Bucks_Family

It was £7 per 3 documents, we had 15 documents to certify, so £35 or so.
You do have to go to one of the larger post offices, the little branches don't offer the service - it's not like they let anyone certify the photocopies

misskatpaw

We had all ours stamped by a friend who is a Commissioner for Oaths, for the cost of a bottle of homemade Elderflower Champagne

He was very thorough though, he made me return the next day with an original that was missing, before he'd stamp and sign the copy.

We are still waiting for news on our file, so not sure yet is this has been deemed acceptable

Just thought i'd chuck my two-penneth in!

Almost Canadian

Only a Notary Public can notarize, so if notarizing is required, one must go to a Notary Public.

Certifying and notarizing are completely different things. The confusion arises because, in the common law Provinces in Canada, all lawyers are automatically Notaries. In England and Wales, solicitors, barristers etc., are not Notaries. The qualification costs a fair bit of money and there is a distinct lack of demand for Notaries, therefore, most lawyers in England and Wales don't bother. Those that do have little competition and can pretty much charge what they want.

james.mc

This strikes me as a little out of whack.

My understanding is that Notarizing and Certifying documents are little different.
You can get a Certified copy from a few sources plus a Notary can attest that a copy is a true copy, but a notarized document is a different kettle of fish.

A notarized document officially affirms that you have signed a document and that it really is your signature on that document. For example an original document, signed by you, could be copied by the notary and they will also verify that the signature is yours. They generally attach another page to the copied document, stating that it is a notarized document, duly signed and stamped by them and then staple the two together with a ribbon type seal. If the pages are ever split the document will no longer be viewed as notarized.

Many people submit certified copies of many documents with their applications because the process simply certifies that it's a copy of an original, unaltered, document from the issuing source. E.g. a birth certificate does not require your signature, so couldn't be notarized, but a copy of the original document could be certified as a true copy.
That can be achieved by adding a statement onto the copied document and signed/stamped by the certifying authority as a true copy. As far as I am aware that's the type of service the UK post office offers. It's also a lot cheaper, but still appears to meet with CIC requirements.

In summary.
A Notarized document verifies your signature.
A certified copy certifies it is a copy of an original, unaltered, document. This service is available from a few sources.
Notaries can attest that a copy is a true copy, which in effect is a certified copy.

Welsh Tony

It is for this reason we had our 70 odd pages "certified as true copies" by the magistrate, as they were all photocopies of payslips, certificated of education and the like. There was nothing that was signed by us. I thought that the £25 for as many copies as you like was pretty good value for money.

james.mc

Sound like a great deal.

Almost Canadian

Sorry but this is incorrect. Notarization has little to do with signatures. I, as a Notary Public, can provide a Notarization certificate that copies of, for example, examination certificates, are true copies of the originals. Another can certify that they are true copies of the originals. The difference is the status of the person performing the task.

The history of Notary Publics is irrelevant for present purposes.

If notarized copies are required, only notarized copies will suffice. The rationality of why only notarized copies will suffice is irrelevant. Whether notarized copies are required is a moot point.

james.mc

I disagree.

There have been a few posts stating that notarized documents were not submitted with an application and they were duly accepted by CIC, so it seem that although notarized documents were requested, for the purposes if an immigration application it appears that CIC will accept another type of document, such as a certified copy, by way of substitute.

In the UK a notary public, notarizing a document, has a lot to do with signatures.

I think there is most likely a difference between Canada and the UK in this respect and therefore what I suggest isn't incorrect in the UK. You may need to consider where you are operating as a notary public before you state what is correct and what isn't.
My interpretation is based on the UK interpretation of a notarized document which is where most BE members would be seeking to either certify or notarize a document within the UK.

Almost Canadian

Thanks, as a former solicitor in England and a Barrister, Solicitor and Notary Public in Alberta, I believe I know what I am talking about.

In most cases a Notary's duties have little to do with signatures.

I accept that CIC's rules appear not to be implemented on a consistent basis which is why I made reference to if above.

james.mc

In some areas we agree. In others not.

So, why didn't you mention your legal credentials in the first instance? It would have given immediate credibility to your point of view.

Out of interest, as a UK solicitor, were you also notary public in the UK?

For sure I can understand that in most cases notary public duties may have little to do with signatures, but in the UK a notarized document often has a lot to do with verifying signatures, or do you disagree?

roxye3

A very interesting point!

Almost Canadian

As I stated above, very few solicitors in England and Wales are Notary Publics. The reason? These days there is little need for them. They used to be concerned with ensuring that documents were appropriate (title deeds etc.) If one is a solicitor in England and Wales, it is relatively straightforward to become a Notary Public but there is a costs involved with doing so. As very few clients ever need a Notary Public, 99.9% of solicitors in England and Wales do not bother to become Notary Publics.

A non lawyer can take exams to become a Notary Public. No former legal designation is required but exams must be passed to ensure that the applicant understands the legal principles required to excercise the duties of a Notary Public.

As I also said above, in the common law Provinces in Canada, all lawyers are automatically Notary Publics (in England and Wales, all solicitors are automatically Commissioners for Oaths). The usual standard required for a person to "swear" a document in one Province, for use in another Province is that the person that executes the "swear" is a Notary Public. In England and Wales the requirement would be that the person is a Commissioner for Oaths. In essence, they are the same thing but Canada does love its rules therefore, if a notarized document is reqiuired, only a Notary Public can execute it properly.

It depends upon the document and what the Notary Public is being asked to verify. If it is to verify that document A contains the signature of person B, the Notary Public will have to meet B, verify his identity, ask B for a sample of his signature, compare the signature to the signature on A and confirm that they match.

As I indicated above, a Notarial Certificate can simply state that the document is a copy of the original. The original may have no signature upon it and, even if it does, the validity of the signature may have no relevance. As another example, CIC may require that I obtain a notarized copy of my degree certificate. My degree may be signed by the dean of a University. The dean will not be attending before the Notary Public and the Notary Public will not be confirming that the original certificate is valid. All the Notary Public will be confirming is that s/he has seen the original and confirms that the copy is an exact copy of the original.

james.mc

Thanks for taking more time to further explain the notary public system. I'm sure some people will find the information of benefit.

regards
James Mc