Information on Notaries

What does it cost?

There are no set charges although The Notaries Society reminds its members that they should charge a proper fee which is appropriate for the level of service offered and which will enable them to meet the cost of acting properly and in accordance with the Rules made by the Faculty Office and with the demands of good professional practice. For most matters the Notary should be able to tell you his fee in advance. For more complex matters he will tell you how his fee will be assessed usually based on how long he will have to work on your matter. There may be fees to pay to third parties, such as the Foreign Office or an Embassy.

How long will it take?

If the document is straightforward, already prepared and in the correct form the notary is likely to need to see you for a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes and complete it in half an hour. Obviously it takes longer if the document is not straightforward, or he has to draw up the document or make a proper copy.

Many countries want documents to be countersigned by their London Embassies (legalisation) and this will take several days unless you want to take them to the Embassy in person and wait in line. The fees and procedures for this vary widely but the notary should be able to give you a reasonably accurate idea of the time and cost.

At the time of writing this information, there is a little bit of confusion about divorce papers. We would recommend you to get your divorce papers legalised at the same time you have your Certificate of no Impediment legalised. if you have details of your divorce on your Certificate of no Impediment in the majority of times this will be satisfactory, although we have heard of instances where officials wanted to see the divorce papers legalised, don't forget to take your divorce papers to China. Send or take your all relevant papers to be legalised at The Legalisation Office

The Legalisation Office:

Norfolk House (West)
437 Silbury Boulevard
Milton Keynes
MK9 2AH.

Links

Legalisation
Legalisation at the Chinese Embassy / Consulate
The Notaries Society