Who is a Notary?

A Notary is a qualified lawyer – a member of the third and oldest branch of the legal profession in the United Kingdom. He is appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and is subject to regulation by the Court of Faculties. The rules, which affect Notaries, are very similar to the rules, which affect Solicitors. They must be fully insured maintaining cover for the protection of their clients and the public. They must keep clients’ money separately from their own and comply with stringent practice rules and rules relating to conduct and discipline.

The duty of a Notary Public extends not only to the client signing a document but also to those people , institutions or foreign governments who are relying on the document.. This means that that the notary observes a high standard of care and the sealing of a document is not merely a "rubber stamping exercise". The Notary will therefore verify the information given by the client wheer possible and issue an appropriate certificate to this effect.