What is a Notary Public?

The Notaries Society provides useful guidance on the profession of a Notary Public. In summary Notaries are the oldest limb of the UK legal profession. A Notary Public prepares Notary Acts, mainly within England for use as Notarised documents everywhere in the world. Documents which are most often presented to a Notary Public at our Notaries Offices in London for Notarisation include:

• Notary Document 1 – granting a Power of Attorney, this involves allowing an individual to act on behalf of a company or individual
• Notary Document 2 – signing a sworn statement, such as an Affidavit or Statutory Declaration
• Notary Document 3 – get an Apostille or other legalisation from a consulate
• Notary Document 4 – get a certified and Notarised copy of a passport
• Notary Document 5 – open a bank account
• Notary Document 6 – buy, sell or transfer property
• Notary Document 7 – sign a deed in front of a Notary Public
• Notary Document 8 – have a Notary translation, which involves a translation being certified by a notary public
• Notary Document 9 – confirm an individuals’ single status in order to marry
• Notary Document 10 – to confirm an academic award or professional qualification

Whatever the document being Notarised there are 2 forms of Notarial Act:

1. A Notarial Act in Public form
2. A Notarial Act in Private form

For further assistance with getting documents correctly Notarised or to visit our Notary Public London Offices please contact us to book an appointment on 0207 355 6000.

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Affiant – The person signing an Affidavit.

Affidavit – A written statement of evidence which is signed before a person authorised to administer affidavits such as a Notary Public.

Affix – Attaching or impressing the Notary Seal to a document.

Authenticate – Most commonly, authentications are requested for documents that are bound for a foreign country. A document is authenticated by attaching an Apostille or certificate of authority to it.

Apostille, Apostillized, Apostille Certificate – The legalization certificate, or certificate of authority, issued by the Legalisation Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Certify – To authenticate or attest a document as being true or represented.

Commission for Oaths – A Notary Public or other professional authorized to administer an oath to a person making an affidavit. For further information please visit.

Deed Poll – A Deed Poll is a form of legal contract which only concerns one person and is signed by that person in presence of a witness. A Deed Poll is a name to legally changes the name of the person who signs it.

Identification document – The evidence used to confirm identity. This will usually be a current passport and a bank statement or utility bill to confirm your residential address.

Notarisation – The process of a Notary Public adding a Notary Stamp and Notary Seal to a document.  

Notary Legalisation – The process by which the signature and seal of the notary are authenticated by the Foreign Office and/or the Embassy or Consulate of the country in which the document is to be used. This process varies depending on the country.

Notary Public, Public Notary or Notary – The role of a Notary Public is to verify, corroborate, prepare and certify legal documents for global use.

Notary Seal – The imprint or embossed impression of a Notary Public’s stamp.

Notarisation – This is the term used to describe how a Notary Public witnesses and certifies the execution of the document or confirms a legal principle or fact. Often notarisation requires the Notary Public to draft of a specific and suitable notarial certificate.

Notarial Act – An official act that a Notary Public is authorized to perform by statute. Can be in Public or Private form and is also sometimes referred to as a Notarial Deed.

Notarial translation – A Notary will affirm the translation is a true representation of the original document.

Power of Attorney – A document giving a person authority to act for another person in specified or all legal or financial matters.

Signatory – A person who has signed an agreement or contract.

Statutory Declarations – A prescribed declaration, made under statutory authority, which may in certain cases be substituted for a statement on oath before a Notary Public.

Witness – To observe the signature or execution of a document in order to authenticate it.

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