Useful info

MR. PAUL A. MARTIN (NOTARY PUBLIC)
HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR MEETING WITH THE NOTARY

Although each case will be different, the Notary will:

– Expect you to make an appointment.

– Need you to bring good evidence of identity. Generally, this will have to be a current valid passport and something like a Council tax or electricity bill that is less than three months old and not downloaded from the internet, to confirm your address.

– Need to be satisfied that you understand any document, if the document is not in English, please let the notary know in advance.

– Want to see any relevant papers or documents that relate to the matter.

It helps a lot if you can email a copy of your document to us in advance of your appointment.

STAGES OF A NOTARIAL TRANSACTION:

Instructions

Receiving and reviewing of your instructions.

Confirmation of what needs to be done; for example, any background checks or additional processing such as translation, or obtaining an Apostille from the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office.

Confirmation

We provide you with an estimate of costs and likely timescales.

You will be asked to confirm acceptance of our Terms of Service and Data Protection policies.

A mutually convenient meeting is arranged to confirm your identity.

Meeting

You confirm that you understand the content of the documents.

When signing on behalf of a company, we verify that you have the authority/capacity) to sign.

A notarial certificate is drafted as necessary, affixing the notarial stamp to the documents.

Advise

If requested, we arrange for the document(s) to be legalised at the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office and at the relevant Embassy as necessary.

Documents may be returned to you or forwarded onwards.

Copies of your notarised documents may be provided.

WHAT DOES IT COST?

For most matters we should be able to tell you our fees in advance, however, a minimum fee of £120 does apply (please note the notary is registered for VAT). For more complex matters we will tell you how the fee will be assessed, usually based on how long we will have to work on your matter and in which case our expert’s time will be charged at £250 per hour. There may be additional fees to payable to third parties, such as the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office or an Embassy (known as Legalisation) but we will advise you of these at the outset.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

If the document is straightforward, already prepared and in the correct form we are likely to need to see you for a minimum of 15–20 minutes and complete what needs to be done in half an hour. Obviously, it takes longer if the document is not straightforward, or we must draw up the document or make a proper copy.