Susan Grazier - Notary Public.

Notaries - A brief history

Notaries are members of the oldest branch of the legal professions, having their origins in Roman times when they recorded judicial proceedings, drew up deeds and official documents and assisted in the administration of justice. The appointment of notaries passed from Roman authorities to the Pope and then to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Notaries are still appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and are regulated by the Archbishop’s Court of Faculties.

What does a notary do?

A notary holds a public office, and may prepare, attest or certify deeds and documents for use in any part of the world.

Notarial certification or verification

Notaries may verify documents to be used overseas, or authenticate the execution of documents by individuals or companies. I have my own notarial seal, which, together with my signature, is registered with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and with many foreign embassies and consulates. The signing and sealing of a document by a notary is often known as “notarisation”. Some countries require a notarised document to be legalised by the application of a legalisation certificate or apostille. An apostille is a certificate issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirming the signature and seal of the notary. I can deal with this further process if required.

I can also provide certified copies of documents.

Preparation of deeds and documents

Documents and deeds to be used overseas often require preparation by a notary because different procedures are often required for different countries. I can prepare powers of attorney, bills of exchange, deeds of change of name and many other types of documents.

Affidavits and declarations

I am authorised to administer oaths and to take declarations. Affidavits are used to give written evidence in judicial proceedings, whilst statutory declarations provide evidence of facts for use other than in court.

Openings of tenders, bonds and debenture stock operations and share issue ballots

I may supervise the opening of tenders for international contracts and witness or carry out drawings or other operations relating to foreign bonds and debenture stock and ballots for share issues where a notary is required to ensure the matter is conducted in a proper and impartial way.

Shipping protests

On arrival in the port of destination, a master of a ship may be required to make a note or protest before a notary to state that damage caused to the ship or her cargo has been caused by perils at sea and not by the negligence or misconduct of the master, officers or crew.

Protesting bills of exchange

Notaries may note and protest the non-acceptance or non-payment of foreign and UK negotiable instruments (such as bills of exchange, promissory notes or cheques).

A notary public’s responsibilities

A notary owes a duty to the transaction as a whole and to the country to which the document is destined and can, in certain circumstances, act for both parties to a transaction.

I always require evidence of the identity and address of the people I see as a notary. Evidence of identity may include a current passport, a photo-card driving licence or a birth certificate. Evidence of address will be a recent utility or council tax bill or a bank statement. In the case of companies, I will make checks to ensure that the company exists and I will request the certificate of incorporation, a certificate of good standing or other similar evidence.

What will it cost?

There is no set fee and I will try to let you know the likely costs before our meeting. For more complex matters the fee will depend on the time it takes to complete your work and, again, I will try to let you know the likely costs during our meeting.

Seeing me

I am available during most office hours. I prefer to use an appointment system because I also work as a solicitor. If you would like to arrange an appointment to see me or to discuss whether you need the services of a notary public, please telephone me on 01432 353481, or you can e-mail me at: sgrazier@gabbs.biz .

My notarial services are independent of Gabbs.

Susan Grazier, solicitor and notary public,

Gabbs, 14 Broad Street, Hereford HR4 9AP.