How Much Does a Notary Cost in the UK?

Looking for a cheap notary public in London or beyond? Notary fees vary depending on which country the notary works in and the level of qualification required to be a notary public.

Here are a couple of examples of notary costs based on location:

• In America, notary services can cost just a few dollars because the requirements to become a notary are low and there are many notaries around. Compared to notary fees in the UK, American prices seem very cheap indeed.
• In Germany, notary costs are expensive as their fees are typically a percentage of the overall transaction. So if the notarisation is of papers relating to the sale of a million-pound house, the notary prices can be pretty high.

So what are the fees for a notary public in London? Read on to find out more about how we calculate notarisation costs in the UK and at our practice, MSC Notaries.

Notary fees in the UK – how much do they cost?

How much a notary costs in the UK falls somewhere between the two extremes. It is not easy to become a notary public in the UK, so there are fewer of us than in the USA.

• In the UK, it is up to the individual notary public how much they wish to charge for their services.
• Notary public UK fees vary wildly, particularly in large cities like London where demand is high.
• Most notaries charge on a per document basis, although if home or office visits are required, or there are a large volume of documents, or the notarisation required is very complex, an hourly service rate may be applied.

In addition, the role of a notary in the UK is more specialised and at higher risk than in the US. All of these factors contribute to higher notary fees for services like document notarisation.

Notarised documents – do some types of document cost more?

Personal documents (such as degree certificates, personal affidavits or declarations, personal powers of attorney, employment letters, sponsorship letters etc.) usually attract lower fees than commercial documents (such as partnership agreements, board resolutions or board minutes, company declarations, or affidavits and companies house documents).

Business notary services generally cost more, because more work is involved with notarising commercial documents, for example making sure that the person purportedly representing the company/partnership has the authority to do so.

We can notarise both individual and company documents at a great price. We’re proud to be one of the cheapest notaries in London.

How are notary public fees calculated in the UK?

There are many factors that go into producing an accurate quote for UK document notarisation, these can include:

• The type of notarisation required
• The number of documents needing notarisation
• The number of people signing each document (if applicable)
• The language that the document is in (we offer an in-house translation service if needed)
• The type of document and the country in which the notarised document is to be used

Do you have a notary public price list or cost per signature?

It is difficult to just provide a list of notary service prices as– each notarisation case is different. For this reason, the MSC Notaries teamwe will always ask you to contact us and provide a brief description of the document(s). We can then provide as comprehensive a quote as possible, so you can be confident there will be no surprise costs or hidden charges later down the line.

A free notary public in the UK – does one exist?

You can get documents notarised for free in some countries. However, in England and Wales, such a service is not provided.

There are several reasons for this:

• Although notaries are public officers, they are not employed by the government. Many are self-employed or run their own notarial companies and so have overheads which need to be covered.
• The requirements and training to become a notary in the UK are higher than in some other countries, so the time and economic costs associated with becoming a notary public are higher.
• There are fewer notaries per capita in England and Wales than in other countries (such as the US and India) where notaries are more abundant.
• The function of notaries in England and Wales is different to some other countries (such as the US), where notaries serve the function of merely attesting signatures. In England and Wales, notaries are experts in the authentication of documents for use abroad. As such, the work notaries do is specialised and higher risk.

For all these reasons, if you’re searching for a “free notary public near me”, you are very unlikely to find a notary who provides their notary services for free. Why not book an appointment with one of the cheapest notaries in the London area instead?

Find a cheap notary public in London – contact us for a quote

Our offices in Central London and Harrow offer professional notary services in London at an affordable price. Not only do we offer excellent value for money and customer service, but we are always honest and upfront about our notarisation fees.

You can call our team on 0208 907 2699 or email info@mscnotaries.com to discover how much your notarisation will cost.

FAQs

How much does it cost to notarise a document in the UK?

The minimum charge for notarising a single document can range from around £40 (+VAT) for a personal document, and around £70 (+VAT) for a business document. Charges for notarisation will depend on the number of documents you need addressing, the type of document and the process involved. For example, if a document requires further legalisation as well as notarising, this will cost more. It is always best to obtain a bespoke quote from a notary public to find out how much your document(s) will cost.

Where can I get a document notarised for free in the UK?

You cannot get a document notarised for free in the UK, due to the level of qualification and skill involved in becoming a notary public and addressing a document. Notaries are also not employed by the government so have to fund their own training and qualifications.

Do banks notarise in the UK?

In the UK, only a qualified notary public can notarise documents and banks do not offer notarisation services. Notary publics have protected titles and only those qualified and registered as a notary can offer notary services.