Notary Public

Ronan O'Grady, Consultant at O'Gradys Solicitors, was appointed as a Notary Public by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ireland in 2013.

What is a Notary Public?

A Notary Public is a Public Officer, appointed by the Chief Justice. The function of a Notary Public includes authenticating public and private documents; attesting and verifying signatures to documents in order to satisfy evidential or statutory requirements of foreign governments, of overseas institutions and regulatory authorities, protesting bills of exchange and promissory notes for non-acceptance or non-payments; drawing up ships protests, giving certificate as to the acts and instruments of persons and their identities. A Notary is empowered to administer oaths and take affidavits. They may draw up documents of a legal nature, take evidence as a Commissioner for foreign courts and also verify translations from foreign language into the vernacular and vice versa. The Notary's official acts are executed under his official seal and signature.

Legalisation

Legalisation is an internationally recognised procedure for certifying the authenticity of official signatures and/or official seal applied to a public document. It operates by means of an unbroken chain of verifying signatures commencing with that of the first signatory to the document and ending with the signature of the diplomatic or consular representative of the state in which the document is to produced and acted upon.

The legalisation procedure usually commences with the attestation by a Notary Public of the signature of a person to a formal document e.g. a Power of Attorney. The Notary Public having subscribed his or her name and affixed his or her official seal to the document by way of notarial act arranges for the document to be produced to the Registrar of the Supreme Court for the purpose of having the Notary's signature and official seal verified.

The document is then produced at the Consular Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin for the purpose of having the signature of the Supreme Court Registrar verified and finally it is produced to the diplomatic or consular representative in Dublin (or London) of the foreign country in which it is intended the document shall be produced for the purpose of having the Irish Consular Officer's signature legalised.

When all the foregoing steps have been completed, the document is said to have been legalised.

Other countries in which the Apostille procedure applies may be checked on the Hague Convention website, where a list of countries adhering to the Apostille system abolishing the need for legalisation, and also those countries not Hague Convention Countries Adhering offer a comprehensive service to include notarising documentation, arranging for the Apostille to be affixed and where required, the consularisation of documents. We will advise on the required protocols of all Countries.

What documents are required to be notarised?

1. Powers of Attorney for the purchase, sale or otherwise of foreign property
2. Application papers for adoption of children abroad
3. Affidavit for use in foreign courts
4. Documents from institutions of this State for use abroad
5. Dishonoured international bills of exchange which need to be noted or protested
6. Several types of international contracts and commercial agreements

Please note when requiring the services of a Notary Public it is important that you bring your passport or Driving Licence and a recent utility bill.