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Notary Public

Appointments for our notarial service are available from 9.00am to 12.00pm on a Tuesday or Thursday. To book an appointment please ring our Switchboard on 02380 482482. If you have a general enquiry regarding our notarial service please email cliff.morris@parissmith.co.uk who will be able to help you.

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We have a Notary Public based in each of our Southampton and Winchester offices.

What is a Notary Public?

A Notary Public is appointed by the Court of Faculties of the Archbishop of Canterbury and is subject to regulation by the Master of the Faculties. The rules which affect notaries are very similar to the rules which affect solicitors. They must be fully insured and maintain fidelity cover for the protection of their clients and the public. They must keep clients’ money separately from their own and comply with stringent practice rules and rules relating to conduct and discipline. Notaries have to renew their practising certificates every year and can only do so if they have complied with the rules. Their independent practices as Notaries are carried on in conjunction with the main legal practice of Paris Smith in compliance with the Notaries Practice Rules 2019.

Notaries are primarily concerned with the authentication and certification of signatures, authority and capacity relating to documents for use abroad.

Notary services for businesses

Some of the most common tasks that a Notary Public is asked to perform for businesses are:

certificates of incorporation;
memorandum & articles of association, registers of members & directors;
corporate powers of attorney;
corporate and commercial contracts;
attestation of certificates of good standing;
verification of company director/secretary signatures;
affidavits and statutory declarations;
documents issued by regulatory bodies in the UK (e.g. HM Revenue & Customs, Companies House etc.);
authentication of documents required for opening and/or operating a foreign bank account; and
arranging for the legalisation of documentation by way of an apostille or consular stamp.

Notary services for individuals

Some of the most common tasks that a Notary Public is asked to perform for individuals are:

preparing and authenticating powers of attorney for use overseas;
dealing with purchase or sale of land and property abroad;
authenticating foreign wills and providing documents to deal with the administration of the estates of people who are abroad, or owning property abroad;
authenticating personal documents and information for immigration or emigration purposes, or to apply to marry or to work abroad, such as education or professional qualifications or declarations of freedom to marry; and
providing authentication and a secure record for almost any sort of transaction, document or event.