Frequently Asked Questions

A Notary is a qualified lawyer - a member of the oldest branch of the legal profession in the United Kingdom. Notaries are appointed by the Court of Faculties of the Archbishop of Canterbury and are subject to regulation by the Master of the Faculties.

Notaries are primarily concerned with the authentication and certification of signatures, authority and capacity relating to documents for use abroad.

Legalisation is the process by which the signature and seal of the Notary are authenticated by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and/or the Embassy or Consulate of the country in which the document is to be used. This is generally required by countries who are signatories to the Hague Convention. Legalisation requirements are determined only by the country where the document is going, not by the UK government. Many countries require only one certificate from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office called an Apostille and this costs £40.00 per document.The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office is located in Milton Keynes.

Some countries want the Apostille from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and a further certificate from their own Embassy. This will take longer. There are other procedures that apply only to a few countries, and there can be problems if a document is to be used in a country with which the United Kingdom does not have diplomatic relations.