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Notary

A Statutory Declaration can be witnessed by a Solicitor and is normally for use within the UK, whereas a notary will notarise documents to be used outside of England and Wales.

This varies depending on what the requirements for that particular country are. You would need to check with the lawyer who requires the document if this is required. If it is, we can assist you with this.

An apostille serves three key functions.

  • First, it verifies that the signature or seal on your document is genuine and was applied by an authorised person.
  • Second, it confirms the document’s authenticity so that foreign authorities can trust it without needing to contact the UK government directly.
  • Third, it makes your document legally valid for use abroad – whether you’re applying for a visa, working overseas, getting married in another country, or setting up a foreign business.

An apostille is an official certificate that authenticates a UK document for use in another country. Issued by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), it confirms that the signature, seal or stamp on a document is genuine.

Apostilles are recognised by all member countries of the 1961 Hague Convention, making them the internationally accepted standard for document legalisation.

A document normally requires to be notarised if it is being used outside of England and Wales.

The process can vary in length depending on what is required from the notary, as some circumstances require a few more steps. We do aim to process each application as soon as possible, it can take a least a couple of weeks.

The cost can vary depending on what the notary is being asked to do with the document, each matter can be different so we provide personalised quotations based on individual circumstance.

A solicitor can become a notary public by passing a further qualification, a two year notarial practice course where they get admitted to the Court of Faculties of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Following this they then need to work under the supervision of an experienced notary for the first two years after qualifying.  

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