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TERMS OF BUSINESS

VISITING A NOTARY PUBLIC AND MY TERMS OF BUSINESS

 

1. 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.

 

I offer appointments during business hours and occasionally outside of business hours in exceptional circumstances. I am also able to make home visits or visit corporate clients at their place of business. If the notarial appointments take place outside of my office I will make an additional charge to cover travelling time and expenses.  Occasionally I may not be able to see you within the timeframe you require, or I may decide that I am not able to act for you in which case I will advise you that that is the case and will provide you with the necessary information to locate an alternative notary.

 

2. Signatures: The Notary should normally witness your signature.  Please do not sign the document in advance of your appointment with me.

 

3. Papers to be sent to me in advance:  It will save time, expense and mistakes if, as long before the appointment as possible, you can let me have the originals or photocopies of:

 

  • The documents to be notarised;

  • Any letter or other form of instruction which you have received about what has to be done with the documents;

  • Your evidence of identification.

 

4. Identification:  I will need you to produce by way of formal identification one proof of ID and one proof of address. 

 

Proof of ID which are acceptable are: 

  • Passport;

  • National Identity Card;

  • Driving Licence;

 

Proof of address which are acceptable are:

  • Driving Licence (Not if this is being used as proof of ID); 

  • Bank Statement dated within the last 3 months; 

  • Utility bill dated within the last 3 months;

 

You must also bring any other means of ID which may be referred to in the papers sent to you as being required such as a foreign Identity Card. I may also ask to see further evidence of identity such as marriage certificates etc and will advise you of this if necessary.

 

5. Proof of names:  In a case where the name on the document is different from the name you are currently using, or there has been a variation in the form of spelling of the name over the years, please provide me as appropriate with Certificates of Birth, Marriage or Divorce Decree of Change of Name Deed showing all the different names that you use.  If there has been a change of name, then I will need to see a copy of the Deed Poll or Statutory Declaration which dealt with it.

 

6. Advice on the document:  If you bring a document to me for authorisation as a Notary, I will advise you as to the formalities required for completing it. However, I will not be attempting to advise you about the transaction itself.

 

7. Written Translations:  It is essential that you understand what you are signing.  

  • If the document is in a foreign language which you do not understand sufficiently, I may have to insist that a translation be obtained.  If I arrange for a translation, a further fee will be payable and I will provide you with details of this.

  • If you arrange for a professional translation, the translator should add his/her name, address, relevant qualification, and a certificate stating: “Document X is a true and complete translation of document Y, to which this translation is attached.”

 

8. Oral Interpreter:  If you and I cannot understand each other because of a language difficulty, we may have to make arrangements for a competent interpreter to be available at our interview and this may involve a further fee.

 

9. Companies, Partnerships etc:  If a document is to be signed by you on behalf of a company, a partnership, a charity, club or other incorporated body, there are further requirements on which I may have to insist.  Please be prepared for these and telephone with any point of difficulty before attending on the appointment.

 

In each case:  

  1. Evidence of identity of the authorised signatory (as listed above).

  2. A Letter of Authority, Minute, Resolution or Power of Attorney, authorising you to sign the document.

 

10. Notarial charges and expenses:  

 

Expenses:

 

Please note that if I have to make payments on your behalf such as legalisation fees, translator or interpreter fees, your approval to these will be obtained and you are normally required to make payment in advance of any such amounts.

 

Charges:

 

If the matter is simple I will endeavour to charge a fixed fee to include disbursements such as legalisation fees, postage, consular agent fees, courier fees, translating costs and so on. I do not charge VAT. 

For more complicated or time-consuming matters the fee will be based on my hourly rate plus disbursements. The fee charged may include time spent on preliminary advice, drafting and preparation time, making and receiving telephone calls, correspondence written and received in all formats, arranging legalisation and record keeping.

 

Payment can be made by cash or card.  

 

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 and so on. I will notify you of any changes in the fee estimate as soon as possible.

 

11. Notarial Records and Data Protection:  When I carry out my work for you, I am required to make an entry in a formal register, which is kept by me as a permanent record.  I will retain a copy of the notarised documentation with that record. My practice is a registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Personal data received from clients is held securely and not capable of being accessed externally. Data collected as part of notarial records is used solely for the purposes of meeting our professional legal responsibilities as Notaries Public.  Full details of my Privacy Notice and Data Processing Terms can be found on my website. 

 

12. Insurance: In the interests of my clients I maintain professional indemnity insurance at a level of at least £2,000,000.00 per claim.

 

13. Termination/ Your Right to Cancel: You may terminate your instructions to me at any time by giving me reasonable written notice. All fees and disbursements incurred up to the date of termination will be charged.

 

Consumer Cooling Off Cancellation Period –Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (“CCR”):

Where the CCR apply (typically where you are an individual consumer and my contract with you was concluded either at or following a meeting with you or by a form of distance communication) you have a cancellation period of 14 days after the date you sign my retainer letter or the date on which you continue to give me instructions, whichever is earlier.

You can cancel your contract within the cancellation period by giving me a clear statement and I will reimburse all payments received from you by the same method that you used, at no cost to you, without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which you inform me of the cancellation.

 

If you ask us to begin work during the cancellation period, you can still cancel but you must pay me an amount in proportion to the work which I have performed and this proportion will not be reimbursed to you.

 

15. Termination by me:  I reserve the right to terminate my engagement by you if I have good reason to do so, for example, if you do not pay a bill or comply with my request for a payment on account or you fail to give me the co-operation which I am reasonably entitled to expect.

 

16. Complaints:  My notarial practice is regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury:  

 

The Faculty Office 

1, The Sanctuary 

Westminster 

London  SW1P 3JT 

Telephone 020 7222 5381 Email Faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com 

Website www.facultyoffice.org.uk  

 

If you are dissatisfied about the service you have received please do not hesitate to contact me.  

If we are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to the Notaries Society of which I am a member, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office.  This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.  

 

In that case please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to :-  

The Secretary of The Notaries Society 

Old Church Chambers 

23 Sandhill Road 

St James 

Northampton.  NN5 5LH 

Email secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk 

Tel : 01604 758908  

 

If you have any difficulty in making a complaint in writing please do not hesitate to call the Notaries Society/the Faculty Office for assistance.  

 

Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure, or after a period of 6 months from the date you first notified me that you were dissatisfied, make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, if you are not happy with the result :   

Legal Ombudsman 

P O Box 6806 

Wolverhampton   WV1 9WJ  

Tel : 0300 555 0333

Email :  enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Website :  www.legalombudsman.org.uk  

 

If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman you must refer your matter to the Legal Ombudsman :-  

• Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint and 

• Six years from the date of act/omission; or 

• Three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint (only if the act or omission took place more than six years ago)  

The act or omission, or when you should have reasonably known there was cause for complaint, must have been after 5th October 2010.  

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