When we meet
At our meeting, I will need to check various things.
In all cases, I will also need to be clear about what the foreign legal jurisdiction or authority requires from you and from me as a Notary.
If all is well, you will sign the document, and then I will sign and seal it, and either give it back to you or arrange for an Apostille or Consular Legalisation as required.
Here’s a checklist of what you or your representative needs to bring to our meeting:
- The original document(s) which require my seal and signature. Please do not sign anything in advance.
- Two documents to verify your identity or the identity of your business representative:
- The first should be a current valid passport (or driving licence or identity card);
- The second should have your current home address – an original hard copy bank statement, utility or council tax bill, not more than 3 months old
PLEASE NOTE: I WILL CHECK ALL IDENTITY DOCUMENTS UNDER UV LIGHT
For individuals, I will check:
- Your identity
- Whether you are acting on your own behalf or for someone else
- Your willingness to be bound by the document to be notarised
- That you understand the document
For business clients, I will check:
- The identity of your business
- The identity of the person before me
- The authority of that person to act on behalf of your business
- That your business has the legal authority to do whatever the document says or permits
- That your business management is willing to be bound by the document
- That your business representative understands the document
I will also need to see:
- Evidence that your business exists and is of good standing. For UK-registered business, I will usually be able to conduct checks online, which may incur a small fee
- Documents which prove that the person before me has authority to sign the document on behalf of your business. For small companies, this may simply be your company details, which I can check online. For larger organisations or unregistered businesses, I will need to see a suitable signed board resolution or minutes, or some other authority granted to the person before me.