Birketts is one of the few law firms offering a Notary Public Service in the UK, an essential service for any business involved in legal transactions with another countries.
Our International Notary Public Service lawyers support clients by witnessing documents or certifying information to give them validity in the country concerned.
The team can also meet the requirements of legalisation of such documents, as is a requirement in many countries, once they have been signed. Some countries also require documents to be legalised by the applicable Consulate or Embassy.
Whatever the requirements, our Notary Public Service Team can deal with these legalisation requirements on your behalf.
The team can also assist in:
- Authenticating company and business documents and transactions.
- Preparing and witnessing powers of attorney for use overseas.
- Providing documents to deal with the administration of the estates of people who have lived or owned property abroad.
- Authenticating personal documents and information for immigration or emigration purposes, and to work abroad.
- Witnessing the signatures on documents.
- Authenticating the execution of documents.
- Authenticating the contents of documents.
- Administration of oaths and declarations.
- Drawing up or noting (and extending) protests of happenings to ships, crews and cargoes.
- Presenting bills of exchange for acceptance and payment, noting and protesting bills in cases of dishonour and preparing acts of honour.
- Attending upon the drawing up of bonds.
- Drawing mercantile documents, deeds agreement and wills in English and (via translation), in foreign languages for use in Britain, the Commonwealth and other foreign countries.
- Verifying of translations from foreign languages to English and vice versa.
If the document requiring notarising is already prepared, we will ask for this to be sent to one of our notaries before meeting with you so that it can be checked and amended if appropriate. We understand that time is usually of the essence in these matters and this checking can usually be one within one to two days.
The meeting with the notary will normally last for 30 minutes although may take longer if there is more than one document and/or people involved.
Please contact us directly if you are unsure whether you require a Notary Public or not.
There is often some urgency when Notarial services are required, and our Notaries can usually be available at short notice.
Fees
Fees are assessed mainly by reference to the time taken for a whole matter and the hourly rates of the notaries are fixed according to their respective levels of experience.
Currently the hourly rates of Louise Long and Rhiannon Russell are £385 and £255 plus VAT respectively. The hourly rate of their assistant Jenny Steggalls is £125. All rates quoted exclude VAT.
The level of fees will depend on the circumstances of the matter. In accordance with the Notarial practice guidelines (which stipulate that fees should be fair and reasonable having regard to all the circumstances of the case) our fees may also include an additional element reflecting other factors including value, importance, speed, complexities, or special skills. Generally speaking, it is unlikely that the fee for any transaction will be less than £250 plus VAT.
Complaints process
Notaries are regulated through The Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury
1 The Sanctuary
Westminster
London
SW1P 3JT
Email: [email protected]
Any complaints should be directed to Louise Long in the first instance.
If a complaint cannot be resolved immediately, Louise will refer your complaint to the Notaries Society, of which Louise and Rhiannon are members of, who have a complaints procedure approved by the Faculty Office.
You can also complain to the Notaries Society directly. Complaints should be addressed to Christopher Vaughan, Secretary of The Notaries Society, P O Box 1023 Ipswich IP1 9XB.
Email: [email protected]
After eight weeks from the date the complaint was first made, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167 Slough SL1 0EH.
Email: [email protected]
Insurance
All notaries are required to have compulsory professional indemnity insurance. Our insurers details are below:
QBE UK Ltd and CV Starr International (Europe) Ltd with worldwide cover for up to £100,000,000.
Key Contacts
