FAQs about Notaries
Please also see the information about the Legal Choices website.
The Faculty Office is the regulator of the profession of Notaries Public in England & Wales. We are not Notaries ourselves, nor are we The Notaries Society.
A document is legalised if the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on behalf of the UK Government has confirmed that the signature/seal/stamp of a UK public official (such as a Notary Public) on the document is genuine. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office authenticates the document by fixing a certificate to the document; that certificate is known as an Apostille.
Legalisation of a document by the relevant Embassy or Consulate may also be required; the relevant Embassy or Consulate is the one for the country in which it is intended the document will be used.
Your Notary will be able to advise on the processes and fees involved.
Please see this page.