In urgent cases it is possible to complete your transaction within a few hours of the first instruction. If the document is straightforward, already prepared and in the correct form then my work should be completed in one or two days. It will take longer if the document is not straightforward, or if I have to draw up the document or undertake other work.
If it is necessary to have the document legalised then the document will have to be sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and/or the appropriate Foreign Embassy. This will take several days unless you want to take the documents to the Embassy in person and are prepared for a long wait. The fees and procedures for this vary, and I will be able to advise you of the likely time and cost.
Subject to the payment of my fees, where your documents go from me depends on how you need to deal with them. I can send them to the foreign lawyer or organisation by post or courier, or hand them back to you, as you wish.
Part of my duty as a Notary includes the requirement that I should retain a full record of all the work that I deal with on your behalf, for at least 12 years, and in some cases permanently. I therefore need to retain a copy of one or more of the following: the evidence that you have provided of your identity, any relevant instructions that have been received from foreign lawyer or authority, the notarial act I provide, and any other documents which appear to be relevant to the transaction.
