Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Notaries can examine and authenticate a wide range of documents, witnessing or obtaining certified copies of these. The notaries’ role is to check for fraud, that you understand the document(s) you are signing and that you are happy to do so. A notarised document will bear the notary’s signature and official seal of office.

These documents include all types of company documents, such as certificates of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, annual returns, board minutes and resolutions and share certificates. We also notarise powers of attorney, statutory declarations, affidavits, witness statements, trademark and patent applications and registrations, letters and many other types of documents.

We also provide a comprehensive legalisation service for our clients where required. These can be dealt with quickly using our London agent’s expedited service in cases of urgency.

Generally speaking, if you have been asked to have a document certified, notarised, verified or similar (for yourself or for your business), for use overseas, you will require the services of a notary public rather than a solicitor. If you are unsure, please contact us and we will be happy to advise and arrange an appointment if needed.

Legalisation is the process by which the signature and seal of the notary are authenticated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and in some cases the relevant Foreign Embassy. Some countries require this. In many cases, a certificate from the FCO called an apostille will suffice.

An apostille is a certificate from the British Government (the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) certifying that the signature and seal on the document are genuine.

A helpful guide from the Hague Conference on Private International Law is available here.

Appointments will normally take place at Blandy & Blandy’s offices at 33 Blagrave Street in Reading, unless we have arranged to meet you at one of the firm’s other offices, in Reading, Henley-on-Thames or Wokingham, or to visit your premises.

Our two qualified and highly experienced notaries, Philip D’Arcy and David Few, provide a comprehensive range of notarial and legalisation services to individuals and businesses of any size. Both are solicitors and former partners at Blandy & Blandy and practise exclusively as notaries.

No, we are unable to accommodate remote appointments or to deal with things online only. Whilst some of the aspects can be handled online, an in-person appointment is the most secure and efficient way of dealing with the process, particularly where identify verification and witnessing signings are concerned.

Yes, it is always best to make an appointment please. Please contact us to arrange a convenient time to visit our offices.

Please bring with you your current passport, or if you do not have one, some other satisfactory picture identity, such as a UK driving licence. You will also need to bring some evidence of your current address, which might be your driving licence or a current bank statement or utility bill, dated within the last three months.

No, it is important that the notary discusses the document with you and witnesses you actually signing the document in-person.

We can usually provide any necessary witnesses.

Yes please, it is very helpful if we have clear instructions from any foreign lawyer(s) involved as to what is required and we have sight of the proposed document before you come and see us. You should submit an online enquiry and then forward any documents or emails to notarial.enquiries@fsnotaries.co.uk.

Our charges depend mainly upon the time it takes, but also the degree of urgency. We have a minimum fee of £100 + VAT (£120) for private documents and £250 + VAT (£300) for commercial documents. If you tell us what is required, we are happy to provide you with a quotation for the cost of the work.

This is a common misconception. The notary does not simply stamp the document. He is certifying the copy to be a true copy of the original and frequently will be taken to be verifying that the original document produced is genuine.  For that reason, the notary needs to carry out certain checks and may need to qualify his certificate in some way.

Although we can certify copies of many documents, we cannot certify copies of UK birth, death and marriage certificates. If we are unable to verify the authenticity of a document, we may need to provide a certified copy, making that clear.

No. It is best if you simply bring the original. We make it our practice to take our own copies so that in the event of there being any issue, we can always confirm that we copy the document ourselves.

If the document is in any language other than English, we will require a translation. This is because the notary has to understand the document so as to be satisfied that you understand what it is that you are signing.

No, this is not something we can assist with. We only draw up Powers of Attorney for use in England and Wales. Powers of Attorney are subject to the law of the country in which they are being used, and must therefore be drawn up by a lawyer with experience of that jurisdiction.

Yes, we can. But most such documents can be dealt with by solicitors who are only permitted to charge £5 per affidavit and £2 per exhibit, so it will almost always be more cost effective to go to a solicitor. You will normally need a notary where the document is for use outside of England and Wales.

Yes, we can assist in obtaining an apostille and any other form of legalisation that may be required.

Please complete our enquiry form, where you will be able to let our team know if you require our services urgently.