MD Pryke Notary Public

This is the second in a series of articles highlighting the differences in working practices between US Notary services and those in the United Kingdom.

Article 1 dealt with: The professional status of Notaries Public, the qualifications required to practice as a Notary, and the US concept of a ‘commission‘.

4. Notarial Duty of Care

One of the key distinctions between UK and US notaries public lies with the view of their respective legislatures concerning a Notary’s legal responsibility.

In the United States a Notary Public is not required to observe such a significant duty of care as UK Notary might be expected to.  In UK law, notaries are not only expected to understand each and every aspect of the documents that they notarize, but also have a duty of care to ensure that the signatory understands too.

This means that a UK notary has a far greater responsibility to a signatory, hence the need for professional indemnity insurance.

5. Legal protection and Insurance for Notaries

UK notaries are required to insure themselves through professional indemnity cover to a minimum level of £750,000.  In reality most UK notaries will carry several million pounds worth of professional indemnity insurance.

Notaries Public operating in the United States of America have no professional obligation to seek insurance, therefore incur significantly lower operating costs than their UK equivalents.

6. Notarial Fees

US notaries typically charge a fee of $5 to $10 per document.

The Faculty Office requires UK Notaries to “charge a reasonable fee which is appropriate for the services undertaken”.  Therefore most UK notaries will charge a fee of somewhere between £60 and £120 per document.  US citizens requiring a Notary in the UK should be aware that larger companies will charge Value Added Tax of 17.5% in addition to their ‘per document’ fee.

Anyone seeking clarification on US Notary vs UK Notary matters please refer to other instalments on this topic, or contact us via email.

Notary in London Matthew Pryke today launches a campaign to encourage law firms and fellow Notary Publics to donate a small percentage of their fees to a designated charity partner.

Matthew Pryke Notary Public says, ‘It’s not about the size of the donation really.  It’s more a case of little and often.

‘Notary matters tend to generate relatively small amounts of revenue, often just a small fee to notarise a document.  By donating £10 for every notary transaction I was recently able to donate £2,600 through my notary business to my designated Charity partner Honeypot to provide respite care for children who act as carers to their family.

Many clients enjoy the fact that a percentage of the firm’s revenue is passed on to community charities.  I would encourage other notary practices and law firms to set up a similar arrangement with a charity partner like Honeypot.  It generates revenue for their business, supports the local community and can help the public understand that the legal profession is more public spirited than they might believe.’

Ronan Macmillan of Honeypot agrees.  ‘We are thrilled that Notary Public Matthew Pryke has pledged to donate £10 to Honeypot for every notary task he undertakes.

In addition to the £2,600 he has raised through his London Notary practice this year, last year he raised £32,000 by organising a trip to climb Kilimanjaro and we are delighted to have Matthew  as an official corporate sponsor.’

If you are a Notary, or know of a Notary Public who is interested in sponsoring Honeypot, please call Matthew Pryke Notary Public to discuss this further.

For more information on how Matthew Pryke Notary Public donates to Honeypot through his Notary business, please visit www.mdpryke-notary.com/londonnotarypubliccharity

The current weakness of the pound presents an excellent opportunity for investors from Saudi Arabia looking to do business in the UK.

A Notary can provide valuable assistance to corporations by legalising documents (also called apostille) to ensure that all official documents are verified.  UK Notary in London Matthew Pryke has worked extensively with Saudi businesses in his position as Head of Commercial and IP Law at Wallace LLP and through his London Notary practice.

He offers the following advice to any potential Saudi investors seeking a Notary in London to provide document legalisation services.

1. Notary publics must follow various procedures depending on which country the documents to be legalised originate.  This means that some commercial documents to be used in Saudi Arabia must be obtained through the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce as well as the Foreign and Commonwealth office.  This legalisation procedure must be followed by every Notary in London and other UK Notary.

2. Notary in London Matthew Pryke offers a same day service for the majority of Notary deeds.  He advises, however, that legalising documents from Saudi Arabia may take up to a week for a Notary to complete.

3. Notarizing documents that only require legalisation by the Consular Office of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia can be completed in one or two days.

4. Notary publics in London can charge a wide range of fees for legalising documents for use in Saudi Arabia.  UK Notary in London Matthew Pryke’s fees are £50 per document plus the consular fee.  The document to be legalised must first be certified by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office where the fee for certification is £69 per document.

5. Two photocopies are required of each document to be legalized and the name and address of the consignee or agent must appear on each document.