Notarisation and legalisation are forms of legal certification which certify that a document or a signature is authentic or a true copy. Intellectual Property Offices in some countries require formal documents (e.g. Power of Attorney forms) to be filed with these such legal certifications.

 

For some countries, formal documents may need to be notarised (i.e. certified by a Notary Public) and then legalised (i.e. certified again) by that country’s foreign consulate or embassy.

For other countries, which are members of the Hague Convention of 1961, formal documents may need to be notarised (i.e. certified by a Notary Public) and then legalised by Apostille (i.e. certified again by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office).

If you have been advised that certain documents require notarisation and/or legalisation, you will need to make an appointment with a Notary Public in order to arrange this. The Notary Public will be able to notarise the documents and should also be able to arrange any further legalisation that may be required.

Unfortunately, we cannot do this for you because the Notary will most likely need to see the signatories themselves as well as some form of ID. You will need to check exactly what is required with the Notary.

Although Notaries can usually notarise documents straight away, obtaining further legalisation at a foreign consulate or embassy or at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office may take a few days so it is important to arrange this in good time before any deadlines. Failure to file formal documents with the required notarisation and legalisation by the specified deadline may result in a loss of protection in that country.