Procedures

I will always need to ensure that the people appearing before me are properly identified and I normally need to see the appearer’s current passport and a recent document, dated within the past 3 months (e.g. utility bill, bank statement) with their current address. We are required to take and keep a copy of this information.

All notaries are required to provide their clients with a copy of their complaints procedure, a copy of which can be seen in my terms and conditions under the heading “Compliance Notice”

All transactions by limited or public companies need to be supported by similar evidence of the identity of the appearing officers of the company, and in some cases the relevant resolutions authorising the transactions. I make an online search at Companies House Registry.

I don’t advise clients on the effect of the documents I am asked to authenticate and so you should obtain advice from competent advisers as to what you are entering into (this frequently means obtaining advice from foreign lawyers). My duty is limited to ensuring that clients understand the sort of transaction they are entering into. This can present problems if the document is in a foreign language. I have a reasonable understanding of French and Spanish but if I am asked to work in a foreign language that I don’t understand sufficiently I will have to ask for a translation.