What is a notary public
What is a Notary Public?
A Notary Public is a highly-trained legal professional who prepares or authenticates existing documents for clients who have business, property or family interests overseas. Usually, this will involve checking identities, verifying facts, ensuring the client's understanding of the documents that they are to sign, and ensuring that the documents can be relied on by the parties in the overseas jurisdiction.
Circumstances commonly are that an overseas body will require verification of a specific document (and verification of the individual signing the document) and a certificate will be required from a Notary Public. Sometimes an additional verification is required, and this is called legalisation. In such case, we will make contact with the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) on your behalf and seek an official government certificate called an apostille.
In limited instances, certain overseas jurisdictions will require a third layer of validation, which necessitates sealing by an embassy. We can advise and assist on all of the above.
As a Notary Public practice, we have to comply with strict professional, anti-money-laundering and data protection regulations, and we are required to maintain professional indemnity insurance.
The position of Notary Public is a public office and is by Royal Appointment, made by the Archbishop of Canterbury.