“Whether you are a business or an individual, you will want the reassurance that your document has been properly notarised so it can be relied on worldwide”
At Howarth & Srodon Notaries Public we provide comprehensive and efficient notary services. Like most notaries, we charge fees based mainly on the amount of time that we spend notarising documents. This work is not only the time spent in meeting you, but also in giving any preliminary advice, considering and notarising the documents, dealing with the Foreign Office or consulate, preparing the records that we have to keep, and any travel time.
Please call 01242 235202, or email us so that we can discuss what needs to be done and give you a quotation for the cost.
We offer notary appointments during business hours and can meet outside of business hours in exceptional circumstances. We are also prepared to make home visits or visit corporate clients at their place of business.
It is almost always the case that you have been asked to see a notary because you have a document that needs to be used abroad. Seeing a notary is never a mere rubber-stamping exercise. The international duty of a Notary involves a high standard of care. This is not only towards the client but also to anyone who may rely on the document and to Governments or officials of other countries. These people are entitled to assume that a Notary will ensure full compliance with the relevant requirements both here and abroad; and to rely on the Notary’s register and records. Great care is essential at every stage to minimise the risks of errors, omissions, alterations, fraud, forgery, money laundering, the use of false identity, and so on.
We offer appointments during business hours and occasionally outside of business hours in exceptional circumstances. We are also prepared to make home visits or visit corporate clients at their place of business. If the notarial appointments take place outside of our office we will make an additional charge to cover travelling time and expenses. Occasionally we may not be able to see you within the timeframe you require, or we may decide that we are not able to act for you in which case we will advise you that that is the case and will provide you with the necessary information to locate an alternative notary.
The Notary should normally witness your signature. Please do not sign the document in advance of your appointment with us.
Papers to be sent to us in advance:
It will save time, expense and mistakes if, as long before the appointment as possible, you can let us have the originals, photocopies or electronic scans of:
If neither of the above are available, at least two of the following
You must also bring any other means of ID which may be referred to in the papers sent to you as being required such as a foreign Identity Card. We may also ask to see further evidence of identity such as marriage certificates etc and will advise you of this if necessary.
Proof of names:
In a case where the name on the document is different from the name you are currently using, or there has been a variation in the form of spelling of the name over the years, please provide us as appropriate with Certificates of Birth, Marriage or Divorce Decree or Change of Name Deed showing all the different names that you use. If there has been a change of name, then we will need to see a copy of the Deed Poll or Statutory Declaration which dealt with it.
Advice on the document:
If you bring a document to us for authorisation as a Notary, we will advise you as to the formalities required for completing it. However, we will not be attempting to advise you about the transaction itself.
Written Translations:
It is essential that you understand what you are signing.
Oral Interpreter:
If you and our notary cannot understand each other because of a language difficulty, we may have to make arrangements for a competent interpreter to be available at our interview and this may involve a further fee.
Companies, Partnerships etc:
If a document is to be signed by you on behalf of a company, a partnership, a charity, club or other incorporated body, there are further requirements on which we may have to insist. Please be prepared for these and telephone with any point of difficulty before attending on the appointment.
In each case:
1. Evidence of identity of the authorised signatory (as listed above).
2. A copy of the current letterhead (showing the registered office if it is a company).
3. A Letter of Authority, Minute, Resolution or Power of Attorney, authorising you to sign the document.
Additionally, companies: Certificate of Incorporation and of any Change of Name, a copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, Details of Directors and Secretaries. In all instances we will be carrying out various company searches, which may have an effect on the level of fees charged.
Additionally, partnerships, clubs, etc: A Partnership Agreement; or relevant Trust Deed; or Charter; or Constitution/Rules.
Notarial charges and expenses:
Details of our charges are set out below. Please note that if we have to 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 may be required to make payment in advance of any such amounts.
Charges:
We will endeavour to charge a fixed fee to include disbursements such as legalisation fees, postage, consular agent fees, courier fees, travelling expenses, translating costs and so on. VAT is payable on our fees. The current rate of VAT is 20%.
For more complicated or time-consuming matters the fee will be based on our hourly rate of £300 subject to a minimum fee of £110, plus disbursements/VAT. The fee charged may include time spent on preliminary advice, drafting and preparation time, making and receiving telephone calls, correspondence written and received in all formats, arranging legalisation and record keeping.
Disbursements:
Some documents require legalisation before they will be accepted for use in the receiving jurisdiction by obtaining an apostille through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and, for some countries, additional legalisation is required through the relevant embassy or consulate.
Payment can be made by cash (up to £350) or by card/bank transfer. Payment of our fees and disbursements is due when the document has been prepared which we may retain pending payment in full.
Occasionally unforeseen or unusual issues arise during the course of the matter which may result in a revision of our fee estimate. Examples of this could include where additional documents are required to be notarised, additional translations or legalisations are needed to meet the requirements of the receiving jurisdiction, third party fees are adjusted to reflect external factors such as fuel price changes and so on. We will notify you of any changes in the fee estimate as soon as possible.
In your case the fees will be as we have set them out in a covering email which accompanies these terms of business, or in an email which will be sent to you in advance of our meeting.
Typical Stages of a notarial transaction:
Each notarial matter is different and the requirements and timescales will vary greatly according to whether the client is a private individual or a company and in particular according to the processing times of third parties such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, legalisation agents, translating agencies and couriers, etc. Some of the typical key stages are likely to include:
Notarial Records and Data Protection:
When we carry out our work for you, we are required to make an entry in a formal register, which is kept by us as a permanent record. We will retain a copy of the notarised documentation with that record. Our practice is a registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Personal data received from clients is held securely and not capable of being accessed externally. Data collected as part of notarial records is used solely for the purposes of meeting our professional legal responsibilities as Notaries Public. Should our Regulator direct an inspection of our records, this may include the records of the work we have done for you. Please ask for full details of our PRIVACY POLICY and data processing terms.
Record keeping and file storage:
In accordance with the Notaries Practice Rules 2019, Rule 24.2 and 24.4, we keep our general file records for 12 years but protocol records containing copies of documents in public form are kept indefinitely either in paper or electronic format.
Use of Technology, Devices and Artificial Intelligence:
Insurance:
In the interests of our clients we maintain professional indemnity insurance at a level of at least £1,000,000.00 per claim.
Termination/ Your Right to Cancel:
You may terminate your instructions to us at any time by giving us reasonable written notice. All fees and disbursements incurred up to the date of termination will be charged.
Consumer Cooling Off Cancellation Period –Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (“CCR”):
Where the CCR apply (typically where you are an individual consumer and our contract with you was concluded either at or following a meeting with you or by a form of distance communication) you have a cancellation period of 14 days after the date you sign our retainer letter or the date on which you continue to give us instructions, whichever is earlier.
You can cancel your contract within the cancellation period by giving us a clear statement and we will reimburse all payments received from you by the same method that you used, at no cost to you, without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which you inform us of the cancellation.
If you ask us to begin work during the cancellation period, you can still cancel but you must pay us an amount in proportion to the work which we have performed and this proportion will not be reimbursed to you.
Termination by us:
We reserve the right to terminate our engagement by you if we have good reason to do so, for example, if you do not pay a bill or comply with our request for a payment on account or you fail to give us the co-operation which we are reasonably entitled to expect.
Complaints:
Our notarial practice is regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury:
The Faculty Office
1, The Sanctuary
Westminster
London SW1P 3JT
Telephone 020 7222 5381
Email Faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com
Website www.facultyoffice.org.uk
If you are dissatisfied about the service you have received please do not hesitate to contact us.
If we are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to the Notaries Society of which we are a member, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.
In that case please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to :-
The Secretary of The Notaries Society
PO Box 876
Chichester PO19 9ZH
Email secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk
If you have any difficulty in making a complaint in writing please do not hesitate to contact the Notaries Society/the Faculty Office for assistance.
Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure, or after a period of 8 weeks from the date you first notified us that you were dissatisfied, make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, if you are not happy with the result:
Legal Ombudsman
P O Box 6167
Slough SL1 0EH
Tel : 0300 555 0333
Email : enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website : www.legalombudsman.org.uk
If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, you must refer your matter to the Legal Ombudsman within one year from the act/omission or within one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
We hope that these notes are of help to you in understanding what is expected of each of us.
Updated January 2026
