Find a notary abroad
Lists of notaries to help British nationals with documents needed for legal or official procedures abroad, such as getting married or getting a job.
What a notary does
A notary, also called a notary public, is a type of lawyer qualified to confirm that legal documents are authentic. This is known as notarising a document. In most countries, including the UK, notaries are not the same as solicitors but sometimes solicitors are also qualified notaries.
Authorities in other countries sometimes ask for notarised documents to allow you to do certain things in that country, like:
- get married
- open a bank account
- buy or sell property
To get a document notarised for use abroad you will need a notary based in the UK or in another country.
How to find a notary
Check with the person or authority asking for the document if it needs to be notarised by a notary registered in the UK or the country you’re in.
Finding a notary in the UK
If you need a UK-based notary, find one for:
- England and Wales through The Faculty Office
- Scotland through the Law Society of Scotland
- Northern Ireland through The Law Society of Northern Ireland
Finding a notary abroad
In non-Commonwealth countries, British embassies and consulates can only provide notarial services if a local notary is unable to provide the service you need or the local authorities insist that an embassy or consulate provide the documentation. You’ll need to provide evidence of this. Local notaries can often provide the same service as the embassy or consulate but more quickly and cheaply.
In Commonwealth countries, British high commissions (the Commonwealth-equivalent of an embassy) or consulates cannot provide any notarial services. For some countries you can download a letter to confirm to local authorities this service is not available.
Use the lists on this page to find notaries for a country or territory. Many of the notaries listed are English speaking but some are not. If a country or territory is not listed, you’ll need to do your own research to find a notary there.
You could also use our find a lawyer abroad service, which lists other kinds of lawyers who might also offer notarial services.
Legalisation
You may also need to get a UK document legalised by the Legalisation Office, though they can only legalise documents signed by UK notaries. They’ll do this by checking your document to see if any signatures, stamps or seals match their own records, and issue a stamped official certificate called an apostille
Check with the person or authority asking for the document if it needs to be legalised.
Europe
For most European Union countries you can use the European Directory of Notaries. The links in the box here go to separate lists for some of those countries.
Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Slovenia.
Asia
Africa
North American, Latin American and the Caribbean
Australia and New Zealand
Disclaimer
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not accept any liability to any person or company for any financial loss or damage suffered through using these service providers or from the use of this information or from any failure to give information. Our non-exhaustive lists are not recommendations and should not be treated as such. For further information, read the full terms and conditions.