You are likely to require the services of a Notary if you are a business involved in overseas litigation or if you are purchasing or selling a property abroad. CWJ have three Notaries and our Notaries Bromley are usually available to assist at short notice.

Notaries are qualified lawyers who are members of the oldest branch of the legal profession in the United Kingdom. The Archbishop of Canterbury appoints Notaries and they are ultimately under his jurisdiction rather than the Law Society.

In England and Wales there are only about 850 practising Notaries. Most Notaries are solicitors but not many solicitors are Notaries!

What do CWJ's Notaries Bromley do?

As outlined, primarily Notaries prepare and authenticate documents for use overseas. These are often powers of attorney. The Notary’s signature and seal on a document can be relied on internationally, although Notaries do not play a significant role in United Kingdom domestic matters.

Legalisation and the Apostille

The Notary’s seal has great importance for establishing the genuineness of a document.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office and many foreign embassies and consulates registers a Notary’s seal. The procedure in which the seal is authenticated by these authorities is known as legalisation. Many countries are now signatories to an agreement which enables documents bearing the Notaries signature and seal to be authenticated just by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, which will annex an “Apostille” to the document; (this is simply a certificate authenticating the identity of the Notary).

Prevention of Fraud

As a fraud prevention measure, the Notary will ask clients to bring proof of their identity with them to any meeting. They will also need to be satisfied that the person appearing before him understands any document, particularly one which is not in English.

The procedures involved are much more complex than just swearing on oath or making a declaration for documents to be used in England.
A Notary has a duty to keep a record of any document prepared following a meeting with a client as a permanent record.

For more information on our Notaries Bromley, or to make an appointment, please contact our notary clerk, Linda Chadwick on 01689 887850 or email her at linda.chadwick@cwj.co.uk