Notary Public Birmingham

Welcome to Notary Public Birmingham

My name is Raj Padhiar. I am a Notary Public and Solicitor based in Birmingham. I offer appointments to clients in Birmingham and throughout Walsall, Solihull, Wolverhampton and Dudley. I also offer appointments in the Coventry area via Notary Public Coventry.

Appointments are available either at my offices or at your home or office at a time to suit you.

For a quotation or to make an appointment please visit the contact page.

I deal with clients who speak English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Gujarati. Other languages can be dealt with by prior arrangement.

I am also a Solicitor and details of the services I offer as a Solicitor can be found at Carltons Solicitors Birmingham. I and Carltons Solicitors have been in business for in excess of 20 years.

We can help with Corporate Notary Documents

Many companies in the UK deal with foreign trade offering exports and imports of both services and goods. A Notary Public can help with any foreign corporate litigation requiring Notarisation in the UK and abroad.

Insolvency of International companies may also need the services of a Notary Public and communication with different Embassy’s.

The Name “Notary Public Birmingham” is a banner title for Raj A Padhiar Notary Public Services Limited which is registered at the Companies House Registry of England and Wales as a Limited Company, Company number 11925610 and of registered office 503 Coventry Road, Birmingham, B10 0LL. Our sole director and sole shareholder are Raj A Padhiar, Notary Public.

As a firm of Notaries, this firm is regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury and not by the Solicitors Regulation Office (SRA). Outside of his Notary work, Raj Padhiar is also a Solicitor at Carltons Solicitors Limited and holds a current solicitor practising certificate registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with SRA number 30861. Please note that the Notary Practice is separate from the legal services he provides as a Solicitor. The Notary Practice is not part of nor affiliated to Carltons Solicitors Limited.

Click on a link below for more information.

What is a Notary Public?
Notary services
Foreign Languages
What is Legalisation or Apostille?
What identification does a Notary Public require?
What does it cost?
Independence and Rules
Public Records kept by a Notary
Data Protection Privacy Notice
My Terms of Business (printable)

What is a Notary Public?

A Notary, or Notary Public, can authenticate or legalise any document. A Notary can also provide legalisation or an apostille, if needed. You will normally require the services of a Notary Public when you have documents which are needed to be used abroad. The Notaries signature and seal will verify to the authorities in that country that the relevant checks have been carried out.

The need for a notary public is dictated by the requirements of the country where the document is to be used. For example, if you wish to buy a property abroad, it is often necessary to give your overseas lawyer power to deal with the purchase. This can be done by means of a power of attorney, which is signed by you in front of a notary. The notary public will confirm your name and identity and sign the document and seal it with their official seal.

Notary Services

You may need to see a Notary to:

get a certified copy of a passport
certify copies of other documents such as examination certificates
buy or sell property abroad
transfer property
set up a Power of Attorney for use abroad
make a statutory declaration or swear an oath or affidavit
confirm your single status in order to marry abroad
obtain duplicate documents for lost passports or your other important documents
get an Apostille or legalisation
have your contracts authenticated by a notary
have a commercial translation certified by a notary
assign patents, trade marks or domain names
any other documents for use abroad, which require a notary stamp

Foreign Languages

Documents presented to a notary may be in a foreign language. The notary must ensure that both they and the client understand the meaning and effect of the document. Notaries do not usually give advice about the meaning or effect of a document or transaction. It is important that the client shows the notary any correspondence or advice that he has been given by others.
A Notary Public may also be known as a Notario Publico, Notaio, Notario, Notar or a Notaire.

What is Legalisation or Apostille?

A notarised document may often need to be further authenticated by having the U.K. Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office confirm the validity of the notary's signature and seal. The requirement for this will depend on the foreign country involved. This is done by legalisation by the use of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's official certificate attached to the document, known as an apostille. These are internationally recognised due to the Hague Convention.

What identification does a Notary Public require?

Following the implementation of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, notaries are now obliged to keep sufficient evidence on their files of the identity and the address of all their clients before they undertake any work. Each person whose signature they are to certify must provide one of the following original identification documents at the time of the appointment.

passport
driving licence (with photo card)
national identity card (EEA state members)
an armed forces pass (with photo and signature)
firearms licence (with photo and signature)
other government issue ID (with photo and signature)
residence permit
benefit book or original notification letter from Benefits Agency

In addition, they require proof of residence, which can be one of the following original documents:

Bank statement or letter from bank
Utility bill or council tax bill (not mobile phone bill)
Tenancy agreement or Housing Association rent card
Inland revenue tax demand or self assessment statement

When a notary public is acting for a corporate client, evidence of the due incorporation of the company or entity is required. This can be one of the following documents:

Extract from the company register
Certificate of incorporation
Latest report and audited accounts
Up to date certified copy of partnership agreement
Evidence of being regulated by a regulatory body such as the Law Society or FSA.

In addition to the above, each individual signatory will need to produce one of the identification documents mentioned above.

What does it cost?

The cost will depend on the number of documents to be notarised. Details of my fees are set out below. Please note, that if I must make payments on your behalf such as legalisation fees, translator or interpreter fees, or other costs such as travelling expenses, your approval to these will be obtained and you are normally required to make payment in advance of any such amounts. Rates are reviewed from time to time.

Fees: If the matter is simple, I will endeavour to charge a fixed fee to include disbursements such as legalisation fees, postage, consular agent fees, courier fees, travelling expenses, translation costs and so on.

For more complicated or time-consuming matters, the fee will be based on my hourly rate of £295 per hour subject to a minimum fee of £80, plus disbursements. The fee charged may include time spent on attendance, preliminary advice, drafting and preparation time, making and receiving telephone calls, correspondence written and received in all formats, arranging legalisation and record keeping. The Notarial Practice is registered for Value Added Tax and our VAT registration number is GB 35 7824075. Any fee quotation we supply to you will state in United Kingdom pounds and pence the total VAT payable for your case, based on the current VAT rate of 20%.

Occasionally unforeseen or unusual issues arising during the matter, which may result in a revision of my fee estimate. Example of this could include where additional documents are required to be notarised, additional translations or legalisations are needed to meet the requirements of receiving jurisdiction, third party fees are adjusted to reflect external factors such as fuel price changes and so on. I will notify you of any changes in the fee estimate as soon as possible. There is therefore no absolute set fee for every client.

Disbursements: Some documents require legalisation before they will be accepted for use in the receiving jurisdiction by obtaining an apostille through the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and, for some countries, additional legalisation is required through the relevant embassy or consulate. VAT is not charged on the Foreign Office Apostille/Legalisation fees. Disbursements incurred on your behalf (including but not limited to apostille charges, courier and postal costs and translation fees) will be passed on to you. Travel expenses if applicable, may also be passed on to you.

Professional indemnity Insurance: In the interests of my clients, I maintain professional indemnity insurance currently at a level of at least £1,000,000.00 per claim (plus any costs which the insured is liable to pay). Claims and costs etc are subject to the terms and conditions of the policy.

Please visit the contact us page to obtain a quotation.

Independence and Rules

A notary is an independent officer and must not do anything to compromise this. They should not act in matters where they have a personal interest, and are subject to professional rules and standards to ensure the protection of their clients. They are also bound to follow the rules on the prevention of money laundering. Notaries must be insured against negligence and dishonesty.

Public Records kept by a Notary

A notary will keep a full set of the originals or copies of all the official documents that they make and this serves as a permanent public record. They must make these available to all those who have a proper right to see them including their client and any other parties involved in such documents. They also refer to the record to make copies when needed.