What?

It’s fair to say most people don’t know what a notary is or does; we are often asked is a notary the same as a Notary Public: the answer is yes. And you’ll know if you need one!

Why?

The services of a Notary Public are generally needed in all international business transactions and many legally-binding social transactions such as getting married abroad.

You may need a notary when buying or selling foreign property, exporting pets overseas, when adopting children, to get a certified copy of a passport, to certify copies of other documents such as examination certificates, birth and death certificates. The most common document a Notary Public deals with is a Power of Attorney.

Notaries are often involved in international company business matters such as the notarisation and legalisation of company trade agreements or in connection with the transfer of shares of companies registered outside the UK and many many more transactions with an international element. Top

Who? To find a notary near you, search MyNotary by town or post code

A Notary is a qualified lawyer appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and is subject to regulation by the Court of Faculties. There are approximately 1,000 notaries in England and Wales about 93% of which are also solicitors. Within England and Wales a notary is authorised to carry out all legal work other than the conduct of litigation.

England and Wales and Northern Ireland are common law jurisdictions, Scotland is a Roman law based system with common law influences. Separate court structures and legal professions as well as distinctive laws ensure the preservation of the individual legal traditions. All notaries in Scotland are solicitors regulated by the Law Society of Scotland under the Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1980. Top

Where? To find a notary near you, search MyNotary by town or post code

Notaries work as individuals; some operate within law firms, some from their own home, others are full time notaries - often working across a number of locations To find a notary quickly click on one of the Goggle map location balloons on the front page of www.MyNotary.co.uk or see ‘quick links’ Top

When?

Generally notaries keep normal office hours; some notaries will see you out of hours – a late appointment or during the weekend. Some notaries work in tandem to arrange out of hours cover – see www.mynotary.co.uk or contact us Top

How? To find a notary near you, search www.MyNotary.co.uk by town or post code

Contact your MyNotary notary by phone or email. The meeting with your notary would usually take 15 to 30 minutes depending on the complexity of the matter. Sometimes the process of notarisation can take up to a couple of weeks if the papers need ‘legalisation’.

Legalisation is the process by which the signature and seal of the notary are authenticated. Some countries want one certificate from the Foreign Office and one from their own Embassy. Your MyNotary notary can advise on how to speed up this process – some offer a same-day premium service. Top