Launching, establishing or moving your business abroad? The paperwork can seem endless. Our experienced business notary in London can give your new enterprise the best start, offering top quality services at highly competitive fees. We’ll ensure your company documents are notarised correctly and on time by a professional team.
Why not book an appointment with a business notary at our London or Harrow office, or we can come to you?
What Is a Business Notary & Why Might You Need One?
A business notary, also known as a corporate notary, is essentially a notary public who specialises in helping companies with their official documents. In the UK, a notary public is a qualified legal professional authorised to authenticate and certify documents for use abroad. They act as an impartial witness to signatures and verify that documents are genuine, which gives foreign authorities confidence that your paperwork is legitimate.
In other words, the notary’s seal and signature make your business documents internationally accepted and trusted. You might need a corporate notary whenever your company deals with cross-border transactions or overseas legal requirements. Businesses often require notarisation when certifying company documents or signing contracts that will be used in another country.
For example, if you are opening a branch office abroad or entering a contract with an overseas partner, you may need to notarise documents like your Certificate of Incorporation, board resolutions, powers of attorney, or key contracts so that they are legally recognised overseas.
What types of business documents can I get notarised?
Doing business overseas can involve a lot of red tape. MSC Notaries can notarise or certify all the below company documents, plus many more.
- Certificates of Incorporation
- Memorandum & Articles of Association
- Corporate Powers of Attorney
- Contracts
- Attestation of Certificates of Good Standing
- Verification of Company Director/Secretary signatures
- Affidavits and Statutory Declarations
- Documents issued by regulatory bodies in the UK (e.g. MHRA/EMA-issued documents or CIMA-issued documents)
- Authentication of documents required for opening a foreign bank account
- Registers of Members & Directors
We can provide an exact quote and timescale, dependent on the quantity and type of documents.
Want to do business abroad? Read our article about the impact of Brexit on UK businesses — we can help you with the extra paperwork.
Please email info@mscnotaries.com if you’re unsure whether a business document needs notarising.
Why should I use MSC Notaries for my business?
“It was very easy and pleasurable to work with Simon. He did all the hard work of arranging for Apostille confirmation and getting the documents to the US in plenty of time for our time-sensitive transaction. Highly recommended!“
— Steve N
Our business notary has worked with a wide range of UK and international companies and sectors including:
- Accountancy firms
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Travel agencies
- Charities & Non-Profit
Our established, international notary in London offers a streamlined, professional service at an affordable price. You may be surprised at how cheap we are.
Face-to-face appointments are often not necessary to notarise business documents for use abroad. When they are necessary, we will try our best to get everything done during your first appointment with us. We also translate legal documents and offer further apostille services or consular legalisation services – do everything with us to save time and money.
We also offer a mobile notary service, where we travel to your London office or company premises. If you’re abroad or need support fast, we’re open evenings and weekends too.
Call 0208 907 2699 or email info@mscnotaries.com to find out more about business notary services.
What Types of Businesses Do We Work With?
Over the years, we’ve provided notary services to a wide range of business clients. As a notary public London companies rely on, we work with organisations of all sizes, including:
- Law Firms: We frequently assist solicitors and law firms that need an independent notary public to certify documents for their clients’ international legal matters. By handling notarisation, we help legal teams ensure their documents hold up abroad.
- Startups and SMEs: Smaller businesses and startups turn to us when expanding overseas or dealing with foreign partners. We help by notarising business documents (from company formation papers to contracts) so these ventures can confidently operate across borders.
- International Corporations: Large multinational companies rely on our corporate notary expertise for complex cross-border transactions and compliance. Whether it’s authenticating documents for a global merger or notarising paperwork for an overseas subsidiary, we provide a fast, reliable service that big businesses trust.
- Real Estate and Property Companies: We support property firms involved in international deals, such as overseas property purchases or investments. Our notary public can authenticate and witness property transaction documents, giving all parties added assurance that deeds, agreements, and authorisations are valid internationally.
Notary Service FAQs
Do I need a solicitor as well as a notary?
In most cases, no, you do not need a solicitor in addition to a notary for certifying documents. A notary public is qualified to authenticate and witness your company documents for international purposes on their own. You would typically only need a solicitor if you require legal advice or need someone to draft the document. For the act of notarisation itself (which is about verifying signatures and documents for legal use abroad), a notary is sufficient and specifically required. When a document is destined for use outside the UK, a notary public’s certification is what makes it officially valid overseas, not a solicitor’s.
How long does notarisation take for company paperwork?
Notarising company paperwork is usually a quick process. The notarisation appointment for a document often takes around 15 minutes (sometimes even less) per document. We can usually notarise your business documents on the spot, during a single visit. After that, the documents are ready to use. If you also require an apostille stamp or embassy legalisation for use abroad, that will add some time, typically an extra day or two with express services, or up to a week for standard processing.
Can you notarise documents remotely for businesses?
While we can prepare and review business documents remotely, UK notary law requires in-person witnessing for most notarisation services. This means that for documents to be legally notarised, the signatory must usually appear in person before the notary public. However, we offer flexible appointment options, including same-day and mobile notary visits across London, to make the process as convenient as possible for your business.