Types of notarial certification
Sunil Kambli NOTARY PUBLIC can undertake the following types of notarial certification for individuals and for companies:- Powers of Attorney for worldwide use (we can also draft Powers of Attorney, if required)
- Statutory Declarations
- International Affidavits, Sworn Statements, and Depositions
- Notarising Private Agreements for Worldwide use, including use in the UK.
- Certified Translations
- Property Documents for worldwide use
- Fingerprinting confirmation
- Doctors and Dentists Examination Submission
- Lost Passports & Birth Certificates
- Change of Name deed preparation and Notarisation
- Certified Copy Documents for worldwide use
- Permission for Children to Travel with a lone Parent
- Retirement Life Certificates
- Adoption Papers and Verifications
- Certificates as to Residency
- Immigration Invitation Support Forms
- Sponsorship forms
- University Certificate and School Qualification Verifications
- Overseas Car Purchases or Sales Documentation
- Passport Photos and True Likeness Certificates
- Certified copy of a passport
- Certification of the execution of Company Powers of Attorney
- Providing Notarisation of Certificates of Incorporation or Memorandum & Articles of Association for UK Companies
- Notarised Certificates of Good Standing
- Certification of Identity of Directors, Secretaries and other Company Officers
- Certifying the execution of Commercial Contracts for worldwide use
- Providing Certified Copies of Company Resolutions, Minutes, Reports and other Company Documents
- Commissioner for Oaths Services
Who is a Notary Public?
A Notary is a qualified lawyer – a member of the third and oldest branch of the legal profession in the United Kingdom. I am appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, with delegated authority from the Queen, and am subject to regulation by the Court of Faculties of the Archbishop of Canterbury. A Notary Public is authorised to authenticate documents for use abroad, i.e. for use in any country outside of England & Wales.
Why choose Premier Solicitors?
Our Notary Public has several years experience in dealing with a wide range of Notarial Services, and is a specialist in notarial work for private individuals and for companies.
Our Notary Public works full time and is usually able to fit you in at short notice. We offer extended opening hours 9am to 5.30pm weekdays.
Getting ready for your appointment
- We expect you to make an appointment. Please call us on 01234 348 198 or email: sunil.kambli@premiersolicitors.co.uk
- We need you to bring good evidence of identity. Generally this will have to be a current valid passport, and driving licence or an original and recent (i.e. less than 3 months old) council tax, or electricity bill, or bank statement with your name and address on it, in order to confirm your address.
- If you are signing a document on behalf of a Company, then we will additionally need to undertake Companies House checks on the Company and its Directors. We will require you to provide us with the Company Number so we may undertake the search. We will also usually require 2 Directors, or 1 Director and the Company Secretary, to personally attend to sign the document(s), bringing with them their personal ID documents (as above). We will also require a copy of the Board Minute, whereby the Board has authorised the signing of the document by the 2 Directors (or 1 Director and the Company Secretary).
- We need to be satisfied that you understand any document, and so you will need to have read and understood the document before you attend the appointment. If you have any queries about the document then you will need to raise these queries with the lawyer/person who drew up the document. If a document is not in English, then we will usually need to see certified translation.
- We will want to see any relevant papers or documents that relate to the matter prior to the appointment. It can save time, expense and mistakes, if you send to the Notary Public, before the appointment by email, full photocopies of the document(s) to be notarised and any covering correspondence and instructions from the destination country. Direct email: sunil.kambli@premiersolicitors.co.uk
- You will need to sign the document(s) in the presence of the Notary Public, so do not sign the document (s) beforehand. If you have already signed the document before reading these instructions, then you will need to arrange for a fresh copy of the document to be sent to you.
- We do not take plastic, so our fees are payable by cash or cheque. Cheques are payable to "MR SUNIL KAMBLI NOTARY PUBLIC".
- Please see Terms & Conditions.
- If you fail to bring in the documentation as required, then you will need to re-book a new appointment.
How long will it take?
If the document is straightforward, already prepared and in the correct form the Notary is likely to need to see you for a minimum of 15 – 20 minutes and complete it in half an hour. Obviously it takes longer if the document is not straightforward, or the Notary has to draw up the document or deal with any non-routine aspects.
Legalisation services - what is an Apostille?
Frequently, once a document has been notarised, some further formalities must be undertaken before it can be sent overseas, generally either in the form of consular legalisation (often referred to simply as "consularisation") or an Apostille.
Document Legalisation is a process by which papers are confirmed as authentic in the country of origin so that overseas organisations or authorities will accept them. In order to have an apostille the document has to originate in the UK and bear either the signature of a Notary Public or recognisable public official, or a court stamp.
An Apostille is a certificate issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office ('FCO') confirming the signature and seal of the notary, in accordance with the Hague Convention dealing with international legal matters.
The "apostille" attests to the validity of the signature of the notary public, county official, but not of the underlying signature nor of the contents of the document.
The FCO had recently relocated to Milton Keynes, but the public counter is now closed to members of the public and only open to authorised business users, which as a Notary Public I am. We use a courier service to swiftly and safely send your document to the FCO and obtain an Apostille, making the process easy for you.
All countries signed up to the Hague Convention will accept documents with an Apostille Certificate. Some countries still require notarial documents to be legalised and the document must in these circumstances be presented to the consulate or other diplomatic representation of the country where the document is to be used. Again, we can arrange for a courier service to deal with legalisation at a number of agencies, and if this is required we will need to know in advance to obtain a fee quote from our courier agent. We work closely with a number of embassies, consulates and High Commissions for most countries in the world with a base in the UK, including: the Indian Embassy, the Indian High Commission, the Brazilian Embassy, the Korean Embassy, the Philippines Embassy, the Vietnamese Embassy, the Embassy of the UAE, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, to name but a few.
What does it cost?
We normally charge a set fee of £150 per document/signature required to be attended to by the Notary Public.
If further independent witnesses are required, we charge £5 per witness.
For companies, we are required to undertake searches at Companies House and these cost in the region of £1 to £6, and these disbursements will be in addition to our fees.
A full quotation can only be provided if full papers are provided to the Notary Public in advance of making an appointment.
Non-routine work is charged for on an hourly rate basis. The hourly rate of the Notary Public is £345. The Notary Public will agree this with you beforehand, but can usually offer a fixed fee.
If you require an Apostille from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) then we can arrange this for you for a fee of £125.00 per document (including the FCO fee and courier fees). In terms of timescales we would send this document via our courier once it has been notarised and this can be done on a 4-5 working day turn around. If you require the document urgently then we can arrange for this to be done on the 2-3 working day turn around but the cost of this would be £170.00.
If you additionally require consular legalisation from a specific embassy, we can arrange this for you. Please let us know in advance and we can obtain a fee quote from our courier agent.
If you require an office visit, for company documents, we charge this on a time spent basis at the hourly rate of the Notary Public. We require you to send in full papers so we can prepare and print any notarial certificates, and can invoice the company for the agreed fees.
We do not take plastic, so our fees are payable by cash or cheque. Cheques are payable to "MR SUNIL KAMBLI NOTARY PUBLIC".
But all I want is a signature?
It is not just any signature that you are after, it is the signature and seal of a Notary Public that you require. A Notary Public is a specialist lawyer that deals with international legal matters, and so charges in accordance with the expertise they offer.
There are a number of professional obligations which are inherent in the process of notarising documents that the Notary must comply with, which include: identifying the Appearer; keeping copies of the Appearer's identification documents; ensuring that the Appearer has the necessary capacity to sign the document; ensuring that the Appearer has the necessary authority to sign the document; ensuring that the Appearer has read and understood the document and that they understand that they will be bound by the document; maintaining a protocol register of details of the Appearer and details of the work performed; keeping and storing copies of the relevant documents (for the rest of the life of the Notary, including making arrangements for the storage of your documents after death!). A Notary Public is usually a member of the Notaries Society, and is answerable to the Faculties Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Powers of Attorney for worldwide use (we can also draft Powers of Attorney, if required)
You would normally get the document drawn up by your lawyer in the relevant overseas jurisdiction, and this is what we recommend.
We cannot generally advise on overseas law. If you require us to prepare the Power of Attorney for your use then we will do so and prepare a standard form document for you, but this is fully at your own risk. If the document is then unacceptable to the receiving jurisdiction then you will of course incur additional expense, as well as delay, in asking either us, or an overseas lawyer to draw up the document, so it is best to get it right the first time.
We often draw up Powers of Attorney for Commonwealth (or former Commonwealth) countries, and an English Power of Attorney is accepted. We do these mostly for India and Pakistan, but we do repeat this is fully at your own risk. Clients ask us to draw up such documents due to the impracticality of locating a suitable Indian/Pakistani lawyer.
If you require us to do this for you, then we require the following information from you:
- The full name and address of the person giving the Power (i.e. the Donor);
- The full name and address of the person to act on the Donor's behalf (i.e. the Attorney);
- The full name of the father of the Donor;
- The full name of the father of the Attorney;
- The address of the land/property;
- What 'transaction' needs to be dealt with;
- A passport photo for each Donor.
Indian / Pakistani Powers of Attorney
We would recommend that you bring a passport sized photograph for each Donor, as Indian/Pakistani authorities generally like to see these affixed to the Power of Attorney.
Statutory Declarations and Affidavits
A statutory declaration is a legal document, and is commonly used to allow a person to affirm something to be true for the purposes of satisfying a legal requirement or regulation, where no other evidence is available.
An affidavit is very similar, but it is a sworn document, and is often used for matters to do with court.
We can prepare the statutory declaration or affidavit for you, and then notarise it for you. Our fees for the preparation of this type of formal legal document range between £50 and £150, depending on what is required. You will need to let us know what guidance you have been provided with, and email to us the detail of the content of the document, and we can then prepare the document in legal form. The fee for notarising the document will be in addition, and is as detailed in the fees section above.
Sponsorship declarations
Click here for a copy of the sponsorship declaration form. We provide this to you free of charge.
Sponsorship Declarations no longer (for several years now) need to have a notarial signature and seal, and can be attested by a qualified Solicitor. Our Solicitors charge £5 (cash fee) for dealing with this for you. The document needs to be fully completed beforehand, but you must not sign it until you see the Solicitor. The Solicitor will not check anything, but just require you to certify that the details you have given are correct and sign the document.
The problem is that many Indian/Pakistani authorities are used to seeing the signature and seal of a Notary Public, and want the reassurance that the details on the Sponsorship Declaration have been properly checked. Our Notary Public can do this for you and the charges will be from £150 to give you this additional assurance and peace of mind. The Notary Public will need to see all of the following original documents:
- Passport;
- UK driving licence to confirm address (or original and recent (i.e. less than 3 months old) utility bill or bank statement with name and address);
- Evidence of occupation stated – i.e. payslips, employment contract, pension book, accounts – which states occupation;
- Evidence of earnings stated – i.e. payslips, employment contract, pension book, accounts, tax return, letter from accountant – which verifies earnings figure stated;
- Bank statement from relevant bank verifying figure stated; and
- Title deeds verifying ownership of property – these can be downloaded from the Land Registry for £4 - Click Here for the appropriate page - or tenancy agreement if your property is rented.
University Certificates and other Educational Certificates
Firstly, the Notary Public can simply photocopy each certificate and prepare a notarial certificate to state: that the educational certificates have been produced to him by the Appearer on the date in question, and the Notary has verified the identity of the Appearer, and that the Notary has seen the original of such certificates, and that the Appearer states they are genuine, but that the Notary has not verified that the certificates are genuine. This is the type of certification that most clients require. We charge £150 for preparing each notarial certificate to deal with an educational certificate, and if there are a number of educational certificates done under cover of one notarial certificate, then we charge £10 for each additional educational certificate that needs to be dealt with.
Or secondly, if the receiving jurisdiction requires that the Notary Public verifies that the certificates are genuine then we can do this. We will need to write to each organisation that issued the certificate and obtain their written confirmation that the certificate is genuine. The educational establishment, or examination body, often require specific forms to be completed and signed by the client with a payment of their fee, and the process varies from organisation to organisation. This type of certification can take many weeks to complete (depending on the number of certificates, and formalities required by the organisation). We charge for such work on a time spent basis at the hourly rate of the Notary Public, i.e. £295 per hour.
Foreign language documents
Where a document is in a foreign language the Notary will normally ask you to prepare it and sign it in English so that it may be properly translated in the country to which it is to be sent. Similarly, arrangements may have to be made for a competent professional interpreter to be available at the interview. There will be additional cost if an interpreter, or translation services, are required.
Regulatory information
My work as a notary is separate and distinct from my work as a solicitor. My profession as a notary is regulated through the Faculty Office, and not by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. My notarial practice is regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury: The Faculty Office, 1, The Sanctuary, Westminster, London, SW1P 3JT. Email: Faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com. Website:www.facultyoffice.org.uk. If you have complaints about my work please do not hesitate to contact me, and if the matter cannot be immediately resolved I will refer your complaint to the Notaries Society of which I am a member, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. Alternatively, you can complain to the Notaries Society direct. Please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to:- Christopher Vaughan, Secretary of The Notaries Society, Old Church Chambers, 23 Sandhill Road, St James, Northampton, NN5 5LH. Email:secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk. Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may within 6 months at the end of that procedure make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman (whose contact details are below) if the matter has not been resolved to your satisfaction: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ Tel: 0300 555 0333. Or enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk. Website:www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
Privacy statement
We use computer safeguards such as firewalls and data encryption, passwords and limited access to your matters; and we enforce, where possible, physical access controls to our buildings and files to keep data safe. View our full Data Privacy Notice here.
Data protection
I am registered under the Data Protection Act. I am also a member of Premier Solicitors (Bedford) Ltd, whose IT systems I use, and so by signing these terms and conditions you accept that I will only share your personal data with Premier Solicitors (Bedford) Ltd, and you authorise us to pass your information and consent on to parties directly involved in this transaction. We will never sell your personal information to third parties. You are entitled to request a copy of your personal data (otherwise known as a Subject Access Request). If you wish to make a request, please do so in writing addressed to our Data Protection Officer Sunil Kambli - Contact details Sunil Kambli Notary Public, Premier House, Lurke Street Bedford MK40 3HU. A request for access to your personal data means you are entitled to a copy of the data we hold on you such as your name, address, contact details, date of birth, information etc. This means that a Subject Access Request will not normally result in you getting a copy of your file because you are only entitled to your personal data not the documents that contain that data. Upon receipt of the request we are permitted to request a fee to recover costs.
