Which might include: buying a house, dealing with legal disputes, registering a trade mark. There are various activities which somebody might be able to carry out on your behalf so you don’t have to ultimately travel to the country and deal with them yourselves. Now sometimes you won’t possibly be able to deal with them yourselves, so you’ll need to sign the Power of Attorney and get that notarised by a UK Notary Public so somebody can act on your behalf. So what do you need to think about when you’re getting a Power of Attorney notarised? There’s a few things really. The first one is you have to consider that as soon as you’ve signed the Power of Attorney, someone has the authority to act as you. So you have to be absolutely comfortable as to the extent of power is appropriate to enable the appointed person to carry out the activities you want them to on your behalf, but not do anything that you wouldn’t want them to do.

The other thing a good London Notary will advise clients to consider is whether there should be a time limit placed on the Power of Attorney. Now, it may be this relates to a property transaction and you know that that’s going to be dealt with or you hope it’s going to be dealt with within three to six months. So it might be appropriate to say, well, the power of attorney should only last for six months, or maybe a little bit longer to give yourself a bit of scope nine months or a year, but you certainly wouldn’t want that power to run indefinitely. The last thing to think about is once you’ve signed the Power of Attorney, you can’t just say, I don’t want to continue. So if you change your mind, you can’t just say, “stop the bus! I don’t want you to continue to act on my behalf”.

What you’d need to do is formerly revoke the Power of Attorney which involves going through the same process you go through when you originally execute the Power of Attorney. So don’t be put off by powers of attorney. They are usual documents, particularly for UK Notaries to deal with. They can offer them be in jewel languages or different languages. Obviously please make sure you get a translation so you’re entirely comfortable as to what is contained within the Power of Attorney. Then, if you’re happy with the power of attorney, find a London Notary who can deal with it, notarising it, and sometimes also legalising it if that’s required based on the country. The Public Notary should be able to assist you with explaining any questions you have about the Power of Attorney so you can move forward comfortably knowing that you’ve got the appropriate documentation in place.

So thanks again for your Notary questions. If you have any other questions about Powers of Attorney or anything else Notaries deal with, please do get in touch. We love all your questions and we’ll keep doing these little Free Notary Public video clips to hopefully demystify and give you even more straight forward and simple information about the matters and and activities which Notary Publics undertake.

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Common tasks performed by a Public Notary

• notarisation of wills;
• witnessing the signing of Deed Poll name changes documents;
• notarising letters of consent for travelling abroad;
• the signing of property deeds; and
• notarisation of powers of attorney,

All of which require the individual to sign the document in the presence of the Notary Public. If you’re looking for a public notary in London, we would suggest you consider our Public Notary Practice which has over 10 years experience of servicing Notary clients in London.

It is often a surprise to our clients, but there aren’t a great deal of notaries operating in London. That said, though, we are proud to consider ourselves as one of the very best. We offer same day service from our office at 273 – 287 Regent Street in London and even provide same day Notary appointments at very short notice. You can also find us after office hours since we realise how pressing and time sensitive it can be to get certain documents notarised on time. Our services are all about convenience and availability to the client. We believe you won’t find a more accommodating or professional public notary in London.

So when you are searching for a London Public Notary please do give us a try. We work in a friendly and efficient manner and get everything taken care of on the day you need it. You can even book an appointment or make payments online. For more information, call us or visit our website on https://mdpryke-notary.com/or 02073556019.

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To minimise this risk of a notarised document being rejected a Notary Public must ensure all powers of attorney for use in Spain are:

Power of Attorney for Spain – Notarisation Requirements

1. PUBLIC FORM documents only; and
2. Should not be preceded with a Notarial certificate of execution, nor should they have a Notarial certificate annexed to it; and
3. CONTAIN a clear statement to confirm the Notary Public has judged the appearer to have the necessary LEGAL CAPACITY to grant the Spanish Power of Attorney

If you are unsure about a power of attorney for Spain that has been sent to you on any of these points please contact our London Notary Public office on mailto:matthew@mdpryke-notary.com or 0207 355 6019 and we will assist with the Notarisation of the Spanish POA for you.

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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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MD Pryke Notary Public was recently approached by a US citizen visiting the UK, enquiring whether we offered a London mobile notary service, who then requested we meet him in Manchester.  Unfortunately, we were not able to fulfil his request but as mobile notary service is a term commonly typed into search engines, we thought that it may be useful to explore what distance a member of the public can expect a Notary Public in London to travel in order to meet clients.

As discussed in previous Notary Public London Guides, MD Pryke Notary Public is based in the City of Westminster, and we will travel to our clients’ homes or business addresses in Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, Camden, Islington, Wandsworth, Lambeth and Southwark.

London is such a densely populated city that any reputable London Notary will most likely offer a mobile service in order to process a notarial matter.  Notary fees vary widely however so please remember that an additional cost may be incurred if a client requests a mobile notary service.

For further details on Notary fees or any of the issues covered in this guide, please contact MD Pryke Notary Public on 0207 636 4422.

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‘London presents a very competitive market in which to operate a Notary Public service’, says Matthew.  ‘It is vital that as a business focused Notary practice based in central London, we match the pace and intensity of the corporate clients we serve.

‘Of course, a London Notary Practice such as ours thrives on repeat business from clients who value our level of service, our competitive pricing structure and our forensic attention to detail on every transaction.  To pass the 1000 mark for new clients remains a significant achievement however, and it reflects the intelligence and hard work of the MD Pryke Notary Public team who go to such great lengths to ensure that every notarial transaction is completed swiftly and efficiently, and with the absolute minimum of fuss.

‘Whether my staff are advising clients on legalisation matters, apostille work, power of attorney issues or our free deed poll service; their diligence and common sense approach is unparalleled.’

For further details of how this Notary London practice can service your Notarial requirements, please contact us on 0207 6364422, or via our website.

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What is the OPG?

The Office of the Public Guardian is an agency of the Ministry of Justice.  It was established in 2007 to replace the Public Guardianship office, the former administrative arm of the Court of Protection.  It is based in North London and its remit is as follows:

• The regulation and supervision of Court appointed deputies.
• To work with other agencies should suspicions be aroused that a POA has been granted to a party who is subsequently abusing this privilege.
• To provide information on mental capacity to the public, health workers, and legal professionals such as a Notary Public in London.

What is the COP?

The Court of Protection makes decisions on the affairs, property, welfare and healthcare of people who lack the mental capacity to operate for themselves.  It is a superior Court of Record; therefore it has powers similar to the High Court and can set precedent for future cases.  Any Notary Public in London will be aware of the COP’s remit which is to:

• Decide if an EPA or LPA is valid.
• Remove appointed Attorney’s who neglect or abuse their positions.
• Hear cases relating to any objection to an LPA.
• Appoint deputies.
• Make decisions for people who lack capacity.
• Decide whether a person is capable of conducting their own affairs.

For a more in depth analysis of any of the points covered here, or for further information regarding the Notary Public London Guides, please contact MD Pryke Notary Public.

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Enduring Power Of Attorney

A Notary Public in London (or anywhere in England and Wales) could, prior to 2007, register their client for an Enduring POA.  It’s purpose was for someone to register a third party with the capacity to make financial and legal decisions on their behalf when the Attorney in question believed that the donor was becoming mentally unable to execute decisions in their own best interest.

Many Notaries Public in London are unaware that although these Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs) can no longer be registered, they are still valid if they came into force prior to 2007.  These EPAs have now been superseded by Lasting Power of Attorney.

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)

As a Notary Public in London, MD Pryke Notary Public is often asked to arrange an LPA.  Firstly, it is important to remember that a LPA must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.  If the LPA is not pre-registered with the Office of the Public Guardian it will not be legally binding.  It’s purpose is to provide a named third party with the right to administer your estate should you be entering a state of mental decline.

The next Notary Public London Guide will address the role of the Office of the Public Guardian and the Court of Protection.

For further information about the Notary Public London Guides, or any aspect of Power of Attorney, please call MD Pryke Notary Public on 0207 6364422 or contact us via the usual channels.

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What is a Power of Attorney?

There are several different types of Power of Attorney and your Notary Public will recommend which to pursue depending on the individual circumstances which we will address later in this series.  Broadly speaking, however, a Power of Attorney (also known as POA) is a procedure where you grant a third party the right to act on your behalf.

Who seeks a Power of Attorney?

Again, there are several different circumstances where a person might approach a Notary Public in London (or solicitor, barrister, etc) either to draft a POA or to get one notarised.  One of the main reasons is to ensure that, should you become too mentally infirm to conduct your own affairs, you would grant someone a POA to act in your best interests.  This is often in case of senile dementia, prior to a serious surgical procedure, or simply as a prudent step to protect against misfortune.

Alternatively, someone conducting a property deal in a foreign country may approach a Notary in London to draft a POA on their behalf, so they can authorise a third person, often a foreign qualified lawyer, to act for them, without having to be physically present at the property transaction.

For further information regarding how your Notary in London may assist with a Power of Attorney, please see further articles in this series, or contact MD Pryke Notary Public on 0207 636 4422.

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