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What is the role & function of a Notary Public

A Notary Public also referred to as a ‘Public Notary’ or simply as a ‘Notary’ is a member of the oldest branch of legal profession in England & Wales – and can be defined to be a qualified specialist lawyer who is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters.

A Notary public in London or throughout England & Wales is to act as a co-ordinator between the English legal system and other foreign systems of law so that your documents can be used in a foreign country.

A Notary’s role is to verify or authenticate legal documents for use abroad. A Notary has to check the identity, capacity & authority of the person signing the document. If the Notary is satisfied after carrying out his obligations, the Notary will issue a notarial seal of office to the document, or where appropriate a notarial certificate. The form of notarial seal of office is exclusive & personal to each individual notary.

The Notary’s primary duty is to the document itself & not to the individual presenting it, unlike Solicitors & Barristers in the UK whose duties are to the clients. Notarial Acts therefore require high standard of care as this is relied upon by third parties such as foreign government officials. A Notary may satisfy his obligations where appropriate by drafting documents and/or witnessing the execution of the documents; authenticate the contents of the document; by administering oaths and declarations.

Reviews

White Horse Notary Public London IconWhite Horse Notary Public London

96 White Horse Lane, London

5.0 668 reviews

  • Avatar Sharon A ★★★★★ a week ago
    "I had a good experience with Mr Muhammad Karim. He immediately understood what I needed, made the whole process simple, and quickly arranged an appointment. I was seen on time, and he was polite, professional, and thorough in ensuring … More everything was correct for my passport application. I’d definitely feel comfortable going back to him if I need any further help, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to others. The pricing is very fair too!
  • Avatar Robert Pickering ★★★★★ 2 weeks ago
    Great experience working with the team at White Horse Notary. Very quick to arrange an appointment, professional advice provided and extremely reasonable pricing compared to other quotes I'd received. Highly recommend!
  • Avatar Marianna Tsiurkalo ★★★★★ 4 months ago
    My experience with Mr. Muhammad Karim was brilliant!
    He really helped me out. There was constant and open communication throughout. His actions went above and beyond since he ensured that I was comfortable and had access to all the information
    … More I needed.
    He was reassuring and easy to talk to. Very approachable, and very helpful.
    He was wonderful, absolutely amazing!

Who is our Notary Public?

Muhammad Karim is both a qualified Solicitor & Notary Public. Muhammad Karim qualified as a solicitor in 2012 & was awarded the post graduate Diploma in Notarial Practice from the University College London (UCL) & qualified as a Notary Public in 2015.

Although Muhammad Karim’s notarial practice is separate from his solicitors work, his dual qualification of being both a qualified Solicitor & a Notary Public allows him to use his extensive legal knowledge & experience to successfully represent both individuals & companies who require bespoke notarial services which is unique to their respective requirements.

Muhammad Karim is both a qualified Solicitor & Notary Public. Muhammad Karim qualified as a Solicitor in 2012 & was awarded the post graduate Diploma in Notarial Practice from the University College London (UCL) & qualified as a Notary Public in 2015.

Why choose us?

No hidden fees

Our price structure is very straight forward & transparent. Our notarial services start from £60. We are committed to providing you with the fastest service at the most competitive rate.

Competitive & Experienced.

Muhammad Karim has comprehensive knowledge of company & corporate law as well as legal knowledge required to accommodate & cater for individual clients. Muhammad Karim has notarised thousands of documents – in other words, he has seen it all! You can rest assured that your document will be notarised correctly in a quick & efficient manner.

Remote / Online Notarisation?

If we are required to notarise documents to confirm they are authentic- remote or online electronic notarisation is possible on certain documents. At White Horse Notary Public, we have successfully carried out digital notarisations using the internationally recognised eIDAS Regulation standard “Qualified Electronic Signature” for use overseas and will continue to advise clients on the best course of action in this area. The resulting “qualified electronic signature” is recognised as having the same legal effect as a handwritten wet-ink signature.

Same day, weekend & Bank Holiday Notary Appointments

We understand that each individual or company has urgent deadlines to meet and as such we strive to cater to their requirements. Muhammad Karim is able to offer same day notary appointments during the weekday working hours as well as weekend and Bank holiday appointments with prior arrangements. We also cater for urgent instructions during the festive period (Christmas & New Years). Appointments during the weekend & Bank holidays attract a small additional charge.

Our Services

Services for Individuals

Business Notary Services

Apostille/Legalisation Services

Mobile Notary Services

Remote Electronic Notarisation

Solicitor Services

Electronic / Remote / Online Notarisation
At White Horse Notary Public, we have successfully carried out digital notarisations using the internationally recognised eIDAS Regulation standard “Qualified Electronic Signature” for use overseas and will continue to advise clients on the best course of action in this area. The resulting “qualified electronic signature” is recognised as having the same legal effect as a handwritten wet-ink signature. If you require electronic / remote / online notarisation please contact us and we will be pleased to assist with all your online notarisation needs.

Often, E-Notarised documents need an additional step called an E-Apostille. This digital certificate, issued by a government agency, verifies the notary’s electronic signature for international use. We offer both E-Notarisation and E-Apostille services, saving you time.
In Office services for Individuals and Business
We notarise documents and have been doing so for a long time. Whether you’re a private individual or business we can help.

Typically we are asked to certify the authenticity of documents and signatures for use abroad. Our Notary Public is able to advise on the best way to handle your request and provide a notarial certification that meets your needs. Please check our bespoke pages on our website which deal with both services for individuals and services for businesses.

If you are business and would like to establish a regular working relationship- please do make contact.

Send us your inquiry

White Horse Solicitors & Notary Public 96 White Horse Lane London E1 4LR

Parking

Private Car Park Bays for clients at the rear of our Office

Bus

The 25, 309 and 205 buses run closest to our Office

Nearest Tube Station

Stepney Green Underground tube station – (District Line) – (1 minute walk to our Office). Mile End and Whitechapel Underground Tube Station – (Central Line) – (7 – 10 minutes walk to our Office)

Need a Document Notarized Quickly and Securely?

Call: 0203 817 7502 or Request a call back

FAQ’S

A Notary Public (also referred to as a ‘Public Notary’ or simply as a ‘Notary’ is a public officer & is a specialist lawyer authorised to witness, authenticate or certify documents for use in countries around the world. Solicitors & Barristers in the UK owe a duty of care towards their clients. In contrast a Notary Public owes a duty of care to the document he is notarising.
The short answer is yes. In certain instances it may be necessary to change a lettered translation of the document into English. Our Notary Public can advise you on whether this is required – If this is required the Notary can assist with obtaining a certified translation. If you do require notarisation of a document which is in a foreign language, please do contact our Notary Public & he will be happy to explain any specific requirements.

We provide notarial services to both our individual & business clients. We have years of experience in accommodating the needs of both of our individual & corporate institutions. Please visit our pages for ‘Services for Individuals’ & ‘Services for Businesses’ for more details.

An Apostille is a certificate issued by the foreign or commonwealth office in the UK & is the authentication of a document for use in another country.

The Apostille certificate confirms the signature, seal & stamp of the Notary Public to be genuine so that it is accepted when presented in another country outside the UK. The Apostille assures that any documents fraudulently ‘notarised’, purporting to be a Notary Public is not recognised & therefore reduces the risk of fraudulent documents being circulated around the world.

If the document being notarised is to be received by a country that is a signatory to the Apostille convention of 1961 – it is likely that you will require an Apostille. The purpose of the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961 is that once the country becomes a member/signatory there should no longer be any requirement for separate consular or embassy legalisation as long as the document has been notarised and apostilled. Our Notary Public will be happy to advise you on whether the recipient of the document will require an Apostille. If an Apostille is required, our Notary Public can advise you on the process of obtaining one, the cost & can arrange this for you.

We cater for all your urgent notarial needs & have a robust system in place to cater for your urgent needs. Unfortunately- the UK government have ceased the same day apostille service in London (save some limited types of documents). Our in-house courier will ensure that if required with an additional fee, the Apostille is obtained next day & country specific consular or embassy legalisation is obtained the following day if this is applicable.
If we are required to notarise documents to confirm they are authentic- remote or online electronic notarisation is possible on certain documents. At White Horse Notary Public, we have successfully carried out digital notarisations using the internationally recognised eIDAS Regulation standard “Qualified Electronic Signature” for use overseas and will continue to advise clients on the best course of action in this area. The resulting “qualified electronic signature” is recognised as having the same legal effect as a handwritten wet-ink signature.
Although many countries have become members/signatures to The Hague Apostille convention of 1961 – there still remains many countries around the world that are not signatures/members of the convention. This means that if your document is being received in a country who is not a signature/member is it likely that further legalisation of the document will be required by the consular or embassy of the receiving country. Our Notary Public has comprehensive knowledge of the legalisation requirements for all the countries around the world & will be happy to advise you accordingly in relation to your specific requirements.

To comply with money laundering regulations, a Notary Public must confirm your identity. Our Notary Public would expect you to bring with you your current unexpired passport or your full photo card driver’s license as a proof of identification. You will also be expected to produce proof of residency which is no more than 3 months old – this can be by way of bank statement or utility bill issued to you.

For more information on specific identification requirements please check our Identification page

The cost will depend on the number of documents you require notarising. Our charge for one document starts at £60. If you require an Apostille, consular or Embassy legalisation, the cost will depend on the number of documents & how quickly you require the documents to be apostilled &/or legalised.
Our Notary Public offers home or office visits & out of hours service (including weekends) by prior appointment. This service will incur on additional charge. Please do let us know if you require our out of hours/office service.
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