notarised documents
 

hi

i have (promise) looked on the wiki for this subject and either there just isn't any info or i'm looking in the wrong place (more than likely) but i have seen threads on this subject before, so.....

i need to get some documents notarised! i've spoken to a notary in my home town and i understand the mechanics but having looked on CHC and CIC websites, can't find out exactly what i need doing and the best way of doing it......i know i need passports, birth and marriage certs, school certs and uni certs but is there anything else?

the notary that i spoke to said that i can do it one of two ways.....he will attach a sealed certificate to the originals and we send those of or we can obtain copies (not photocopies but genuine copies) and he will notorise those.....i'm not too sure that i'm happy to send the originals but who's had experience of this and what did you do........also, what's the deffinate answere on sealed envelopes of not.....many thanks in advance:thumbup:

Re: notarised documents
 

Hi

Are these for your PNP application or for the PR part that you are sending to London?

We have gone through PNP NS and for them I photocopied all of the documents and then took the copies and the originals to the solicitor who then certified that they were true copies of the originals.

I had certified everything bar resumes and employment references (as I just sent original reference letter and kept a copy for myself) this includes ID documents, financial statements etc.

For the London PR application as we are PNP I only had to send copies of passports, birth certs, marriage certs and I got these certified again, just in case.

Sorry, not sure if this helps or not:o

Re: notarised documents
 

thanks niki dreaming.....

it is for BC PNP......

i was told today that photocopies where no good as they are not genuine copies, if the originals are forged!!!! i'm guessing that maybe some notaries take one view and others take another view......my be mine is abit 'stricter'? maybe i should shop around?....

out of interest, how much did it cost? i haven't been given any figures yet....

x

Re: notarised documents
 

We've had documents notarised both back in Scotland and here in Canada. In both cases, they took the original document, photocopied it then signed it as a true copy.

In Scotland, we used our solicitor and it cost us 45 quid for all documents (certs, passports, quals, etc) and that was two visits all together.

In Canada, we went the bank (after reading about that here) and asked if anyone there could do it. There was a notary there who did it for nothing (only a couple of documents though).

We got our PPR a couple of weeks ago, so it must have been okay!

Re: notarised documents
 

more thanks guys....really useful info....

so basically, who says it has to be done by a 'notary'......??? can't find any difinite info on this one......

surley, a proffessional person who can add a signed cert and in a sealed envelope is good enough, right? even i, yes humble me, can do peoples passports as a part time teacher and have done so on many occassions......

i do wish there was some info on the 'you must do it like this and that's the rule'....it seems so vague on alot of things really, don't you find?....at least we'd all know how certain things were done......

Re: notarised documents
 

We was told to do this for AAIT as one of the companys that hubby worked for in the uk was no longer in business, so they advised they would only have these documents :curse:

after speaking to our uk solicitor we just had them sign them, gave them to aait and all was fine, as we did not have a notarised solicitor in the area and to goto the nearest would be no good, so ask if your solicitor can do it...hope that helps;)

Re: notarised documents
 

give me a minute I have a definitive list of who can sign direct from cic
back later with it

Re: notarised documents
 

okay.....just found this on the foreign and commonwealth office web site.....it's long but interesting.....i've also just spoken to them and they said that 'yes' they have to be done by a notary public for canada....but they would say that right!....


Documents we can legalise
We can legalise most UK documents as long as they bear an original signature, seal or stamp from a UK public organisation or official.

A UK document means that it originated or has been executed in the UK. If a UK solicitor or notary public is signing a document they should state clearly what exactly it is they are certifying in relation to the document. They must sign in their own name and not use a company signature. They should clearly print their name and their firm's name under the signature.

We can legalise photocopies of certain types of documents (listed below) as long as they have been certified by a UK solicitor or notary as being true photocopies. If you want to legalise a certified photocopy of a particular document, and we are able to do this (see below), you should also confirm with the end users of the document to ensure that a certified photocopy is acceptable to them.
UK Educational Documents
All educational documents must be signed by a UK solicitor or notary before they can be legalised. The solicitor or notary should either confirm that the document is original if that is the case, or a true photocopy. If you are living overseas it may be possible for the British Council in your country to certify the document instead. You should check with the local British Council office to see if they offer this service.

Educational documents which are not degrees, diplomas, certificates, qualifications or other awards may be legalised if they have been issued by an educational establishment in the UK. This includes school reports and letters concerning enrolling, attendance, fees and grades.

Documents which are degrees, diplomas, certificates, qualifications or other awards can be legalised if they were issued by an educational establishment if it is registered at one of the following websites:

'Register of Providers' or the 'Recognised Degrees' sections of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) website
the Scottish Qualifications Authority website
the National Database of Accredited Qualifications website
the British Accreditation Council Website
the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council
the Association of British Language Schools
Additionally, qualifications which are or were issued by OCR, Edexcel, Higher National Diploma, City and Guilds, National Open College Network, GNVQ or the American Study Abroad Programme in the UK can also be legalised.

UK Birth, Death, Marriage and Civil Partnership Certificates
We can legalise original or certified copies of certificates issued by the General Registry Office (GRO) or local Registry Offices in the UK, or British Diplomatic Missions overseas.

We can also legalise original death certificates issued by a UK coroner. Translations of these can also be legalised if they have been signed by a UK solicitor or notary. Please note that we are NOT able to legalise photocopies of these documents, even if they have been signed by a UK solicitor or notary or attached to a notarial cover sheet. This is because we have been advised that the General Register Office (GRO) or local Registry Offices are the only designated authorities in the UK who can issue certified copies of these documents.

Contact the GRO or your local Registry Office for more information on obtaining certified copies of these types of certificates which we will be able to legalise.


UK Certificates of No Impediment (CNIs) or 'No Trace' Letters issued by the GRO
Original CNIs and GRO issued letters confirming that there is no trace of an individual currently being married can be legalised. Please note that we are not able to legalise photocopies of these documents, even if they have been signed by a UK solicitor or notary public or attached to a notarial cover sheet. This is because we have been advised that the General Register Office (GRO) or local Registry Offices are the only designated authorities in the UK who can issue certified copies of these documents. Contact the GRO or your local Registry Office for more information on obtaining certified copies of these types of certificates which we will be able to legalise.

If you are getting married abroad, please also see Marriage Abroad.

British Passports
We cannot legalise original passports of any nationality. Photocopies of the bio data page of British passports may be legalised if they have been certified by a UK solicitor or notary public as being true photocopies of the original documents. We do not legalise certified copies of foreign passports or ID documents.

Change of Name Deed Poll
All change of name deed poll documents (originals as well as copies) must be certified by a UK solicitor or notary public as being original, or true photocopies, before they can be legalised.

Religious Documents
We can legalise the following religious documents as long as they have been certified by a UK solicitor or notary public and originated in the UK. The solicitor or notary public should certify original documents as being genuine, and photocopies as being true copies of the original documents:

Islamic Marriage and Divorce Certificates issued by UK mosques
Jewish Divorce Certificates issued by a Jewish Court
Baptismal Certificates of any denomination.
Documents relating to the Hajj or Umrah which originated in the UK must be certified by an official of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, or an Arabic speaking UK solicitor or notary public before they can be legalised.

UK Court documents
Original documents issued by UK courts can be legalised. Photocopies of these documents can also be legalised if they have been certified by a UK solicitor or notary public as being true copies of the original documents.

Powers of Attorney, Wills, Affidavits, Declarations and Notarial Acts
Originals of these documents can be legalised if they have been signed in the UK by the individual(s) concerned and the signature(s) witnessed by a UK solicitor or notary public.

The solicitor or notary public should certify this clearly on the document.

Certificates of Incorporation and Other Documents Issued by Companies House
We can legalise originals of these documents only if they have been signed by an official of Companies House. If the originals do not bear an original signature of a Companies House official then they must be certified by a UK solicitor or notary public as being original documents. Photocopies of Companies House documents can be legalised if they have been certified by a UK solicitor or notary public as being true copies of the original document.

Export Certificates
We can legalise export certificates only if they have been signed by an official of the relevant UK Government Department. Photocopies of export documents may be legalised if a UK solicitor or notary public has certified them to confirm that they are true copies of the original documents.

Documents from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
Original documents from HMRC can be legalised if they are signed by an HMRC official.

National Identification Certificates and Disclosure Documents
Only original documents issued by the National Identification Service (NIS) and signed by an NIS official can be legalised. Original disclosure documents must be signed by a member of the Criminal Records Bureau or a UK solicitor or notary public before they can be legalised. We cannot legalise photocopies of NIS or disclosure documents.

Medical documents
Medical reports and letters issued by UK hospitals and NHS Trusts may be legalised as long as they have been signed by a UK doctor who is registered with the General Medical Council. Letters concerning non-medical issues, eg. job references or letters of employment, can be legalised if they are signed by a UK solicitor or notary public confirming them to be true and genuine. We cannot legalise other medical documents, including Form Med 3 issued by doctors for statutory sick pay and social security purposes.

Pet Travel Scheme
We can legalise documents to export pets overseas. These must be original documents and be signed by a qualified Veterinary Surgeon. Please note that we do not legalise any other documents for pets.

Documents from UK Crown Dependencies
We cannot legalise documents originating or executed in the British Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey). Such documents should be legalised in the relevant Dependency and do not require further legalisation by the Legalisation Office in order to be accepted by foreign authorities.

Documents from British Overseas Territories
Documents originating or executed in a British Overseas Territory can only be legalised if they have already been legalised by an official of the Government in the Territory concerned. The British Overseas Territories are:
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antartic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena and Dependencies, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands.

Foreign Language Translations of UK Documents
We can legalise translations of UK documents issued or executed in the UK. These documents need to be certified by a UK solicitor or notary public confirming that they are true translations. Please note that we are not able to legalise documents on the signatures of the translators unless they are also a practising UK solicitor or notary public, or a consular official. Please note that we will not legalise certified copies of foreign language documents.

Foreign Documents
If you have a foreign document which requires legalisation you should contact the relevant Embassy, Consulate or High Commission in the UK for advice.

If you have been advised that your document needs to be appended to a notarial cover sheet containing a certification from a practising UK solicitor or notary public, the cover sheet must refer specifically to the document, and the document should be properly bound to the cover sheet.
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Update
Please note that from Friday 8 August 2008, the Legalisation Office will not legalise the signatures of diplomatic or consular agents. This includes foreign diplomats and consular officials accredited to the UK or third countries. The reason for this is that the UK is party to the 1961 Hague Convention on the Abolition of Legalisation. The Convention states that it will not apply to documents signed by diplomatic or consular agents. Since all of our legalisations must meet the requirements of the Convention, even if the document is to be produced in a country which is not a party to the Convention, we will no longer be able to legalise documents signed in this way.


Useful Links
GRO

Births marriages and deaths
Registration and legal information

go

Re: notarised documents
 

here is the list
and good luck


The following individuals can certify the authenticity of a document,
especially with a signature seal or stamp. The individual indicates that
he/she has seen the original document and is certifying that the
photocopy is a true copy of the original that he/she has seen.

*Please contact one of the following professionals to notarize /
certify copies of your original documents:

(1) Notary Public
(2) Lawyer
(3) Commissioner of Oaths
(4) Designated official at a Canadian Embassy or Consulate
(5) Medical Doctor or Dentist currently licensed in Canada
(6) Police officer, municipal, provincial, or federal (RCMP)
(7) Canadian Judge, Magistrate or Mayor
(8) Professional accountant who is a member of APA, CA, CGA, CMA, PA or
RPA
(8) Professional engineer who uses the designation P.Eng.
(9) Member of Parliament (MP); Member of Provincial Parliament
(MPP)(Ontario); Member of National Assembly (MNA)(Quebec); Member of
House of Assembly (MHA)(Newfoundland & Labrador); Member of the
Legislative Assembly (MLA)(all other provinces and territories).
(10) Commissioner of the Supreme Court
Etc.

Most City Halls have a Commissioner of Oaths who has authority to
administer oaths and take affidavits.

The name, title and contact information of the individual must appear
on the copy along with their signature.

—-----

Re: notarised documents
 

your solicitor is definitly going OTT:eek:
we got absolutely everything notorised in Canada and we are brits with brit documents

Re: notarised documents
 

//

Re: notarised documents
 

thanks chumley.....but isn't this from within canada? i'm still in the uk and hubby is in vancouver......but i quess if it's good enough from within canada, then the same must apply from the uk, right?

i've looked on the CIC website and could find nothing (still looking in the wrong places, i know......) also, hubby is applying for PR from within canda to buffalo.....difficulty is, i've got to get these 'notarised docs' to him in canada....hence my thread and who can and who can't notorise something from within the UK......as he's in canada, he can use one from your list to get his passport done, so that's great.......

still abit confused and of course we don't want our PR application returned 'cos it's wrong from the off......and we have to do it again.....:blink:

Re: notarised documents
 

Whilst those lists above are appropriate for the UK, my experience of all things legal in Canada leads me to believe that when Canadians say a Notary, they mean a Notary. I wouldn't risk using anybody else. Notaries have seals that they use, Commissioners, solicitors don't (although some of them have stamps). The seal is usually the deal settler, without it the document is likely to be rejected (if indeed a notarized document is required).

HTH

Re: notarised documents
 

my list is for those applying within Canada and its from my local CIC office
I emailed them for a 100% correct list and this is what they sent
so its appropriate for Canada and yes you can use anybody on the the list that CIC provide as above

Re: notarised documents
 

many, many, many thanks guys....all great info.....this has been doing my head in all day....

have decided to get everything notarised from a notary public....can't go wrong then can i? gonna cost, but it's done!!!!

just had one more go at the CIC site as couldn't understand why no info! type in notarized and not notarised.....hey presto, some info.....:ohmy:

Re: notarised documents
 

good news.....regardless of 'need things notarised/notarized or not', i've found a man, a notary public, who will do birth, marriage, passports etc. all verified, sealed, attached certs etc etc.....all for the grand price of £125 + vat....and this is for 9 documents to be done.......so outcome, going to get the lot done regardless of need and at least they are done......

it's total madness though, that you can't find the diffinite info on this one, either from the CHC, CIC or the foriegn office.......stupid to my mind.....you either do or you don't, right?.....:huh:

Re: notarised documents
 

Okay, can i ask it says medical doctors for canada, but would not a medical doctor registered in UK be good enough.

I got my eductional certificates done when i was in Truro NS, but i did not get birth certificate, driving licence, passport and other documents done. I was going to ask my boss, as he is a Consultant Cardiologist, therefore, a medical doctor in UK and he agreed if it was acceptable.

Would this not be okay, should i maybe pay and get a solicitor to do them instead? So confusing.
:confused:
Please advise

Emmjay

Re: notarised documents
 

hi eemjay

all i can say is, that having spent the WHOLE DAY yesterday looking into this, my advice would be, get whatever you consider to be important done and to my mind, that would be birth certs, marriage certs, divorce certs, adoption certs, passports, educational certs etc....

find a notary public, not just a solicitor, as this is as sure that you can get, that it's all then covered.....the foriegn office make it quite clear that a notary is the important one.....for england anyway! not sure from inside canada, or scotland as they 'seem' to have a different opinion!!!! HOWEVER, it's not really about what's the right thing from the UK, it's more about what's acceptable for the receiving country and that's where the difficulty lies.....no definite info on this......if you are living in canada, a whole host of people are acceptable to use to get documents notarized but outside canada, there is again no definite info......having also spoken to the notary society in london, they are as high up as you can get, in confirming that documents are legitimate.......

so, i personally, have decided that i'm going to spend my money, get them done from a notary public and that's that.........done!

what is total madness in all this, is i can do others passport application forms because i teach part time and only have a city and guilds in teaching but legally, i can do that and have done so on many, many .....mad, mad, mad to my mind but there you go!

other posters have said that they only used photocopies, done by a solicitor, done by a bank manager etc etc......i can only give my own experience and i'm doing it my way....you must decide.....good luck. x

Re: notarised documents
 

Hi Gibsonslanding

I have just today rung a solicitor in York who is on the list for "notary public". I have made an appointment to see him next Monday and have the rest of my documents done and he has quoted £120 for the lot.

I rang another solicitor and was quoted £75 per item or £200 per hour.

I was told it should not take more than twenty minutes to do, so i am going with the £120 for the lot. This was still more than i wanted to pay, but as you said get it done and over with - what an headache!!!

I always thought immigrating would be hard, but this is silly. My boss was quite happy to notarize everything for free, as he is a registered medical doctor in teh UK, but this apparantly is not good enough for CIC or PNP!!!! :confused:

Oh well never mind, it all comes out in the wash, as my mum says. Good luck with yours :D

Emmjay

Re: notarised documents
 

Hi. Hope you get everything sorted out :thumbup:

Just wanted to say that we came to BC via PNP and did not get anything (other than a letter i got my ex husband to sign) notarised. We just sent in photocopies for everything for the PNP/PR and all was fine.:thumbup: Have not heard or spoken to anyone here that has come to BC that has had to get the documents notarised :confused:

Even had to get a copy of a police clearance from Germany for my husband that had to be translated. So i photocopied the original and wrote the translation on there ourselves. That was accepted no problems :thumbup:

Re: notarised documents
 

We had to get some educational certificates notarized for our PNP application. Luckily my mum used to be a lawyer so knows a few people still in the business, and one of them signed and stamped (with a general company stamp) my docs. I think they put something like "I certifiy this to be a true copy of the original".

We got PNP recently so it obviously passed muster :thumbsup:

PS - If you know someone in the legal game, it's worth asking them - we didn't pay a penny!

Re: notarised documents
 

Hi all,

I was wondering if you could help us? We're about to send off all our documents, and are intending to get our solicitor to sign off photocopies of all our documents... Do we need to send off copies of the forms themselves (IMM0008, IMM5406, IMM 5476, IMM0008 Schedule 3) or do we send the orginals of these?

Just can't figure out if they mean the 'evidence' forms like certificates, or every single form??

Many thanks,

M & B.

Re: notarised documents
 

I have recently sent off my application on the 5th December to be precise. I had all my documents notarized as that is what it stated on th high commission london website. However I know alot of people on this site have not had documents notarzed, and been issued with their visas. I decided not take any chances, and get them done at least there was no question that they were true and correct. As I said in my last post on this subject, notary publics as they are known in England, have their details logged around the world with all foreign governments. The governments around the world can then verify that your documents have been notarized by an a notary on the list. All there signatures are available for them to authenticate. ( My notary public told me this.)

I think that you may want to ask Jim Humphries his take on this, he is the one in the know, and I think we should have this as wiki subject so that others in the future can clarify what exactly is expected of them on this subject.

Re: notarised documents
 

In my experience the following are common ideas and practices for submission of documents. One should carefully read the visa office-specific guide for instructions on what is required for that visa office. I am not a lawyer but below is my understanding and experience from my time as a visa officer.
1. Do not bother unless specifically asked for "certification" of a document.
2. Legalization is seldom requested or needed and is very involved.
3. Sometimes "Certified true copies" are requested. The notary makes a copy of an original document and certifies the copy as true with his or her signature and official seal. They are not certifying that the original document is genuine
4. Notarization refers to signing a document in front of a notary who then adds his or her signature as an officially recognized witness to the signature. It is seldom required or requested.
5. In Canada all lawyers are also notaries.
6. Some documents originate in countries outside the normal processing area of the visa office may be a problem and require closer scrutiny and perhaps authentication by the originating authority.