public?

A Notary, or Notary Public, can authenticate or legalise any document. A Notary can also provide legalisation or an apostille, if needed. You will normally require the services of a Notary Public when you have documents which are needed to be used abroad. The Notaries signature and seal will verify to the authorities in that country that the relevant checks have been carried out.

The need for a notary public is dictated by the requirements of the country where the document is to be used. For example, if you wish to buy a property abroad, it is often necessary to give your overseas lawyer power to deal with the purchase. This can be done by means of a power of attorney, which is signed by you in front of a notary. The notary public will confirm your name and identity and sign the document and seal it with their official seal.

Notary Services

You may need to see a Notary to:

obtain a certified copy of a passport
certify copies of other documents such as examination certificates
buy or sell property abroad
buy or sell timeshare property
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
grant permission for your child to travel abroad without you
obtain duplicate documents for lost passports or your other important documents
get an Apostille or legalisation
lodge proof of identity at the Land Registry
prepare and Notarise papers for adoption of children from abroad
have your contracts authenticated by a notary
have a commercial translation certified by a notary
assign patents, trade marks or domain names
prepare any other documents for use abroad, which require a notary stamp

Foreign Languages

Documents presented to a notary may be in a foreign language. The notary must ensure that both they and the client understand the meaning and effect of the document. Notaries do not usually give advice about the meaning or effect of a document or transaction. It is important that the client shows the notary any correspondence or advice that he has been given by others.
A Notary Public may also be known as a Notario Publico, Notaio, Notario, Notar or a Notaire.

What is Legalisation or Apostille?

A notarised document may often need to be further authenticated by having the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirm the validity of the notary's signature and seal. The requirement for this will depend on the foreign country involved. This is done by legalisation by the use of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's official certificate attached to the document, known as an apostille. These are internationally recognised due to the Hague Convention.

What identification does a Notary Public require?

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.

passport
driving licence (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

In addition, they require proof of residence, which can be one of the following original documents (not more than 3 months old):

Bank statement or letter from bank
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

When a notary public is acting for a corporate client, evidence of the due incorporation of the company or entity is required. This can be one of the following documents:

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.

In addition to the above, each individual signatory will need to produce one of the identification documents mentioned above.

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.

Independence and Rules

A notary is an independent officer and must not do anything to compromise this. They should not act in matters where they have a personal interest, and are subject to professional rules and standards to ensure the protection of their clients. They are also bound to follow the rules on the prevention of money laundering. Notaries must be insured against negligence and dishonesty. They are regulated by the Fauclty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbur yand have to undertake annual continuing professional education.

Public Records kept by a Notary

A notary will keep a full set of the originals or copies of all the official documents that they make and this serves as a permanent public record. They must make these available to all those who have a proper right to see them including their client and any other parties involved in such documents. They also refer to the record to make copies when needed.

Regulation and Complaints procedure

1. My notarial practice is regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury :

The Faculty Office
1 The Sanctuary
Westminster
London, SW1P 3JT
Telephone 020 7222 5381
Email: Faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com
Website: www.facultyoffice.org.uk

2. If you are dissatisfied about the service you have received please do not hesitate to contact me.

3. If we are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to the Notaries Society of which I am a member, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.

4. In that case please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to:

The Secretary of The Notaries Society
Old Church Chambers
23 Sandhill Road
St James, Northampton, NN5 5LH
Email: secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk
Tel: 01604 758908

If you have any difficulty in making a complaint in writing please do not hesitate to call the Notaries Society/the Faculty Office for assistance.

5. Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure, or after a period of eight weeks from the date you first notified me that you were dissatisfied, make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, if you are not happy with the result :

Legal Ombudsman
Baskerville House, Centenary Square,
Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2ND
Tel: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

6. If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman you must refer your matter to the Legal Ombudsman within six months from the conclusion of the complaint process.