Notaries and international trade

Notaries, of whom HCR has three, are all qualified lawyers whose work is recognised internationally and their primary duty is to authenticate documents for use abroad. There are currently around 750 notaries in England and Wales and they all have their own seal, which is used alongside their signature.

Notaries are able to provide a number of services relating to businesses and individuals who wish to have documents notarised for transactions overseas.  Such transactions include buying or selling land and property abroad, having powers of attorney witnessed so they can be used by the individual to appoint an attorney in another country to act for themselves or a company, authenticating documents for companies and businesses, including verifying the identity of their directors, transaction documents and providing certificates of the status of the company.

As well as the services mentioned above, notaries are also able to help further legalisation of the documents by obtaining the internationally recognised Apostille, a further layer of authority, and can arrange verification by embassies and trade organisations as required.

Notaries can help avoid the need for international travel by authenticating documents so that they are acceptable in another jurisdiction.