The path to becoming a Notary Public is a three stage process involving academic and professional training before Admission. It is important to mention that this process does not apply to Notary Publics already qualified in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the EU or the European Free Trade Area although in some cases notaries from these locations may be required to pass an aptitude test.

In order to be admitted as a Notary Public a person must be at least 21 years of age, have taken the oath of allegiance under the Public Notaries Act 1843 and have a degree in law or hold a position as a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales or a barrister at law. Individuals that qualified within the last 5 years need not undertake further study as they are presumed to have adequate knowledge of the fundamental subjects; Public & Constitutional Law, The Law of Property, The Law of Contract, The Law of the European Union, Equity and the Law of Trusts; Conveyancing, The Law and Practice of Companies and Partnership, Wills, Probate and Administration. Solicitors and barristers who qualified over 5 years ago may also be deemed exempt from academic training if it is found they have sufficient experience in these areas. A certificate of exemption is granted by the Master’s Qualifications Board and must be obtained prior to commencing the Notary Public Course course.

The professional component is fulfilled by completing the Notarial Practice Course at University College London. The 2 year course covers subjects such as Roman law as an Introduction to Civil-Law Systems, Private International Law and Notarial Practice.

Having passed the Notary Public Practice Course, applicants are then required to attend a one day Office Practice Course. Following this, a formal application can be made to the Faculty Office for Admission to the Roll of Notaries. References are taken by the Faculty Office on behalf of the Master of the Faculties and, if found to be acceptable, an individual is admitted to the Notarial profession.

For full details about the London Notary Public qualification course and procedure please contact The Faculty Office email faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com or visit the website www.facultyoffice.org.uk.

If you have any questions about the work we do here at London Notary Public please get in touch with M D Pryke Notary Public via the usual channels.

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The Foreign and Commonwealth office advise that both Legalisation offices will operate as usual, up to and including Thursday 23 December 2010.

Milton Keynes – Norfolk House:

24 December: 09.30 to 14.00

27 December: Closed

28 December: Closed

29 December: Closed

30 December: 09.30 to 15.30

31 December: 09.30 to 14.00

03 December: Closed

04 December: 09.30 to 15.30

We are further advised that every Notary in London with documents to legalise on behalf of their clients must submit these documents by 15.00 on Thursday 23 December, in order that they can be legalised by Christmas.

Any Notary in London that wishes to have documents legalised before New Year must submit them prior to 15.00 on 30 December.

A Notary in London who wishes to legalise business documents on behalf of their clients must, as ever, submit them to the Centre Point offices in London.

The opening hours for the Centre point offices are as follows:

24 December: 09.00 to 14.00

27 December: Closed

28 December: Closed

29 December: Closed

30 December: 09.00 to 15.30

31 December: 09.00 to 14.00

03 December: Closed

04 December: 09.00 to 15.30

Notaries in London wishing to work around the FCO’s holiday hours are advised that on Christmas Eve they will accept documents received in the morning postal delivery and collect and return those taken in on 23 December.

For further information on the Notary information displayed here, please contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office directly, or MD Pryke Notary Public LLP on 0207 636 4422.

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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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So, let’s tackle the definition of money laundering.  When the criminal receives the proceeds of crime they must search for a way to legitimise their windfall.  They do this by placing their money back into the financial system in order to disguise its origins and to appear as if it were the proceeds of a legitimate financial transaction.

This initial ‘placement’ of monies is often the easiest stage to detect that a crime has taken place so a Notary Public will take steps to ensure that they receive the correct level of identification before they can properly act.  If they suspect the motives of a client who, for example, wishes only to deal in cash without providing a reason for so doing, a Notary Public in London (or elsewhere, for that matter) is obliged to report their suspicions to the relevant authorities.  The procedure for this and the relevant contact details of the organisations involved will be published in future Notary Public London Guides.

The next stage in the money laundering process is often called layering, which is where a criminal will try to pass the money through a bewildering array of transactions designed to obscure its origins.

The final stage of which a Notary Public must be aware is the process of integration, whereby the criminal attempts to reintroduce the proceeds of his crime back into circulation, most often through a property transaction or by establishing a trading company.

For further details of money laundering regulations and how they affect a Notary Public in London, please contact Matthew Pryke through the usual channels or by calling 0207 636 4422.

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As any Notary Public in London will tell you, once qualified it is still necessary to obtain a yearly practising certificate from the Faculty Office (the regulatory body for Notaries Public) in order to conduct notarial business.  As ever, the rules of the Faculty Office are stringent and each Notary Public is required to submit information on a variety of topics, confirming, amongst other matters, that:

• They act independently from any Law firm
• The Notary holds the minimum amount of indemnity insurance, currently set at £750,000
• The Notary is aware of current money laundering regulations and will run their practice accordingly
• They hold a current practicing certificate as a Solicitor

Once the Faculty office is satisfied that the petitioning Notary meets their criteria, they issue a yearly practicing certificate which currently costs £350.

For further details of how to qualify as a Notary Public, contact Matthew on 02076364422.

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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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This is a brief guide to selecting a Notary Public in London.

Client Base

A Notary Public should be able to provide a brief list of clients for whom they undertake matters on a regular basis.  Notary Public services vary widely and as with any business relationship, it is important to find a Notary Public who understands your needs and can demonstrate a client base that operates in a similar field to your own.

Location

A Central London location is essential for any London Notary Public.   They don’t have to be on your doorstep, however, as a good Notary Public will have an extensive courier network.  Therefore a Notary in W1 will have broadly the same catchment area as a Notary in Mayfair, or a Notary in Westminster.

Out of hours service

Many businesses in London will hold interests on several continents, and a London Notary Public in tune with the pace and requirements of corporations will provide an out of hours service.

Same day service

Always ask your prospective Notary Public whether they can provide a same day service.  A Notary Public in London should be able to provide a same day service on the overwhelming majority matters they undertake.

For further details on any aspect of our Notary Public in London service, please contact us via email or call on 0207 636 4422.  Alternatively, view our YouTube channel.

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At MD Pryke Notary Public we use a steel Notary stamp as pictured below

Which creates a Notary stamp imprint as follows

For more information on UK Notary stamps, please contact M D Pryke Notary Public through the usual channels.

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The Hague Convention of Jan 1965 decreed that some documents used in foreign states would no longer require further legalisation provided that they had an Apostille certificate attached.  Some countries, however, will still require further legalisation such as China and India amongst others.

This is the second in a series of free articles from MD Pryke Notary Public detailing all aspects of the Apostille process.

Article 1 entitled ‘Apostilles – a brief guide’ dealt with: The need for an Apostille Certificate, the information contained on an Apostille Certificate, and why some countries do not accept them.

Apostille Certificates are accepted by the following states at the time of publishing.

Countries not listed below may still accept an Apostille but often require further legalisation.

A

Albania Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Austria Australia Azerbaijan

B
Bahamas Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bosnia Botswana Brunei Bulgaria

C

China Colombia Cook Islands Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic

D
Denmark Dominica Dominican Republic

E
Ecuador El Salvador Estonia

F
Fiji Finland France

G
Georgia Germany Greece Grenada

H
Honduras Hong Kong Hungary

I
Iceland India Ireland Israel Italy

J
Japan

K
Kazakhstan Korea

L
Latvia Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg

M
Malawi Macedonia Malta Marshall Islands Mauritius Mexico Monaco Moldova Mongolia Montenegro

N
Namibia Netherlands New Zealand Norway

P
Panama Poland Portugal

R
Romania Russian Federation

S
Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Serbia Seychelles Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Swaziland Sweden Switzerland

T
Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Turkey

U
Ukraine United Kingdom USA

V
Vanuatu Venezuela

For further information on any aspect of the Apostille process, please contact MD Pryke Notary Public on 0207 636 4422.  Apostille Certificates form a central part of our London Notary service and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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