NOTARY PUBLIC

Alvaro Blasco was appointed as a Notary Public by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ireland in January 2012.

Alvaro offers a comprehensive range of notarial services to both private and commercial clients

• What is a Notary Public?
• Notary Services
• Apostille & Legislation
• Making an appointment
• Notary Fees
• Obtaining an Apostille

WHAT IS A NOTARY?

A Notary Public is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with foreign or international business. You will normally require the services of a Notary when you have documents which need to be used abroad.

NOTARY  SERVICES

A Notary Public is empowered by law and by custom and usage of notaries through the ages to

• Administer Oaths
• Attest Signatures
• Authenticate Documents
• Give Notarial Acts
• Take Affidavits (other than for the courts in Ireland)
• Take Affirmations and Declarations
• Receive and Make Protests under Mercantile Law, and issue notarial certificates in respect of documents and persons.
• Draw up Powers of Attorney and other legal documents customarily prepared by Notaries Public

The acts of Notaries Public have worldwide recognition.

APOSTILLE & LEGISLATION 

Apostille

An Apostille is a certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs verifying the genuineness of the signature and/or seal of a public officer e.g. a Notary Public, on a public document and the capacity in which he or she has acted. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘fast-track’ version of legalisation. The Apostille certificate may be stamped on or attached to the public document required to be apostilled. It is obtained by presenting the document at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Hainault House, 67-71 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 and paying the appropriate consular fee. The Apostille procedure applies in lieu of Legalisation between countries that have signed and ratified or acceded to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. Ireland ratified the Convention in 1999.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 or likely also on the Department of Foreign Affairs webpage.

Legalisation

Legalisation (in some countries spelled ‘Legalization’) 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 or likely also on the Department of Foreign Affairs webpage.

MAKING AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE A NOTARY

An appointment must be made to see Alvaro Blasco, Notary Public. In general he is available to see clients Monday to Friday during business hours. If you need to see a Notary Public out of office hours, an appointment can be made for a supplemental fee. It is important that you bring the following documents with you:

• Evidence of your identity e.g. current passport or driving licence.
• Proof of your home address e.g. utility bill.

You will need to bring all the relevant documents and papers which relate to your notarial request.

Fill in all the gaps in the documentation to the best of your ability beforehand. If you are unsure and need guidance, the Notary will help you if he can.

Before arriving at your appointment with the Notary make sure you have filled in what may be a lengthy form. Due to possible time constraints on the Notary, this may be stressful for you, perhaps leading you to make a mistake under pressure.

NB You may be asked to email or fax a copy of these documents in advance of your appointment.

NOTARY FEES

Like most notaries, our fees will vary on a case by case basis. There is no set fee for notarial services. The Notary will charge a proper professional fee that reflects the cost of the Notary’s services in terms of time, skill and responsibility, similar to other professional service providers.

We do not charge VAT. We may charge a supplemental fee if the work has to be done out of normal hours or if the matter is particularly complex. We will be delighted to give a quote on request.
To make an appointment with our Notary Public in Maynooth, Co. Kildare:

Email: alvaro@blascosolicitors.ie

Call: 01 554 5711

OBTAINING AN APOSTILLE

If you are required to have your document authenticated at the Department of Foreign Affairs with an Apostille under The Hague Convention 1961 you will need to do the following:

Call in or contact the Department at the following address:

Department of Foreign Affairs

The Authentication of Documents Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs

The office is Dublin is now located at 42-47 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2. The opening hours are 09:30 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 16:00 Monday-Friday. All enquiries regarding the service and the public office in Dublin can be made by calling 01 408 2174.

The Department’s fee is €40.00 per document. Appointments not necessary.