Welcome to Notary Public Lincoln
Appointments for Notarial business are offered at our offices in or at a place to suit you.
I offer home visits or office visits and out of hours’ services (including weekend) by prior appointment. 
Please be aware that an additional fee may be charged for travel time and costs.
Notary Public services are also available in Rotherham, Retford and Scunthorpe.
Please contact me to arrange an appointment.
Click on a link below for more information.
- What is a Notary Public?
- What can a Notary Public do?
- Foreign languages and translations
- What is Legalisation or Apostille?
- What identification does a Notary Public require?
- What is the difference between a notary and a solicitor?
- What does it cost?
- Data Protection Privacy Notice
- My Terms of Business
What is a Notary Public?
A Notary, or Notary Public, can authenticate or legalise any document. A Notary can also provide legalisation or an apostille, if needed. You will normally require the services of a Notary Public when you have documents which are needed to be used abroad. The Notaries signature and seal will verify to the authorities in that country that the relevant checks have been carried out.
The need for a notary public is dictated by the requirements of the country where the document is to be used. For example, if you wish to buy a property abroad, it is often necessary to give your overseas lawyer power to deal with the purchase. This can be done by means of a power of attorney, which is signed by you in front of a notary. The notary public will confirm your name and identity and sign the document and seal it with their official seal. Often, an apostille is needed to verify the signature and seal of the notary.
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Notary Public in DoncasterWhat can a Notary Public do?
You may need to see a Notary to:
- get a certified copy of a passport
- certify copies of other documents such as examination certificates
- buy or sell property abroad
- transfer property
- set up a Power of Attorney for use abroad
- make a statutory declaration or swear an oath or affidavit
- confirm your single status in order to marry abroad
- obtain duplicate documents for lost passports or your other important documents
- get an apostille or legalisation
- have your contracts authenticated by a notary
- have a commercial translation certified by a notary
- assign patents, trade marks or domain names
- any other documents for abroad, which require a notary stamp.
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Foreign languages and translations
If a document requiring notarisation is in a foreign language it is usually necessary for the document to be translated by an official legal translator who will then have to sign a statutory declaration certifying that it is a true translation.
In exceptional cases the Notary may be satisfied to fix their seal of office and signature on documents in a foreign language if they are fully satisfied that the person signing is conversant with the language of the document.
A Notary Public may also be known as a Notario Publico, Notaio, Notario, Notar or a Notaire.
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What is Legalisation or Apostille?
A notarised document may often need to be further authenticated by having the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirm the validity of the notary's signature and seal. The requirement for this will depend on the foreign country involved. This is done by legalisation by the use of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's official certificate attached to the document, known as an apostille. These are internationally recognised due to the Hague Convention.
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What identification does a Notary Public require?
Following the implementation of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, notaries are now obliged to keep sufficient evidence on their files of the identity and the address of all their clients before they undertake any work.
Each person whose signature they are to certify must provide one of the following original identification documents at the time of the appointment.
- passport
- driving licence (with photo card)
- national identity card (EEA state members)
- an armed forces pass (with photo and signature)
- firearms licence (with photo and signature)
- other government issue ID (with photo and signature)
- residence permit
- benefit book or original notification letter from Benefits Agency
In addition, they require proof of residence, which can be one of the following original documents:
- Bank statement or letter from bank
- Utility bill or council tax bill (not mobile phone bill)
- Tenancy agreement or Housing Association rent card
- Inland revenue tax demand or self assessment statement
When a notary public is acting for a corporate client, evidence of the due incorporation of the company or entity is required. This can be one of the following documents:
- Extract from the company register
- Certificate of incorporation
- Latest report and audited accounts
- Up to date certified copy of partnership agreement
- Evidence of being regulated by a regulatory body such as the Law Society or FSA.
In addition to the above, each individual signatory will need to produce one of the identification documents mentioned above.
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What is the difference between a notary and a solicitor?
Notaries form a small, highly specialised branch of the legal profession, whose area of specialisation is the preparation and certification of documents so that they may be used effectively abroad.
Solicitors form by far the largest part of the legal profession. They provide advice and representation to their clients on a wide variety of legal issues, usually within the legal framework of their country of residence.
One important difference between a notary and a solicitor is that whereas a solicitor's primary duty is to his client, the notary's primary duty is to the transaction and the authenticity of the documents. As Notary Publics are recognised worldwide, they have to maintain absolute integrity and impartiality to maintain the standing of the Notarial profession.
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What does it cost?
An early indication of the costs can usually be given in advance but so that we can establish the charges please tell us the following:
- What service you need - witnessing signatures, certifying copy documents, obtaining Apostille etc
- The type of documents concerned - for instance is it a Power of Attorney that you need witnessing
- Who is signing or presenting the documents - are they personal papers or for a Company?
- How many documents are there?
- Which country they are to go to.
Please visit the contact us page to obtain a quotation.
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