Notary PublicGILLIAN GADD LLB

I offer a full range of Notary Public services in Horsham, Crawley and surrounding areas.

Please phone me on 01403 262520, 01293 553434 or 07747 540260 or e-mail me at gillian@gilliangadd.com.to ask about my services.

During the Covid-19 pandemic I have been meeting clients at my home office in Ifield, Crawley, or on occasions travelling to their home or office, depending upon social- distancing requirements. I expect to be able to see clients at my office in Horsham in the near future.

If you have difficulty in seeing me during the day, I am happy to arrange evening or weekend appointments at my home office.

My home office is at 11 Southwater Close, Ifield, Crawley, RH11 0EY.

I will usually ask you to e-mail me the documents to be notarised if possible, and the country in which they will be used. I can then let you have an estimate of fees and any additional costs.

Why a notary? It is almost always the case that you have been asked to see a notary because you have a document that needs to be used abroad. Seeing a notary is never a mere rubber-stamping exercise. The international duty of a Notary involves a high standard of care. This is not only towards the client but also to anyone who may rely on the document and to Governments or officials of other countries. These people are entitled to assume that a Notary will ensure full compliance with the relevant requirements both here and abroad; and to rely on the Notary’s register and records. Great care is essential at every stage to minimise the risks of errors, omissions, alterations, fraud, forgery, money laundering, the use of false identity, and so on.

The task of the notary is to complete and make your documents acceptable in the country in which they are to be used. The usual type of work that I am asked to do includes:

• Authentication of identities and signatures to private and commercial documents
• Preparation and signing of Powers of Attorney and other documents for use abroad
• Notarising commercial documents and company records
• Preparing declarations, statements and affidavits for use at home or abroad
• Witnessing and attesting the signature of foreign wills
• Preparation of sponsorship forms for visiting foreign citizens
• Legalisation service with the Foreign Office “Apostille”, Foreign Embassies and Consulates
• Certifying copy documents including passports and academic or other certificates
• Letters of consent for children travelling abroad
• Change of name deeds

For your appointment I will ask you to bring identity documents (passport or driving licence and bank statement or utility bill) for my records.

I must also check that you understand the documents that you need to be notarised. Notaries do not generally give advice about the meaning or effect of a document or transaction as this is the job of the foreign lawyer or agent providing the documents.

I can also advise whether your document will need to be sent to the Foreign Office or to individual embassies for legalisation, the cost of this and how long this will take.

How much will it cost me?

My minimum fee for notarial appointments is £80 plus VAT, but the cost is often more and will depend on the number and complexity of the documents. I will give you a final estimate of my fees before I begin any work for you. VAT at 20% is chargeable on all my fees.

Some documents require legalisation before they will be accepted for use in the receiving jurisdiction by obtaining an apostille through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and, for some countries, additional legalisation is required through the relevant embassy or consulate. Either before or at our meeting I will obtain an estimate for the cost of legalisation, including agent’s fees and postage to and from the legalising authority.

Payment can be made by cash, cheque or bank transfer. Payment of my fee and disbursements is due when the document has been prepared which I may retain pending payment in full.

Occasionally unforeseen or unusual issues arise during the course of the matter which may result in a revision of my fee estimate. Examples of this could include where additional documents are required to be notarised, additional translations or legalisations are needed to meet the requirements of the receiving jurisdiction, third party fees are adjusted to reflect external factors such as fuel price changes and so on. I will notify you of any changes in the fee estimate as soon as possible.

Typical Stages of a notarial transaction

Each notarial matter is different and the requirements will vary according to whether the client is a private individual or a company. Some of the typical key stages are likely to include:

1. Receiving and reviewing the documents to be notarised together with any instructions you may have received
2. Liaising with your legal advisors or other bodies to obtain the necessary documentation to deal with the document (e.g. information from Companies House or foreign registries, powers of attorney etc)
3. Checking the identity, capacity and authority of the person who is to sign the document
4. If a document is to be certified, checking with the issuing authorities that the document/award is genuine. In the case of academic awards, this would entail checking with the appropriate academic institutions.
5. Meeting with the signatory to verify their identity and to ascertain that they understand what they are signing and that they are doing so of their own free will and ensuring that the document is executed correctly
6. Drafting and affixing or endorsing a notarial certificate to the document
7. Arranging for the legalisation of the document as appropriate
8. Arranging for the storage of copies of all notarised documents in accordance with the requirements of the Notarial Practice Rules 2019

Redress

I am insured under a professional indemnity policy for £1,000,000.00.

Complaints and Regulatory Information

Please phone me on 01403 262520, 01293 553434 or 07747 540260 or e-mail me at gillian@gilliangadd.com to discuss your requirements.

Useful links

For more information about the legalisation of documents, visit www.fco.gov.uk