A Notary Public in England and Wales is a lawyer that specialise in overseas documents. They are required to undertake two years of additional training after they have completed the educational and professional qualifications required to be a Solicitor or Barrister. They are then supervised by an experienced Notary for a further two years. They are appointed and regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

The primary function of a notary is to attest the signing of legal documents and to verify documents for use abroad. A notary is a public certifying officer. They have a duty to the underlying transaction and are therefore impartial. 

By attesting a person’s signature a notary is acting as an official witness and confirming the identity, capacity, authority, and will of the person signing.  

Each notary has their own seal that they emboss on the document being notarised. 

An UK Apostille is a certificate issued by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office that verifies the signature and seal of a UK public official, such as a Notary Public, Solicitor, Registrar, Police Commissioner, or Doctor.

When attached to a document,  it can be used in any country that is a member of The Hague Apostille Convention 1961. These typically include all European countries. 

If a country is not a member of The Hague Convention, e.g. The UAE, the Apostille itself will need to be verified by the country’s  Embassy or Consulate in London. This process is known as ‘Embassy or Consular attestation‘.

For legalisation and Embassy or Consular attestation costs and information, please see the ‘Legalisation’ page of my website.

Please bring your passport and a proof of address from the last three months. 

The proof of address can be a UK driving licence, utility bill, bank statement, or letter from NHS/HMRC/Local Authority. I also accept digital proof of address, but you will need to log into your account so I can verify it.

I have a legal obligation to identify the appearing parties, including any witnesses, and to keep records of the identification produced.

I need to see a copy of any documents that you need to sign together with instructions to be able to provide an accurate quote. This is because of the variety of requirements for overseas documents.

For legalisation and Embassy or Consular attestation costs and information, please see the ‘Legalisation’ page of my website. 

If you are paying using a company credit card an additional processing fee of 2% will apply.

My hourly rate is £400. I do not charge VAT.

At the appointment, I will first inspect and take scan copies of your passport and proof of address.

The documents that need to be notarised will then be checked against the identity documents and can be edited if needed. 

Sometimes I have to draft and attach a notarial certificate, and sometimes the certificate is already included in the body of the document. I will often attach a certified copy of your passport to documents like powers of attorney. The requirements vary according to the country the documents are going to be used in. 

Once everything has been signed and notarised, it will then be bound together securely. I will take scan copies. Each job gets its own number, and will be stored electronically together with a register known as a protocol that records all of the jobs done for each year. 

I will provide you with an invoice and payment can be made at the appointment by cash, bank transfer, or card. 

You will leave with the original notarised documents and I can email you scans as well. I may need to keep the documents to send for legalisation.

Please check that your passport is signed and still valid. Please bring a proof of address, such as a UK Driving Licence, Utility Bill, Bank Statement, or letter from the NHS or Local Authority.

Please do not print the documents that need to be signed or make copies of your identity documents. I use special paper and ink for this purpose.

Please arrive on-time for your appointment, as I may have appointments booked before or after you. If you arrive early, please call or message me. 

You can:

• Send me an email detailing your enquiry, attaching any documents that you have been asked to sign together with any instructions to info@marklambertnotary.co.uk
• Call me, on +44 (0)7974 230705

I aim to respond within 1 working day to all written communication, although this can increase during busy times.

It is better not to send me a text message, WhatsApp, or voicemail in the first instance, as I am not able to check them regularly.