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Friar Street Notaries
Notary Public & Legalisation Services in Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham

Solicitors For You & Your Family

Notary Public & Legalisation Services in Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham

Based at the offices of Blandy & Blandy in Reading, Friar Street Notaries provides a convenient and cost-effective notary public service, notarising and legalising your documents for use overseas.

Looking for expert legal advice?

Notary Public in Reading

If you have dealings outside of the UK, you may require documents to be authenticated by a notary in order to be accepted by public and legal authorities in another country. Notarisation is accepted as a safeguard under international law.

Our two qualified and highly experienced notaries, Philip D'Arcy and David Few, provide a comprehensive range of notarial and legalisation services to individuals and businesses of any size. Both are retired solicitors and former partners at Blandy & Blandy.

Offering unrivalled coverage in Reading, Henley-on-Thames, Wokingham and the surrounding areas, we can provide you with a convenient and cost-effective service and are able to assist with urgent matters at very short notice.

 

Do I need a Notary Public?

Generally speaking, if you have been asked to have a document certified, notarised, verified or similar, for use overseas, you will require the services of a notary public rather than a solicitor. If you are unsure, please contact us and we will be happy to advise and arrange an appointment if needed.

What is does a Notary Public do?

Notaries can examine and authenticate a wide range of documents, witnessing or obtaining certified copies of these. The notaries’ role is to check for fraud, that you understand the document(s) you are signing and that you are happy to do so. A notarised document will bear the notary’s signature and official seal of office. 

These documents include all types of company documents, such as certificates of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, annual returns, board minutes and resolutions and share certificates. We also notarise powers of attorney, statutory declarations, affidavits, witness statements, trademark and patent applications and registrations, letters and many other types of documents.

Legalisation services

Legalisation is the process by which the signature and seal of the Notary are authenticated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and in some cases the relevant Foreign Embassy. Some countries require this. In many cases, a certificate from the FCO called an apostille will suffice.

We provide a comprehensive legalisation service for our clients where required. These can be dealt with quickly using our London agent’s expedited service in cases of urgency. 

Making an appointment

Please make an appointment by submitting an online enquiry and we will respond as quickly as possible.

Appointments will normally take place at Blandy & Blandy’s offices at 33 Blagrave Street in Reading, unless we have arranged to meet you at one of the firm’s other offices. Subject to availability, appointments can also be arranged at Blandy & Blandy's offices in Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham.

We will normally ask you to forward copies of any documents or communications with lawyers and/or bodies overseas in advance of this appointment. If the document is in any language other than English, we will usually require a translation. This is because the notary has to understand the document so as to be satisfied that you understand what it is that you are signing. The person who is signing the documents in question must attend the meeting in person and sign in the presence of the Notary. Please do not sign documents beforehand.

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Common Questions

Do I have to make an appointment?

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Yes, it is always best to make an appointment please.

What identity documents do I need to bring?

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Please bring with you your current passport, or if you do not have one, some other satisfactory picture identity, such as a UK driving licence. You will also need to bring some evidence of your current address, which might be your driving licence or a current bank statement or utility bill.

Is it helpful if I sign the document before I come in?

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No, it is important that the Notary discusses the document with you and witnesses you actually signing the document.

Do I need to bring my own witnesses?

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We can usually provide any necessary witnesses.

I have an email from my lawyer abroad with the document. Should I forward it on to you?

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Yes please, it is very helpful if we have clear instructions from the foreign lawyer as to what is required and we have sight of the proposed document before you come and see us.

How much will it cost?

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Our charges depend mainly upon the time it takes, but also the degree of urgency. We have a minimum fee of £100 + VAT (£120) for private documents and £250 plus VAT for commercial documents. If you tell us what is required, we are happy to provide you with a quotation for the cost of the work.

Why is it so much, when all I want is for you to “stamp” a copy of my document?

AnswerClose

This is a common misconception. The Notary does not simply stamp the document. He is certifying the copy to be a true copy of the original and frequently will be taken to be verifying that the original document produced is genuine.  For that reason, the Notary needs to carry out certain checks and may need to qualify his certificate in some way.

Can you certify copies of any document?

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Although we can certify copies of many documents, we cannot certify copies of UK birth, death and marriage certificates. If we are unable to verify the authenticity of a document, we may need to provide a certified copy, making that clear.

Is it helpful if I provide my own copies for you to certify?

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No.  It is best if you simply bring the original.  We make it our practice to take our own copies so that in the event of there being any issue, we can always confirm that we copy the document ourselves. 

Does it matter if my document is in a foreign language?

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If the document is in any language other than English, we will require a translation.  This is because the Notary has to understand the document so as to be satisfied that you understand what it is that you are signing.

Do you draw up Powers of Attorney for use abroad?

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No we do not. We only draw up Powers of Attorney for use in England and Wales. Powers of Attorney are subject to the law of the country in which they are being used, and must therefore be drawn up by a lawyer with experience of that jurisdiction.

Can Notaries administer oaths and take statutory declarations for documents for use in England and Wales?

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Yes, we can. But most such documents can be dealt with by solicitors who are only permitted to charge £5 per affidavit and £2 per exhibit, so it will almost always be more cost effective to go to a solicitor. You will normally need a notary where the document is for use outside England & Wales.

What is an apostille?

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An apostille is a certificate from the British Government (the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) certifying that the signature and seal on the document are genuine.

Do you deal with obtaining with an apostille where this is required?

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Yes, we can assist in obtaining an apostille and any other form of legalisation that may be required.

  • Why Choose Us?

  • LEADING REPUTATION

    We are widely acknowledged as one of the Thames Valley’s leading providers of Notarial & Legalisation services, with conveniently located offices in Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham.

  • HIGHLY EXPERIENCED NOTARIES

    Our qualified notaries share 25 years' professional experience as notaries public and nearly 70 years’ experience as now retired solicitors.

  • APPROACHABLE SERVICE

    Listening carefully to your needs and aims, we are committed to providing you with clear, practical and effective advice, a timely and efficient service and, crucially, value for money.

  • OUTSTANDING CLIENT CARE

    We appreciate and are proud of the excellent feedback we continue to receive from clients.

  • FIRM WIDE EXPERTISE

    Our notarial clients can rely on the full range of legal services provided by Blandy & Blandy's team of solicitors if needed.

Contact a Notary Public in Reading, Henley-on-Thames or Wokingham

For expert advice, please call our dedicated team on 0118 951 6800

Philip D'Arcy

Philip D'Arcy

Notary Public

Download vCard 0118 951 6831

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David Few

David Few

Notary Public

Download vCard 0118 951 6858

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“A very helpful and invaluable service.”

Client

Awards & Accreditations

The Notaries Society is the representative society for Notaries in England and Wales.

The Notaries Society is the representative society for Notaries in England and Wales.

Authorised to verify legal documents or affidavits for use as evidence in Court.

Authorised to verify legal documents or affidavits for use as evidence in Court.