MD Pryke Notary Public

Documents for use in the Philippines must first be notarised by a Notary Public London.  Once the document has been notarised it then requires legalisation. The legalisation process involves firstly contacting the legalisation office of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They will legalise the document by adding an Apostille (i.e. a legal certificate) to the notarisation certificate which confirms the authenticity of the seal and stamp of the Notary Public London.       

Once the Apostille has been attached by the Foreign and Commonwealth office the document will then need to be presented by your London Notary Public to the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy.  The Philippine Embassy charge a consular fee of £18.00 per legalised document in the large majority of cases.  However certain notarised documents are priced at £27.50.  Your Notary Public London should be able to supply a detailed notarisation and legalisation fee quote in advance.  The Philippine Embassy will usually turnaround documents in one to two working days and therefore the whole notarisation and legalisation process, including dealing with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, should be completed by your Notary Public London in two working days.      

The Philippine Embassy is easily located for this London Notaries practice at 6-8 Suffolk Street, Piccadilly, London SW1Y 4HG.  Therefore this London Notary practice can deal with the notarisation and legalisation process for the Philippines efficiently and in a cost effective manner. For an example of a document legalised by the Philippine Embassy please see the image below.     

Example of Philippines Legalisation Certificate

For further details of notarisation and legalisation requirements for the Philippines please contact Notary Public London, Matthew Pryke at http://www.mdpryke-notary.com/.

Legalisation  

Notarised documents often require legalisation to ensure they are accepted in the country where they are to be used. London Notary clients will often be familiar with the sometimes time consuming process of legalising documents for particular countries.

Apostille – A Quicker Legalisation Solution?

The use of an Apostille is an effective way of legalising documents for a number of countries. Our London Notary Public practice can obtain an Apostille from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office legalisation office in the same business day. This provides a fast and cost effective legalisation solution to our London Notary clients and is in keeping with the same day notarisation services offered by this Notary Public in London.    

Apostille – New Countries

London Notary Public practice M D Pryke Notary Public LLP is pleased to confirm that the following countries have recently acceded to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, with the benefit that it removes the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents:

1. Cape Verde on 13^th February 2010.

2. Dominican Republic on 30^th August 2009.

3. Mongolia on 31^st December 2009.

In addition, the Hague Convention will enter into force for Peru on the scheduled date of 30^th September 2010. To view a current status table of the Hague Convention please visit the following website www.hcch.net.

London Notary Public Comment

London Notary Public Matthew Pryke welcomes the news, “The introduction of more countries to the Hague Convention is great news. The legalisation process used by our London Notary practice to obtain Apostilles is very fast and efficient offering excellent value for money. This means that Notary clients receive legalised documents back more quickly without the need to meet additional legalisation criteria at any of London’s consulates and embassies. Whilst we continue to offer a complete legalisation service to all of our notary clients for every country any changes which make the process quicker is always well received by our notary public practice based in Mayfair, London and its many client’s.”

For further information about the legalisation services offered by this Notary Public in London please refer to http://www.mdpryke-notary.com/londonnotarypublicservices/

Legalisation of Police Clearance Certificates can be a complex subject for Notaries as well as for the general public.  As a Notary Public firm working in London, MD Pryke Notary Public LLP are often asked to clarify which types of certificate require legalisation, and which can be processed without Notarial involvement.

Essentially, there are three distinct types of Police Clearance Certificate in the United Kingdom and their legalisation requirements vary.

The Subject Access Letter does not require the signature of a Notary to be legalised, as a signature from an officer of the Criminal Records Bureau will suffice.  The Foreign and Commonwealth office hold the signatures of the relevant officers on their database for future reference.

The Police Certificate for use in Immigration matters is relevant only for the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa and does not require additional legalisation or further certification of any kind, therefore a Notary will not be required.

In Scotland, however, the Criminal Records Bureau issue a document called Disclosure which must be certified by a Notary Public (or a practising Solicitor, Barrister, or certain types of Legal Executive) before they can be legalised.

Should you require further information concerning any aspect of Legalisation, Notary Services in London, or the Notarial process in general, please contact MD Pryke Notary Public LLP on 0207 6364422 or via the contact form on our website.

States that accept the official apostille certificate

The Hague Convention of Jan 1965 decreed that some documents used in foreign states would no longer require further legalisation provided that they had an Apostille certificate attached.  Some countries, however, will still require further legalisation such as China and India amongst others.

This is the second in a series of free articles from MD Pryke Notary Public LLP detailing all aspects of the Apostille process.

Article 1 entitled ‘Apostilles – a brief guide’ dealt with: The need for an Apostille Certificate, the information contained on an Apostille Certificate, and why some countries do not accept them.

Apostille Certificates are accepted by the following states at the time of publishing.

Countries not listed below may still accept an Apostille but often require further legalisation.

A

Albania Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Austria Australia Azerbaijan

B
Bahamas Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bosnia Botswana Brunei Bulgaria

C

China Colombia Cook Islands Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic

D
Denmark Dominica Dominican Republic

E
Ecuador El Salvador Estonia

F
Fiji Finland France

G
Georgia Germany Greece Grenada

H
Honduras Hong Kong Hungary

I
Iceland India Ireland Israel Italy

J
Japan

K
Kazakhstan Korea

L
Latvia Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg

M
Malawi Macedonia Malta Marshall Islands Mauritius Mexico Monaco Moldova Mongolia Montenegro

N
Namibia Netherlands New Zealand Norway

P
Panama Poland Portugal

R
Romania Russian Federation

S
Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Serbia Seychelles Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Swaziland Sweden Switzerland

T
Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Turkey

U
Ukraine United Kingdom USA

V
Vanuatu Venezuela

For further information on any aspect of the Apostille process, please contact MD Pryke Notary Public LLP on 0207 636 4422.  Apostille Certificates form a central part of our London Notary service and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

“Apostille” is a term many people find puzzling.  At M D Pryke Notary Public LLP we are often contacted by clients who have been told to obtain an Apostille from a Notary Public but are uncertain what this entails.  This is the first article of series to explain all aspects of the Apostille process.

What is an Apostille certificate?

An Apostille is a legalisation certificate which verifies that the signature, seal or stamp on a public document is genuine.  It is attached to documents so that they will be recognised in member states without the need for further legalisation by Embassies or Consulates.

Why do some countries accept Apostille certificates while others don’t?

The requirement for Apostille certificates was created by the Hague Convention of 1965.  Members of the Hague Convention agree on rules to ensure that all member states deal with certain matters in the same way.  In Jan 1965 they agreed that certain documents for use in foreign countries could forgo the need for further legalisation if they had an Apostille certificate attached.  Essentially, it streamlines the process of recognising foreign document making the whole process more efficient.

What does an Apostille look like?

Apostille

What information is included on an Apostille?

As detailed on the above example an Apostille contains the following information:

1. The country where it was first issued

2. The name of the signatory

3. The signatory’s capacity i.e. A Notary public, Solicitor

4. The issuer’s stamp of authority

5. The details of any official seal on the document

6. The place and date of issue

7. The unique number of the individual certificate

Which countries will accept an Apostille?

For a complete list of which countries will accept an Apostille please visit a further article in this series titled Apostille friendly countries.

For more information regarding Apostilles and the cost of obtaining one through MD Pryke Notary Public LLP, please contact us through the usual channels.

Okay, so you’ve been told that you need to legalise a document.  The chances are that you are doing business abroad and, because the documents relate to a different judicial system, you must have them officially legalised.  This effectively means that you are required to run the documents past an officially approved third party to validate their authenticity such as a UK Notary.

Matthew Pryke is a fully qualified UK Notary Public who provides a complete range of legalisation solutions and UK Notary services from his offices in London’s West End.  He has produced this brief guide to enable people who require a document to be legalised in the United Kingdom to fully understand their UK Notary legalisation options.

Five Legalisation tips everyone should know

1. Always obtain a legalisation fee quote in advance.   Any UK Notary should be able to give you a clear idea of how much the procedure will cost you in advance of retaining their services.

2. Shop around.  As with any consumer choice it pays to compare the legalisation marketplace.  Prices vary considerably.  Some UK Notaries charge VAT on their prices.  Others do not.  This will save you 17.5% of the fee before you even begin to compare services.

3. The legalisation process can be lengthy.  It may be necessary to queue for hours on end at certain Embassies and Consulates.  This may be acceptable if you can spare the time and manpower, otherwise your UK Notary may be able to recommend cost effective solutions to obtain this on your behalf.

4. Make sure that you give your UK Notary clear instructions as to the deadline for receiving the legalised documents. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (who administer apostilles) offer differing levels of service and cost depending on how quickly the documents must be legalised.  If your documents are not urgent, take care that you are not paying a premium for a service that you don’t require.

5. Ask questions.  Experienced UK Notaries Public will be aware that this may all be new to you and will be able to reassure you over any complexity that arises and to explain the issues in clear, plain English.

If you have any queries about the UK Legalisation process, please contact M D Pryke Notary Public LLP and they will be delighted to address your concerns.

London Notaries Public Practice, MD Pryke Notary Public would like to inform all of its Notaries clients that during the week beginning 23 November 2009 various Arab League Embassies including the United Arab Emirates Embassy will be closed due to the Eid El-Hadha holiday.  In particular the legalisation offices of various Embassies will be closed as follows:

Notary Public Legalisation Office Closure Details

Algeria Embassy: Closed 26 November to 1 December 2009

Iraq Embassy: Closed 27 November 2009 only

Kuwait Embassy: Closed 26 and 27 November 2009

Qatar: Closed 26 and 27 November 2009

Saudi Arabia Legalisation Office: Closed 26 November to 30 November 2009

Tunisia Legalisation Office: Closed 27 November 2009 only

UAE Legalisation Office: Closed: 26 November to 30 November 2009 and 2 December to 6 December 2009

Consequently London Notaries Public Practice MD Pryke Notary Public will continue to provide the usual same day notary public legalisation service once the various legalisation offices of the embassies are reopened for business as usual.

London Notaries Public practice owner Matthew Pryke explains “With various Arab state embassies and legalisation offices closed during the end of November and beginning of December we will not be able to process any legalisation matters and requirements for these countries during this period.  However from the second week in December and onwards my London Notaries Public Practice will continue to provide a same day service for all legalisation requirements.”

For further about the Notary Public legalisation requirements for Arab states and the need to obtain additional legalisation stamps or legalisation certificates from any embassy please do not hesitate to contact London Notaries Public Practice MD Pryke Notary Public at his London Notaries website www.mdpryke-notary.com or via email at matthew@mdpryke-notary.com.

London Notaries Public Practice MD Pryke Notary Public would like to inform all of its notaries clients that with effect from 1 November 2009 the Chinese Embassy has increased the legalisation fees charged as follows:

Personal purpose Legalisation (per document) -  from £12 to £15

Business purpose Legalisation (per document) -  from £23 to £25

Please note that documents for China may require a notarised translation into Chinese.  Legalisation by the Chinese Consulate is expected to take 48 hours. The Chinese Consulate requires a photocopy of each notarised document to be legalised when the document is lodged. For an additional fee, legalisation may be completed sooner. The document to be legalised must first be certified (by way of Apostille) by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office where the legalisation fee for certification (by way of Apostille) is £69 per document.

London Notaries practice owner Matthew Pryke explains “The increase in legalisation fees charged by the Chinese Embassy is unlikely to be warmly received by any of our London notaries clients.  However our London notaries clients are able to enjoy affordable and fixed notarisation fees which notarisation fees have not been increased for more than 3 years.  In addition our notary public legalisation solutions guarantee an affordable and efficient legalisation service which provides our London notaries clients with the opportunity to ensure even the tightest of notarisation and legalisation deadlines are met.”

For further tips and guidance regarding leglations fees and legalisation services please refer to the following notaries public article http://www.mdpryke-notary.com/2009/10/notary-public-legalisation-fee-tips. Alternatively and for or further information regarding notarisation fees or to obtain a notary public legalisation quote please do not hesitate to contact this London Notaries practice at www.mdpryke-notary.com

London Notary Public Practice MD Pryke Notary Public would like to inform all of its clients that on Thursday 26 November 2009, the Legalisation Offices of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be closed.  London Notaries practice M D Pryke Notary Public will therefore provide the usual same day legalisation service from Friday 27^th November 2009.  

London Notaries practice owner Matthew Pryke explains “We understand the Legalisation Office is closed for staff training on 26^th November.  This is unfortunate and as a consequence we will not be able to process legalisation requirements for our London Notaries clients until 27^th November 2009.  However from the 27^th November 2009 and onwards my London Notaries practice will continue to provide a same day service for any Apostille and other legalisation requirements.“ 

Matthew’s London Notaries practice provides a complete range of legalisation solutions and legalisation tips for its London Notary clients for further information please refer to the recent legalisation tips article http://www.mdpryke-notary.com/2009/10/notary-public%20legalisation-tips/

For further information about the Legalisation Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a range of options to obtain an Apostille or other legalisation certificates and stamps please contact London Notary Matthew Pryke at his London Notaries practice website http://www.mdpryke-notary.com/.

Matthew Pryke, Notary Public London, provides a complete range of notarisation and legalisation services for his Notary Public Clients. His London Notary Public practice is increasingly asked to provide competitive and fixed fee quotes to address legalisation, including obtaining apostilles.  Often London Notary Clients require a range of notarisation and legalisation services based on the deadline and budget for legalisation.  Often legalistion fees can be greater than the notarisation fees and consequently Matthew Pryke, Notary Public London, has produced a short guide and tips for his Notary Clients when determining legalisation fees. 

Notary Public Legalisation Fees Tip 1:  Consider the cost versus time for a Notary Public practice to deal with the legalisation.  Whilst notarial clients can save fees by dealing with legalisation themselves it can be counter productive if significant time is required to deal with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (for Apostille) or London Consulate. Time is money!

Notary Public Legalisation Fees Tip 2:  Determine an appropriate deadline. A number of London’s Consulates and also the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (for apostilles) offer varying legalisation services which can significantly reduce legalisation fees if clients’ requirements are less pressing. For urgent notarial matters this legalisation option will not be possible.  However a good Notary Public practice should provide such options to you as a way of reducing notarisation and legalisation fees. 

Notary Public Legalisation Fees Tip 3:  Seek courier quotes in advance.  As courier fees charged by London Notary Public practices vary greatly it is always advisable to seek a full and detailed fee quote.  Whilst the fees charged by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (for apostilles) and London Consulates will be fixed the courier fees will vary based on the competitive pricing of the legalisation service offer by the Notary Public London.

Notary Public Legalisation Fees Tip 4:  Legalise a number of documents at the same time.  Legalisation courier fees are likely to be incurred each time a trip is made to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (for apostilles) or a London Consulate.  Therefore cost savings can be enjoyed by dealing with several documents at the same time.  This provides the usual economies of scale as part of the legalisation process.

Notary Public Legalisation Fees Tip 5:  Ensure the document can be legalised.  Often legalisation fees and time can be wasted by taking documents to be legalised either to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (for apostilles) or London Consulates when the documents have not been dealt with, for example, via notarisation, and are therefore rejected.  It is always advisable to seek the advice of a qualified and experienced London Notary Public practice to ensure that all legal and procedural steps have been taken prior to legalisation.