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What is a Notary?

There are around 1,000 Notaries across England and Wales. Apart from a few special exceptions, all of these Notaries are qualified solicitors or barristers, and have been appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, on the authority of the crown. Notaries Public are one of the oldest branches of legal services in the UK. Before the responsibility to appoint Notaries belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1533, Notaries could only be appointed by the Pope or by his Legate. To become a Notary, apart from being a qualified solicitor or barrister, you are required to obtain a Diploma in Notarial Practice from the University of Cambridge. You must then spend your first two years as a Notary practising under the supervision of another experienced Notary. Once you become a Notary in England or Wales, you are appointed for life.

What does a Notary do?

Notaries have the specific authority to authenticate any fact or piece of information. They are mostly concerned with the verification and preparation of documents intended for use abroad and the administering of oaths and declarations.

Documents that are authenticated by a Notary will be certified by a Notarial Signature and Seal. This is not a case of simply ‘rubber-stamping’ documents. The Notary’s duty is to verify that you are who you claim to be, to check that you possess full capacity to sign the document, and also to ensure that you fully understand the nature of the document.

Notarial services are charged for at every stage. It is important to be prepared, taking forms of identification and details of the nature of the document to be notarised, and the country in which it is intended to be used.

Although one of the oldest branches of legal provision, Notaries are needed increasingly today, to undertake just some of the following purposes:

• sale or purchase of overseas property
• immigration or emigration
• marriage or work abroad
• company and business documentation
• powers of attorney for use overseas

Justin Trevelyan Parker is an experienced Notary at mfg Solicitors, please email justin.parker@mfgsolicitors.com or call him on 0845 55 55 321 with your enquiries.

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